Flipped Gazelle
Diamond Member
In the broadcast booth, prior to the Phillies game.
Great voice, NFL Films will not be the same.
Great voice, NFL Films will not be the same.
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RIP, Harry Kalas
- Thread starter Flipped Gazelle
- Start date
coaster831
Member
Horrible news. Harry was the best.
Originally posted by: KGBMAN
Harry was an icon in the Philly area.
I grew up listening to him and Richie Ashburn.
RIP Harry.
Harry Kalas was already in the baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster. He and Hall of Fame player Richie Ashburn had one of the all-time great real life bromances. They spent 27 years in the booth together, until Whitey's death, and Harry still openly mourned his death all these years later. Their respect and love for another was genuine and eternal.
Richie Ashburn was unreservedly LOVED in Philadelphia his entire playing and broadcasting career, and so was Harry the K! I vividly remember 1980, when the Phillies went to the World Series for the first time in 30 years and only the second time in their entire history.
When we fans found out that Whitey and Harry wouldn't be broadcasting the Series, genuine howls of protest went up and we started a organized petition to allow our beloved announcers to broadcast the game!
It didn't work that year, but a year or two later, MLB actually changed their damn rules to allow local broadcasts of the WS by the team's local announcers, a direct result of the love and devotion of Phillies fans for their announcers. :thumbsup:
A lot has been said here about the dark side of Philadelphia sports fans, but no fan base is more knowledgeable and none more loyal to those they embrace. Once we take you into our hearts, you can know you've earned it, and we never, ever let go.
I always took the quality of the Phillies announcers for granted, until I started to travel around the country, and heard all the loud, strident homers shilling for their employers in other cities.
Harry took his cue from Whitey. And no one was more secure in his position in the hearts of his audience than Whitey. He knew baseball inside and out, and had nothing to prove to anyone. He was laid back, honest, and FAIR, and Harry was his perfect foil, with his mellifluous announcer's voice.
Btw, Deeko, the sine qua non of the velvet-tinged, deep and easy baritones was the original NFL films voice, John Facenda. He was the long time preeminent news announcer in Philly on Channel 10. He was, almost literally, the Voice of God.
But, anyway, this day belongs to Mr. Harry Kalas. As a sentimental old coot, I chose to think of him now sitting in the celestial broadcasting booth with his long-time buddy Whitey Ashburn.
You had a looooong drive, Harry. And now, this baby's gone, you're outta here!
BrokenVisage
Lifer
I just heard the news and almost cried, just got back from passing the word to other fans around the office and none of them could believe it either. Next to Jim Jackson he was my favorite announcer of our local guys and even though you could tell his age was getting to him he was always able to right himself almost effortlessly. This makes the World Series win last year even more special, I'm so glad he got to call it and experience the win. I'm a big Chris Wheeler fan so thankfully we still got him, but watching my Phils will never be the same. RIP Harry, RIP.
Well said Perk. :thumbsup:
Well said Perk. :thumbsup:
Flipped Gazelle
Diamond Member
"Struck. Him. Out."
Insomniator
Diamond Member
Exactly, I couldnt' listen to a damn game he called. Yeah, he's better than Kieth freakin Hernandez these days, but really, he was soooo boring.
Its like anyone that is a broadcaster for a long time these days automatically has "the voice of god"
He was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster back in 2002. He had an easy, naturally deep and wonderful voice. He knew enough not to ever make broadcasting a game be principally about himself.
But most of all, he was a genuinely nice guy who was known and loved for nearly forty years in our area. His partnership with, and deep personal friendship for Whitey was a real and as good as it gets. They made a truly great team.
Allow me to repeat that. Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas were a truly great baseball broadcasting duo. :thumbsup:
His genuine worth as a human being is what stood out and came across to people. I'm watching person after person say again and again how, even off camera, he treated EVERYONE both high and low with the same exact degree of natural respect.
Harry was even loved by the members of the other teams, the mark of a truly decent guy. When he'd pass them on the field before or after a game, they call out affectionately, "outta here."
It's like Mitch Williams, whom he coined and called, on field and off, Mitchie Poo said, "We never considered Harry 'media', we considered him part of the team."
I was listening to a tribute on Comcast Sports Network and Michael Barkan was choking it back after each introductory sentence, trying like hell to avoid letting his voice crack.
Listening to a Phillies game from now on without him just won't be the same.
I'm gonna' miss him.
Again, World Series games had been broadcast for nearly 60 years and yet it wasn't until Phillies fans realized they have to listen and watch in 1980 without Whitey and Harry that fans in any city ever made such an organized stink -- petitions and all! -- that MLB finally changed their rules.
I can remember feeling it just wouldn't be the same watching the WS without them. And I remember everyone else feeling the same.
They were that loved.
I can remember feeling it just wouldn't be the same watching the WS without them. And I remember everyone else feeling the same.
They were that loved.
Curt Schilling, whom you know tells it exactly as he sees it, and whose career spanned a number of more prominent cities and organizations, saying:
"He was as close to the players as anyone, closer with some players than they were with each other, even.
He was more loved by the players than any member of the media I have ever known."
"He was as close to the players as anyone, closer with some players than they were with each other, even.
He was more loved by the players than any member of the media I have ever known."
Jeff7
Lifer
Wow, my mom will surely be bummed by this. She's a diehard Phillies fan, and prefers Harry to any other announcer. He didn't blab much, and just did a good job. Too many of the other announcers just can't shut up for more than a few goddamn seconds; if there's a baseball game being broadcast on ESPN, she'll usually keep the volume muted because the guys there spend the whole game talking and talking and talking.Originally posted by: KGBMAN
Harry was an icon in the Philly area.
I grew up listening to him and Richie Ashburn.
RIP Harry.
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: KGBMAN
Harry was an icon in the Philly area.
I grew up listening to him and Richie Ashburn.
RIP Harry.
🙁
Harry Kalas was already in the baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster. He and Hall of Fame player Richie Ashburn had one of the all-time great real life bromances. They spent 27 years in the booth together, until Whitey's death, and Harry still openly mourned his death all these years later. Their respect and love for another was genuine and eternal.
Richie Ashburn was unreservedly LOVED in Philadelphia his entire playing and broadcasting career, and so was Harry the K! I vividly remember 1980, when the Phillies went to the World Series for the first time in 30 years and only the second time in their entire history.
When we fans found out that Whitey and Harry wouldn't be broadcasting the Series, genuine howls of protest went up and we started a organized petition to allow our beloved announcers to broadcast the game!
It didn't work that year, but a year or two later, MLB actually changed their damn rules to allow local broadcasts of the WS by the team's local announcers, a direct result of the love and devotion of Phillies fans for their announcers. :thumbsup:
A lot has been said here about the dark side of Philadelphia sports fans, but no fan base is more knowledgeable and none more loyal to those they embrace. Once we take you into our hearts, you can know you've earned it, and we never, ever let go.
I always took the quality of the Phillies announcers for granted, until I started to travel around the country, and heard all the loud, strident homers shilling for their employers in other cities.
Harry took his cue from Whitey. And no one was more secure in his position in the hearts of his audience than Whitey. He knew baseball inside and out, and had nothing to prove to anyone. He was laid back, honest, and FAIR, and Harry was his perfect foil, with his mellifluous announcer's voice.
Btw, Deeko, the sine qua non of the velvet-tinged, deep and easy baritones was the original NFL films voice, John Facenda. He was the long time preeminent news announcer in Philly on Channel 10. He was, almost literally, the Voice of God.
But, anyway, this day belongs to Mr. Harry Kalas. As a sentimental old coot, I chose to think of him now sitting in the celestial broadcasting booth with his long-time buddy Whitey Ashburn.
You had a looooong drive, Harry. And now, this baby's gone, you're outta here!
Couldn't have said it any better.
I watched the Nats-Phils on local tv here today (DC), and you really take guys like Kalas for granted until you hear the local stiffs. Rob Dibble might be the worst announcer of any of the professional sports. They did announce Harry K's passing at the game, followed by a moment of silence. Lots of Phils fans in attendance, and one yelled out, "We love you Harry!" to break the quiet.
I'm happy knowing Harry Kalas got to experience that championship last year, he deserved that moment for all those years of dedication to the fans.
Deeko
Lifer
Originally posted by: Perknose
He was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster back in 2002. He had an easy, naturally deep and wonderful voice. He knew enough not to ever make broadcasting a game be principally about himself.
But most of all, he was a genuinely nice guy who was known and loved for nearly forty years in our area. His partnership with, and deep personal friendship for Whitey was a real and as good as it gets. They made a truly great team.
Allow me to repeat that. Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas were a truly great baseball broadcasting duo. :thumbsup:
His genuine worth as a human being is what stood out and came across to people. I'm watching person after person say again and again how, even off camera, he treated EVERYONE both high and low with the same exact degree of natural respect.
Harry was even loved by the members of the other teams, the mark of a truly decent guy. When he'd pass them on the field before or after a game, they call out affectionately, "outta here."
It's like Mitch Williams, whom he coined and called, on field and off, Mitchie Poo said, "We never considered Harry 'media', we considered him part of the team."
I was listening to a tribute on Comcast Sports Network and Michael Barkan was choking it back after each introductory sentence, trying like hell to avoid letting his voice crack.
Listening to a Phillies game from now on without him just won't be the same.
I'm gonna' miss him.
Yea sure, he's a good guy. That doesn't mean he was an interesting broadcaster. Locals always fall in love with their local sports announcers, even if they aren't REALLY that good. Such as the old Steelers announcer, Cope, or the Eagles' radio announcer, Reese. I can't stand either of them, they have the most obnoxious voices on radio, but the respective locals love them.
Do0d, we love Merrill Reese because of his over-the-top 1940's radio announcer delivery. The guy's a gas(bag) but you couldn't find intentional parody as good!
But one of the things you should know about Harry Kalas is that he spoke in real life with the same measured baritone that he announced with. He was a natural.
You are entitled to your personal opinion, but your implication that Kalas was loved even though he wasn't good doesn't hold up.
He had the respect of his professional peers. He was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame as an announcer in 2002.
He had the trust and respect of the players. As I posted, Schilling just said he was the most loved by the players of any media type he had ever seen. Stories from others to support this ABOUND.
He had the love and respect of his audience. If "locals always fall in love with their local sports announcers" as you say, then WHY in the 60 years of WS broadcasts prior to 1980 did NO group of local fans protest and petition MLB to have their locals also be allowed to broadcast the game?
He was the perfect foil to Whitey. His ego didn't get in the way,and they meshed as perfectly as any announcer/color man combo ever have, imho.
Here they are during a game, talking about players superstitious love for bats they do well with;
Harry: "It's said, such is their love, that some players will literally sleep with their bats."
Whitey (a two time NL batting champion and a .308 lifetime hitter): "Yep. I know I've slept with a few old bats in my time."
^^^ Now THAT'S comedy gold. :laugh:
They did it deadpan, naturally, easily, and without the endless, nervous yip-yapping that marked and marks all the lesser announcer tandems. And they made it look easy!
It isn't as easy at it looks, Deeko.
Whitey and Harry were really, really, really good together. They were among the very best, imho.
"Hard to believe, Harry"
But true. 😉
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