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Burning Journal -> Waiver Wire -> Voice of the Phillies & NFL Films dead at 73
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Voice of the Phillies & NFL Films dead at 73
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Phillies Announcer Harry Kalas Dies At 73

images_image_347144559.jpgShare Your Thoughts

images_image_280164506.jpg READ: Kalas Memories

WASHINGTON (AP)

Longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, who punctuated innumerable home runs with his "Outta here!" call, died Monday after being found passed out in the broadcast booth before a game against the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

"We lost our voice today," team president David Montgomery said, his voice cracking. "He has loved our game and made just a tremendous contribution to our sport and certainly to our organization."

Kalas was discovered by the Phillies director of broadcasting about 12:30 p.m. and taken to a local hospital, Montgomery said.

Kalas had surgery earlier this year for an undisclosed ailment that the team characterized as minor. He looked somewhat drawn last week as the Phillies opened the season at home.

Kalas joined the Phillies in 1971. Before that, he was a member of the Houston Astros' broadcast team from 1965-70. In 2002, he received the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to the game.

"Players come and go, but 'Outta here!'that's forever," said Scott Franzke, a Phillies radio broadcaster.

Kalas lent his sonorous voice to everything from puppies to soup. He did work for NFL Films, was the voice for Chunky Soup commercials and Animal Planet's annual tongue-in-cheek Super Bowl competitor, the Puppy Bowl.

Kalas joined the Phillies radio and TV broadcast team the year the club moved into its former home, Veterans Stadium, replacing fan favorite Bill Campbell.

He wasn't immediately embraced by Phillies fans, despite being paired with Richie Ashburn, a Hall of Famer as a player, and longtime announcer. But Kalas evolved into a beloved sports figure in Philadelphia. He and Ashburn grew into a popular team, and shared the booth until Ashburn's death in 1997.

"Major League Baseball has lost one of the great voices of our generation," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.  "Baseball announcers have a special bond with their audience, and Harry represented the best of baseball not only to the fans of the Phillies, but to fans everywhere."

Kalas fell in love with baseball at a young age, when his father took him to Comiskey Park to see the Chicago White Sox play the Washington Senators. It was a rainy night, and Kalas sat with his dad behind the Washington dugout.

"Because of the rains, the field was covered," he told the AP.  "There was no batting practice, so the players really didn't have anything to do. Mickey Vernon popped out of the dugout, saw this wide-eyed kidmepicked me up, took me in the dugout, gave me a baseball, introduced me to his teammates, and thus began my love of baseball and the Washington Senators."

He maintained that enthusiasm for the game throughout his career.

The son of a Methodist minister, the Naperville, Ill., native graduated from the University of Iowa in 1959 with a degree in speech, radio and television. He was drafted into the Army soon after he graduated.

In 1961, he became sports director at Hawaii radio station KGU and also broadcast games for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League and the University of Hawaii.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)



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CBS
Harry Kalas honored during the Citizen's Bank Park Champions Ceremony on October 31, 2008.

CBS



-- Edited by Troll on Monday 13th of April 2009 02:27:48 PM

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Phillies Win Bittersweet Game Against Washington

Phillies 9, Nationals 8

WASHINGTON (AP)

Before Monday's home opener, the Washington Nationals spoke about being happy to finally be off the road, about knowing they aren't as bad as their record, about how long the season is.

Then the Nationals went out and lost 9-8 to a Philadelphia Phillies club mourning the pregame death of longtime broadcaster Harry Kalas. Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino homered for Philadelphia, three errors by Washington contributed to three unearned runs, and the Nationals fell to 0-7 -- still the only club in the majors without a victory.

At least Washington gave its fans something to cheer about late:

Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run homer off Phillies closer Brad Lidge, who hasn't blown a save since 2007.

But Lidge struck out Adam Dunn and Elijah Dukes before Nick Johnson grounded out to first base to end it. It's Lidge's third save this season and 47th consecutive converted chance.

Howard's first homer of 2009, a three-run shot off reliever Saul Rivera (0-1), broke a 4-all tie in the seventh inning. One out later, Ibanez hit his third of the season, making it 8-4.

Jamie Moyer (1-1), the slow-throwing lefty still going at 46, earned the victory, allowing four runs and eight hits in six innings. He allowed Dukes' solo shot in the fifth that tied it at 4.

The Phillies went back in front the next inning, when Rivera came on and immediately hit Victorino and Chase Utley before giving up Howard's drive to center field.

Dunn hit his second homer of the season off Clay Condrey in the seventh, a two-run shot into the visiting bullpen in left-center that got the Nationals within two. But Victorino's sac fly in the eighth restored the three-run lead.

Then in came Lidge in the ninth, which Cristian Guzman started with a single to right for his career-high-tying fifth hit of the game. Nothing comes easily for the Nationals, though: Guzman came out of the batter's box awkwardly and was removed for a pinch runner.

The Nationals went ahead 1-0 in the first -- but, as usual this season, failed to take advantage of a chance to score much more.

Guzman reached on an infield single and Dunn walked with two outs before Dukes lined an RBI double to the left-field corner. After Johnson walked to load the bases, Jesus Flores grounded out to end the inning, making Washington's hitters 1-for-15 in 2009 with three runners aboard.

After Victorino homered in the third, he crossed himself, then pointed up to the broadcasting booth at Nationals Park, where Kalas was supposed to be working. But the voice of the Phillies for nearly four decades collapsed a couple of hours before the first pitch and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Kalas was 73.

The Phillies had a photo of Kalas taped inside their dugout during the game.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)



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Interesting, I always thought it was Steve Sabol Sr. that narrated those films...

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I was trying to imagine the reaction of Seattle-ites would have
if our beloved voice of the Mariners Dave Neihaus were to pass
away like that. It would take months to get over it and I bet
the M's players would go to the point of wearing a armband or
a special patch on their uniforms to honor the loss of "the voice".
Harry Kalas was beyond great. I feel for you Phillies fans.


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I think that only leaves Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully left alive of the great voice of baseball.

Even though I was no Tiger fan.....it was great to hear Ernie call a game on WJR out of Detroit when I still lived in Cleveland.

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Of course my personal favorite......

about_harry_pic1.jpg

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I can't imagine listening to a Mariners game without Rick Rizzs
and Dave Niehaus.



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Harry's casket is on the infield of Citizens Bank Park....laying in state.....they are sending him off with a tribute this afternoon.

Fans, Phillies Pay Final Respects To Harry Kalas

images_image_347144508.jpg  Slideshow: Images From Harry's Life

images_image_347144508.jpg  Slideshow: Images From Citizen's Bank Park Memorial

Watch The Memorial on CBS3 or CW Philly at 1 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3)

Fans lined up outside Citizens Bank Park before 7am to pay their final respects to legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas.

Kalas, known for his signature "Outta here!" home run calls, died Monday after collapsing in the broadcast booth before the Phillies' 9-8 victory over the Washington Nationals. He was 73.

Following an emotional Friday evening Phillies home game against the Padres, their first since Kalas' passing, fans returned to the park to honor the hall of fame broadcaster.

On a first come, first served basis, visitors were ushered into the stadium through the Third Base Gate at Pattison Avenue and Citizens Bank Way.

Many in attendance brought flowers and other mementos with them to leave at the vigil set up near the Mike Schmidt statue outside of the park. 

"I just felt like he was part of the family," said Andrew Brennan. "He will really be missed."

Fans are able to pass by the casket until approximately 12:45 p.m. at which time all persons in attendance will be directed to seats. Beginning at approximately 1:00 p.m., current and former players -- some of whom are travelling great distances to be here to pay their final respects -- broadcasters, front office employees, and friends and family members will pay their final respects before the on-field tribute begins at 1:30 p.m.

"Thirty eight years of listening to a special voice and part of the rhythm of summer nights for us," said Rich of Havertown on why he made it a point to pay respects to Harry Kalas. "Young people today are growing up with their television, while I grew up during the time of radio announcers. On a summer night, after we were done playing baseball, we would listen to the radio  I've been here for forty years and Harry was the voice of Philadelphia."

This is only the third time in Major League Baseball history that an on field memorial service has been held that, other services were held for Babe Ruth and hall-of-fame St. Louis Cardinals sportscaster, Jack Buck.

"It was a First-Class send off for a First-Class guy," said Paul Mathews of Havertown.

All fans in attendance receive a commemorative program, an 8"x10" photograph of Harry and a poem written by him in 2002 as a fan tribute.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)



-- Edited by Troll on Saturday 18th of April 2009 11:44:33 AM

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