Goodbye, Harry the K
“We have lost our voice,” said David Montgomery, team president of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Words cannot describe the sadness that has overcome the hearts of the Phillies fans and sports fans alike. Whether you heard him through NFL Films or something as silly as the Puppy Bowl, Harry Kalas was special. To us Philly fans, he was not a voice — he was the voice.
Mike (front, in white) and Kevin (behind him, in blue) on Action News before Thome's 400th HR -- called of course by Harry Kalas
I’ll be brief as I sincerely fight back the impending tears. Harry was always there. He embodied every aspect of the Phillies. It wasn’t a Phillies game without hearing his voice. He had a soothing, calming effect, similar to that of a grandparent one would confide in.
You always knew that if the Phils were making a postseason run, Harry would be singing “High Hopes” loudly and proudly, no matter how off-key. And you know what? He somehow would rally fans and players alike into singing along with him.
Harry coined some phrases that forever live in the hearts of Philly fans. Whether it was “Number 500 for Michael Jack Schmidt!” (Harry always referred to Mike Schmidt as Michael Jack) or my personal favorite, “Chase Utley, you are the man!”
I don’t know how it is going to be watching home runs now without hearing Harry’s calls. We’re not going to hear him yell, “Watch this, baby!” with giddy enthusiasm. Never again will we be graced with “Long drive!” It will be most difficult not hearing Harry’s most well-known home run call: “Outta here!” As Phillies radio broadcaster Scott Franzke said, “Players come and go, but ‘Outta here!’ — that’s forever.”
Harry captured the hearts of Philadelphia for his near-40 years with the Phillies organization. I don’t think he will ever be forgotten. Forever, we will always get to hear replays of Harry calling “Long drive, IT’S OUTTA HERE!”
Due to broadcast restrictions, Harry did not get to call the 1980 Phillies’ World Series win. After rule changes allowing local broadcasters to announce for radio, Harry got to call the Phillies’ 2008 postseason. It is appropriate Harry got to go out seeing his team on top, saying, “The Phillies are 2008 World Champions of Baseball!” He went out seeing the Phils as the reigning champions.
Just as an example of what it meant to hear Harry call a game, Kev (Dr. Sports Fan) and I were at Citizens Bank Park for Jim Thome’s 400th home run. We got to witness it live and sat through several hours’ worth of rain delays. The very first thing I did when we got home was to check and listen to Harry’s call. This was true for any Phils game I went to. If there was a big home run, walk-off win or big moment in the pitching, I had to hear how Harry called it when I got home.
We will miss you Harry. Deeply.