Harry Kalas - Philadelphia, PA
N 40° 00.224 W 075° 11.394
18T E 483791 N 4428188
Harry Kalas was one of the most beloved figures in the Philly area. He was the radio announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies. He did play-by-play radio and television broadcasting for out team from 1971 until his death in 2009, a span of 38 years.
Waymark Code: WM74W0
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/02/2009
Views: 6
My memories of baseball and of my father always seems to eventually involve Harry Kalas. From a "high towering drive to deep left field" call on a Mike Schmidt home run or calling the last out of the 2008 World Series, Harry Kalas was the voice of summer, the voice of renewal and the voice of hope. My dad and I would always tune into the Phillies game whenever we were in the car or at home when the Phils were not on the TV. His voice, his understanding of the game and his enthusiasm always sucked us in and excited the heck out of us. He is the voice of the Phillies and the voice in my head whenever I think baseball. Thanks Harry. We will miss you.
I recently visited Harry Kalas at Laurel Hill Cemetery. While there is no headstone yet erected, the site is unmistakable. There are seats from the stadium which flank the right and left of a memorial marker and a big Phillies "P" to the rear. I sat down for awhile and had a seat. I remember meeting with Harry Kalas and having dinner with him at Resorts International Casino in 1983. There was a roast and toast for Pete Rose and my father scored two invites. Dad always managed to do something amazing for me. Anyway, mike Schmidt was there, Pete Rose, and al the famous Phillies at the time, but it was Harry who I was most excited to meet. he was so gracious and kind. I had a picture taken with him and today, it is still my favorite of all the baseball players I have ever posed with, and there are a lot.
The following is Harry's biography from the Find a Grave website:
He was awarded the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Broadcasting Award in 2002. Born in Naperville, Illinois, he began his broadcasting career in 1962 while stationed in Hawaii during his service in the United States Army. Three years later he was hired by the Houston Astros to broadcast their games, and was with Houston from 1965 until 1971, when the Phillies brought him into their broadcasting fold. Eventually paired up with Hall of Fame player Richie Ashburn, the duo became sports icons in Philadelphia, and their calls on significant Phillies events became an indelible part of the city's sports lore and memory. When the Phillies advanced to the World Series in 1980, Major League baseball rules did not permit local broadcasters to do the games, a situation that caused massive fan disappointment that they could not hear Kalas and Ashburn. After the Phillies won the series, the public outcry and criticism prompted Major League Baseball to change the rules, which now allow local sportscasters to do the games on local radio. 28 years later this allowed Harry Kalas to broadcast all the games of the 2008 World Series involving the eventual champion Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays to local fans. From 1975 he was the voice of NFL Films, and he was involved in numerous sports and local charities during his tenure. His standard call for a home run - "That ball is outta here", has become one of the legendary baseball calls. He was preparing to broadcast a game between the Phillies and the Washington Nationals when he collapsed in the broadcasting booth and died shortly later at the age of 73.
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