Harry
You never know what you have until it is gone.
I never knew how much this sentiment was true until the passing of Harry Kalas. I’ll admit I had taken him for granted. I never considered what it would be like without him. For as long as I have watched and listened to Phillies baseball, Harry was there.
I know the outpouring of love and affection was tremendous for Richie Ashburn back in ‘97, but I was too young to really understand it. Sure I was 12 or 13, but I had not yet developed a strong relationship with the broadcasters. In the 12 years since then Harry has been my guy. He has been there for all of the good times and bad with his deep soothing voice. He lulled me to sleep for a Sunday afternoon nap and had me on the edge of my seat in the bottom of the 9th.
But I never knew what I had until it was gone. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated Harry. I understood he was one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in baseball history, but I never thought I would have to get through a game without him.
The day he died I learned of the news via text message from my mom. It simply read “Harry kalas died.” At first my mind just went blank. It couldn’t be true. I immediately went to Phillies.com and there it was. I went through the rest of that day at work in a daze. I didn’t know how to react. I finally made it home to watch the coverage on CSN. I wasn’t handling it all that well. It was so sudden and unexpected. But it all finally hit me when they began replaying the last game he called. It was only the first inning and nothing was happening, but I realized that I would never be fortunate enough to hear him call another game again. I will admit that I cried. I know it is cliched and has been said before, but it really was like losing a family member. Since going to college, graduating, and moving to Philly, I have heard Harry’s voice more than any member of my real family, so yes, he really was like a family member.
Rest in peace Harry, you will never be forgotten.
Looking Forward
The current state of affairs in the television booth is terrible.
First of all, Tom McCarthy has to go. He is a great professional broadcaster, but that is the problem. He gives me the feeling every night that he is auditioning for a national job with ESPN. He wants to be Joe Buck (and I hate Joe Buck). He has the same excitement in his voice for a David Wright home run as he does for a walk-off Ryan Howard home run. It seems like all he wants is his call on SportsCenter.
Sarge is a terrible color commentator. If I have to hear the phrase “jump in the Cadillac” or “Cadillac time” one more time I am going to lose it.
Wheels? Well, Wheels is just Wheels. Need I say more?
Now the radio broadcast duo is an entirely different story. Scott Franzke and Larry Anderson have taken over full time in the absence of Harry. And let me tell you, I am really enjoying their relationship. Like McCarthy, Franzke is a very good play-by-play guy, but the difference is he really loves the Phillies and you can tell. You can hear the excitement in his voice when the Phils hit a big homer and the disappointment when one is hit against them. I don’t want a broadcaster that calls it right down the middle. I want a guy that loves this team just as much as I do and shows it.
There is no question about LA’s loyalty. He is less of a color guy and more of a fan that just happens to have an live mic in front of him. He does more cheering, yelling, and ripping umpires than game analysis….and I love it.
I have discovered that if I turn on the TV broadcast, mute it, and turn on the radio broadcast on MLB.tv the audio is almost perfectly synched. This is how I have been watching games of late.
I think the Phillies have to seriously consider putting LA and Franzke on TV next year. I believe they are in the early stages of forming a Richie and Harry type relationship. And who wouldn’t want that?
May 1, 2009 at 12:09 pm |
What about bringing Scott Graham back? He was one of the better announcers the Phillies have ever had.
I have to disagree with you on the Sarge, I actually like him. He might not be the smoothest color commentator, but he has a lot of enthusiasm for the Phillies. Playback any of the Phillies’ clinching games in ‘07 and ‘08 and you’ll see what I mean.
May 1, 2009 at 12:31 pm |
You are right, Graham was good. I would be all for bringing him back. Do you know why he left in the first place?
I do like Sarge’s enthusiasm, but I would much prefer someone like LA who can actually speak the English language.
I think if he was willing Schmidt would be a good color guy. He obviously loves the Phils and speaks very well (as seen at HK’s wake). Plus he has some very strong opinions on things and will stir it up in the booth a little.
June 2, 2009 at 9:10 am |
As the old adage goes, “you never appreciate someone or something until it or he/she is gone”. Unfortunately, the state of Phillies broadcasting has taken a quantum deep and dramatic drop of quality and since Harry passed away. Harry’s easy-going, affable and knowledgeable style of broadcasting has succumbed to a less-than-appreciable experience for this fan in the aftermath. Especially disconcerting to me are the verbal idiosyncrasies of Gary Matthews – his frequent outrageous and somewhat pained enunciation of words and his constant mention of “that’s what you like” in reference to obvious pleasurable attributes are trumped by his strange commentary relating to the black stars clubbing “Cadillac time” home runs. The inference that the Phillies black players’ home run calls are related to in this manner disturbs this fan in a couple of ways. The stereotype is clearly apparent and, if broadcast in this same manner by someone of different ethnicity, there would almost certainly be an outcry of discontent (to say the least). Also, the omission of the same commentary for the white players similar achievements can leave a perceptive fan wondering if their achievements are not held up in the same esteem as their counterparts. I have also witnessed that Sarge at various times confuses left field with right field in his commentaries without affording the listener the benefit of a correction. Rest in peace, Harry; it seems that there will never be another one who can provide this fan with the broadcasting commentary and style you so unselfishly shared with us for so many wonderful years!
August 9, 2009 at 2:51 pm |
The Phillies broadcasts, in my opinion, have declined ever since McCarthy returned. He might be a capable broadcaster if he ever concentrated on the game. He is far more interested in cutting up with his cohorts, discussing some obscure event in Phillies history, or interviewing somebody(usually of dubious importance) than describing the action. “Yeah, you know Wheels, Ryan Church has hit a homerun in each Tuesday day game in his career… oh by the way rollins just hit an inside the park grand slam to win put the Phils ahead”. If I wanted to watch a talk show, I would watch a talk show! I want to watch a ball game. Perhaps one can’t blame him, because that is what the buffoons on the national broadcasts do. Keep in mind they are broadcasting to mostly casual fans not the hardcore Phillies fans who make up a large part of his audience.
August 20, 2009 at 5:34 am |
I love listening to Scott Franzke. I have thought for a while that he should move to TV. And now that Harry is gone I feel like its the perfect fit for him. I like McCarthy but in his role as he had last year. I liked the 1 min. cuts to him randomly in the outfield talking about some strange stat. I don’t like him in the booth for 9 innings. Maybe next year McCarthy will get a promotion to national TV and open a spot for Scott Franzke.
Also LA is too much color for TV. He used to do 3 innings on TV and I would be they stopped him because of how off-the-wall he is. Don’t get me wrong I also love listening to him but I can understand why it would be too much for TV.