Nutter on Kalas: "Often imitated, but never really duplicated"

Mayor Nutter said the death of Harry Kalas, the voice of the Phillies, marks "a very sad day for Philadelphia and the region."

Having met him a few times, Nutter recalled him as "hard-working and hard-driving," with "a great sense of humor and a smile."

While players and managers came and went, Nutter said, "The absolute one constant with the Phillies was Harry Kalas."

His was a voice that Nutter grew up with, like so many other Philadelphians. And his was a voice that was "often imitated, but never really duplicated."

Preliminary discussions are taking place about how best to honor Kalas. But it is too soon, the mayor said, to know if that might come in the form of a building or street named after the beloved announcer.

"He was a living sports legend and through his voice has fallen silent, we'll always hear him, when an opponent swings and misses, when a Phillie hits a homerun and when the team wins its next World Series.

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