If you’re reading this in Australia, or even New York, this won’t strike a chord. But the death today of Philadelphia Phillies baseball announcer Harry Kalas is a real blow to the residents of eastern Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
We’ve heard his cigar-smoked voice so long as we rooted for the Fightin’ Phillies, through good times and bad, that he was like a member of the family. The only loss that compares was the death in 1997 of his former radio partner Richie “Whitey” Ashburn, a Phillies Hall of Fame player.
“Watch that baby! It’s outta here!” Kalas would tell us as Schmidt, Luzinski, Howard and Utley hit clutch home runs.
Glory days. Kalas and Ashburn guided us merrily through that great 1980 season, and Kalas was still the broadcasting rock last year when he called the last out of the World Series that returned the Phillies to glory.
We won’t have Harry Kalas to watch baseball with anymore, but it is no small comfort to know he went out a Phillie with the Phillies Champions of the World.
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