RIP, Harry Kalas

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Deeko

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.

You make a good point about Cope & Reese, but I don't think it applies to Harry Kalas. He had his own style, didn't talk too much, had a great voice. He wasn't your stereotypical "homer" kind of announcer. Much like baseball itself, his was a rhythm you gently slipped into, and floated upon through the course of the game.

BTW, I'm a Mets fan. (They just lost the opener of their new ballpark. Figures!)

Contrast Kalas with someone like John Sterling, who broadcasts for the Yankees. That guy's a buffoon - even many Yankees fan think so.

As a Mets fan, I've had the good fortune of listening to some awesome radio broadcasters over the years. Gary Thorne, Gary Cohen and Tom MCarthy (heh, Phillies now). Good voices and nuts-n-bolts kind of guys, although at times a little bit sterile. Long time Mets announcer Bob Murphy was wonderful, a bit of a homer but not too bad, with a great old-time, homespun personality in the booth.

Voice of God (as it pertains to sports) - John Facenda & Bob Sheppard.

Originally posted by: Perknose
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?

In all fairness, how do you know there weren't protests and petitions prior to the Phillies phans? Maybe previous efforts just weren't successful.

 

[Deeko]

He might be a good announcer, but that doesn't make his voice any less sleep-inducing. You take a boring game and slap a dry monotone on top of it....you get a nice afternoon nap.

 

[SP33Demon]

Great vid on why Harry meant so much.

Man, heard this last night and was very sad. Grew up listening to Harry broadcast the Phils with my dad and every time I was in the area for baseball season I would listen to Harry the K. He was an old school announcer with a soothing voice who was, and always will be, the voice of the Phillies for me. Sad day indeed, one of the best is gone.

RIP Harry! You will be dearly missed.

 

[Kev]

Leave it to Deeko to turn an RIP thread into an argument. Just stfu already.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: Perknose
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.

http://www.philly.com/philly/v...090413_in_HKalas3.html

harry was all i knew. he was synomymous with baseball to me 🙁

i can't take listening to joe buck, so when the phils were on fox in the post season, i muted it and turned on my AM radio and tried really hard w/ the DVR to sync the calls up.

is there any announcer now that can fill his godly voice? i highly doubt it

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: KGBMAN
Harry was an icon in the Philly area.

I grew up listening to him and Richie Ashburn.

RIP Harry.

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.

harry knew when to be silent, to add to the drama that was going on in the field. other people would just yap about things not even related to the game

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Kev
Leave it to Deeko to turn an RIP thread into an argument. Just stfu already.

I made an innocuous comment that got multiple page-long responses. So I responded back. If you don't want to argue with me, uh, don't start the argument yourself. Seems like common sense to me.

edit: and no one got hostile at all in this thread until your comment, so I'd suggest you leave before you make matters worse, kid.

 

[Perknose]

Some cool and fitting tributes for Harry, last night and today.

Last night, the first inning of the game was broadcast in silence,w/o commentary.

This morning, fans started lining up before sunrise to pay their respects and file past his casket in the stadium.