Tell us your favorite story about Harry the K.
We here at The Southpaw have two.
The first came the summer before I fell in love with the game. It was at a time when baseball was something in the background of my life. Something that I mostly ignored. But, for whatever reason, I've always remembered this moment. It was a moment, involving a father and a son, as many baseball moments should be. We'd gone to Memorial Stadium in Scranton, our hometown, to see Scranton High play football.
When we left the game, my father and I climbed into his ancient, blue Volkswagon Beetle, and it was the first time I heard Harry Kalas say the name "Mickey Morandini." He stretched the two words out like Saran Wrap over a big bowl. It sounded so distinct, I couldn't help but listen to a game for the first time.
I've always remembered that night. That my father had the windows down despite the early autumn chill. The sound of the football game's crowd that we were leaving. The way the AM radioband crackled.
But most of all I remember that voice.
While it wasn't until the next year that I would fall hard for the rag-tag bunch that ended up winning the pennant, there can be no doubt that Harry had sown the seed of what would become a lifelong love affair with the game.
The second memory came during that magical 1993 season. On May 9, Mother's Day, Harry Kalas called a home run without his trademark "Outah here" call.
We were at my grandmother's house in Scranton. As all grandparents' houses are, it was full of magic. And the magic was out in full force that day.
My nephews, niece and I were playing in the front yard with a couple cousins. Actually, I don't remember who I was playing with. Just that we were called into the house. And we all stood there and watched the game.
This was out of place for my family. We rarely, if ever, crowded around the TV as a whole to watch sporting events. But I can almost place everyone where they were in that room at the time.
The Phillies trailed the Cardinals by three in the eighth inning when second baseman Mariano Duncan stepped to the plate against Lee Arthur Smith with the bases loaded and two away.
And, well, here's Harry's call:
"Well hit. Well hit. It might be. It could be. Grand. Slam. A grand slam home run. Mariano Duncan. Can you believe it? The Phillies lead, 6-to-5, in the eighth."
I remember my grandmother raising her fists and shaking them. I remember my dad high-fiving my uncle Rich, my brother-in-law Tom, and then me.
But I'm not the only one with Harry Kalas stories.
Here's some good stories from across the Web.
- From right here in York, we have the York Revolution's own Darrell Henry talking about the Hall of Famer's influence.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Daily News and ESPN have some great pieces. Check out Bill Lyons, who recalls the legend who walked among us. Bob Ford has an excellent reflection on how ingrained the broadcaster had become in the city's spirit. Hear what Jayson Stark and John Kruk have to say about Harry the K
Now, feel free to tell us yours.
My parents had this stereo in the living room that had to be 4 feet long and had a giant speaker on each end. Dad would sit in the dark on summer nights and listen to the games. And if kept still and listened real close, I could hear Phillies games after I was sent to bed.
Back before Janet Jackson's pastie brought on mandatory delays for TV broadcasts, we used to turn that stereo on and turn down the volume on the TV just to hear Harry.
And we did just that in 1990 during Terry Mulholland's no-hitter. The first two outs in the ninth were on groundballs. One of them - the second one, I think - was more or less a bang-bang play, and Harry pulls out his "Got him by Half a Step," which probably is almost as well known as his "Outta Here" and "Struck Him out" calls.
The thing was, the runner was not out by half a step. He was out by a full step. Harry was clearly embellishing, and my dad called him on it (as if Harry could hear him over the radio.)
There still was nobody we'd rather hear make the call.
I don't really remember a lot of detail in Harry's calling of Mulholland's no-hitter. But I liked how in his later years, anyway, how he never shied away from using the term when a pitcher had one going.
That's my style, too. (Seriously, Pat, you can't jinx a pitcher by saying the words "no-hitter.") I remember during Kevin Millwood's 2003 no-no, it seemed like every other word out of Harry's mouth was "no-hitter." Nobody else on the broadcast team would acknowledge it.
But that's some of what made Harry so great. His God-given voice is unmatched, but he had his own approach. As far as I know, his famous catch phrases are all his.
I liked also how in recent years he started griping more about bad calls, but doing it with an unbiased tone ... "Right down the middle for a ball."
I like it how he tried to carry the flame after the Phillies booted broadcaster Scott Graham; that he tried to keep the "Put this one in the win column for the Fightin' Phils" going. I was told the Phillies made him stop.
I quite sad about Harry's death. And I wrote a grief-stricken columm in under two hours last night just so we could have it for Tuesday's paper. But I wish I would have remembered these stories and could have included them.
I'm going to miss Harry a lot.
Travis,
All great stories. And I loved it how Harry seemed to stand up for Scott Graham. I have no qualms about Tom McCarthy, Larry Anderson, The Sarge, or Scott Franzke. But if the Phillies were to throw the fans a bone, the should bring Scott back. Maybe he wouldn't want to, but you never know.
I'm also thinking it would be nice if they start playing "Outta Here" clips over the CBP PA system when Phils' players homer.
Seems ideal to me ... the bell's starts going off and the next thing you hear is "That ball's Outta Here."
Who wouldn't love it?
I believe in fate and that everything happens for a reason. My oldest son's high school soccer team was en route to play in the PA State Championship and had a do or die game to play. My dillema -- the Phils were in the world series and might win it all that same night...what to do??? Well, as every good mother would do, I attended my son's soccer game and DVR'd the Phils game. As fate would have it...after my son's team won, we ran to the car and turned on the radio. In the car ride home, we were lucky to catch that final call from Harry Kalas that the Philadelphia Phillies were the 2008 World Champions of Baseball!!!!! It was meant to be and we loved every minute of it!!!!
Our family was fortunate enough to see him in Clearwater at a spring training game and he was the kindest man...waiting patiently while we all took pictures of him and he signed countless autographs. In my mind, he is the Philadelphia Philles and will be terribly missed!
I was able to cover three Phillies games in my life.
The first game I showed up several hours early. At one point I went to the cafeteria to get some food. I was sitting at a table when I felt some one's presence. It was Harry. He sat down behind me. Over the years I've gotten to meet or interview several celebrities, politicians and such. I don't ever recall being nervous. I'd even gotten Harry's autograph twice.
However, when I turned around to introduce myself and thank him for all the memories, I got butterflies. Part of me thought I should just sit there and be quiet. "Don't disturb anything," I told myself.
But I couldn't resist.
I quickly stammered out, "Mr. Kalas, I just wanted to say this is my first game I'm covering and I grew up listening to you and it's just really nice to see you here." Or something like that. Then I turned around and scampered away. But Kalas said something to me before I could leave: "Don't forget to have fun."
That day definitely was a blast.
Good stuff Pat. Thanks to the signal delay of HD over satelite and the magic of MLB audio, I was blessed to hear Harry call the 2009 World Series. It made the wait that much more worth it. RIP Harry, tell Whitey we say hi, and order up another gin and tonic, heavy on the gin!
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