Monday, April 13, 2009

Harry Kalas - The Boy of Summer




"The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. "

--- Terence Mann, Field of Dreams

In Philadelphia, one person has truly represented what we truly love about baseball - Harry Kalas. Any kid from nine to ninety can and will give your their Harry the K home run call. Harry Kalas was comfort food for the soul, tonic for a franchise that finally delivered a long dreamed about championship last October after years of futility. For four decades of summers it was as much fun to listen to the Phillies on the radio as it was to watch them on TV. And for 27 years. Philadelphia was doubly blessed to have Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn as an unmatched broadcasting duo.

Today Harry joined Whitey and a city not known for its compassion pauses to remember one of the area's unforgettable icons. In the coming days, weeks, months and years the home run calls will be made by a new set of announcers but a vast majority of fans will only hear two words... "Outta here..."

Harry Kalas Calls The Last Out of The 2008 World Series

Michael Jack Schmidt 300, 400 & 500

Harry on Whitey

Harry Goes to Cooperstown

We'll miss you, Harry.

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