Phillies smoke cigarette in dugout as pre-game tribute to Harry Kalas
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Phillies smoke cigarette in dugout as pre-game tribute to Harry Kalas
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
This just in. . .
One of the coolest tributes I have heard of thus far took place in the Phillies dugout prior to their 9-8 win over the Washington Nationals today. Several Phillies, including center fielder Shane Victorino, first baseman Ryan Howard and reliever Scott Eyre, lit up a cigarette and passed it around in honor of Kalas, whose smoking habit was almost as legendary as his play-by-play calls.
Victorino said the tribute, which was captured by television cameras, was a fitting one.
"I asked for it and a couple of other guys thought it would be cool to do," he said. "It was like, why not? So we called who we could -- I forget who had 'em, but we got 'em.
"I just thought, what did you always see him doing, other than broadcasting or being with his family? It's an HK thing, you know? It's so sad. Just sad."
Comments (102)
The irony is that smoking is probably what killed him. Wow. What a loss. The best call of last season: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=2629942— nosmoke
Comment removed.- i have to agree with the other comments here - while Victorino surely meant well and it was nice that they wanted to do something to honor Harry, these guys shouldn't be smoking cigarettes period. Just a really bad habit that most definitely contributed to his tragic passing.— johnfire
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- Smoke em if you got em. We love you Harry! Rest in peace...— adman
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- Smoking probably killed him? We're just rampantly speculating now? I wasnt aware nosmoke performed an autopsy and was in a position to report the results already...— Steve27
- 73 years is a pretty good run for anyone. Harry lived his life exactly as he wanted. How many of us can say we've been able to do that. Here's to all of us being a little bit more like Harry!!— The Lager Lad
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- Scolds from the nanny-state to come. 20% of Americans still smoke (that's about 60 million people). They're honoring the guy, not forcing kids to inhale. (I quit over 30 years ago, because I thought it was right FOR ME).— since1961
- Remember Folks something has to kill you....., smoking, drinking, getting hit by a bus.............just remember that, live and let live... oh and what about the philies players that do dip?.........— thekruker
- mikemike... I totally agree. I have never smoked a day in my life, but if that's what Harry loved, then WHY NOT? And iamnotTHATking, atheletes shouldn't be role models, PARENTS should be. Atheletes provide entertainment, but they're far from role models. Remember "WFC"? Chaz...— chazjr
- It's just funny that these guys look more like they're smoking a joint than a cigarette. Definitely something you don't see in the dugout anymore. For me it's hard to get sad about a public life deserving of celebration coming to an end. Harry gave us yeoman's work for decades and received adoration (and some criticism in recent years) in return. We should all be so lucky.— the_other_craig
- Great tribute..."The Wire" stop complaining about every little freaking thing. Get a life.— arb
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- This is not the place for political commentary. Harry enjoyed smoking and the players were just paying tribute in a way I'm sure Harry would have enjoyed. He probably would have enjoyed it more if they had a shot of bourbon in the other hand.— rds260
- i hate smoking and think it's horrible, but even i'm not bothered by this. it's one cigarette and it's appropriate for the guy in question. it's real.— Nutburgers
- Harry never got on his high horse, so why don't you guys get off yours? Harry was Harry, and the players loved him as much, if not more, than we did.— Scorekeeper
- I definitely think tributes should be made to Harry Kalas, but smoking in the dugout should not be one of them. There are much more appropriate tributes that can be made.— tennisne1
- these are the things you do to honor somebody. we have a class act for a baseball team. the eagles could learn some things from these guys. also... just one more reason to be thankful the phils won it all last season. kalas deserved it probably more than anyone else. god bless harry k.— djack10
- Lighten up, people...they weren't doing ads for Marlboro, they were doing a tribute for Harry Kalas, dont read anything more into it...RIP & godspeed old friend— efrye13
- Awesome
- We all make mistakes, but come on guys there were a lot of kids who saw that or who have seen the coverage. Smoking is not what we want kids to see these guys doing. Smoking only serves to rob us of too many beloved family and friends before their time. Harry deserves a better tribute.— JimmyTime
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- I love it! Super cool. Love this team. Great way to say thanks to Harry.— telly
- Ah yes, and the Flyers all drove as fast as possible after Pelle Lindbergh died...— J H
- Something has to kill you? Getting hit by a bus is not a chosen act. Smoking, drugs (including alcohol) are.— mikemaddog
- The tribute was strange - but fitting and from the heart.— Mh225
- Great tribute. They aren't doing pro-smoking ads, they're doing something that Harry was known for and that Harry would have probably gotten a big kick out of.— Wissinoming
- Philadelphians are so annoying sometimes. It was one 5 second clip. Must be nice when you all walk on water. Always have to complain about something, don't you? Go back to your miserable lives.— duffers
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- Obama just announced that he will tax each player $100 per puff.— Charlie Mustgo
- Remember Harry grew up with smoking like I did. Everyone smoked in his life. He's the last of his generation. Give him a break. It's what made him happy it's what he knew. A smoke and a cold one.— bossrjc
- charliemustgo must go. Fools like you just can't wait for any excuse to throw up your GOP garbage, can you? Such a pity not to have a life. RIP, Harry. Whenever I see a fluffy white cloud over the Park, I'll think of you and your cigars with Whitey and his pipe.— mike l
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- Harry lived hard, and he died quick, The man did it his way, I really wish I could slap the sh i t out of the people taking trash about the players tribute, you know what stop trying to advance your causes and take it as it was a tribute to a great man. I will always remember my days growing up when I wasn't old enough to watch the end of the games and especially during the west coast trips I would fall asleep to his voice. I met him once in Pittsburg outside the stadium, there were 40 people calling his name and he stoped and said hi to all of them including myself and my wife. God Bless Harry Kalas, I hope him and Whitey are calling a Babe Ruth home run as we speak.— dc4183
- dear Lord there are some humorless ninnies on here - get a life...those guys were trying to do something nice.— jamesiri
- c'mon people...i'm no fan of smoking or athletes promoting it, but this was a tribute to a close friend that had just passed away. harry would have been proud— springsteen1
- He had 73 great years, what a legend— furio
- Stop hating and start celebrating the life of Harry Kalas. He loved us all and we all loved him. Can we stop the complaining at least for one day? Don't judge how others pay tribute to a great man. Everybody mourns in their own way.— JosepherKelly
- Um - Bad Form - not the message the Phillies should be sending to kids, even if it was a tribute to Harry. God Bless him, but if Harry was still a chain smoker at 73, he is lucky to have lived as long as he did - it is not a habit that needs to be honored by the Phillies.— flyersfan74
- I'm with the_other_craig. I used to smoke socially; now I hate it. Dude used to spit with a wad of gum in his cheek that was so distended from chew it looked like a pita. New testament - I smoke 'em, he smokes 'em. If that's too bad then all I can say is, "World Utley Champions"— Fandink
- thanks for the link nosmoke, that was a great call— drdave
- The Phillies were close to Harry and a few players chose to honor him by passing a cigarrette around.People who have a problem with this should lighten up!— donnie65
- Smoking probably DID kill him. Some posters are doubting this, saying that 73 is a long time to live, and that no one knows for certain, but the actual reality is that most non-smokers live past 73, and that sudden death is extraordinarily correlated with smoking. If he had killed himself by driving drunk, would the players have gotten drunk and gone driving to honor his self-destructive actions? Seems like they slid into home plate a few to many times head-first.— LASR
- I love these judgemental , I'm better than you... people. Please. You're so blanched out with your big brother, political correctness that you can't see into the meaning of the players taking a few puffs of a cigarette as a tribute to the great Harry the K. Smoking was a part of who he was. He lived his life on his own terms. His passing is very sad. Just leave it at that, and direct your preaching to another forum. BTW, I'm not a smoker, and I don't advocate smoking.— mem
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> Actually, you WERE advocating smoking. Strange that you did not understand what you were saying. And the "It is part of who he was", does not have much meaning. If he was a heroin addict would you say that? (Don't bother telling me "Heroin is illegal"). The guy killed himself doing something self-destructive, and rather than seeing the situation normally, some people are *honoring* him throwing his life away. This is like some sort of Twilight Zone episode. Oh, and if you try to reason with the smoking advocates, unable to make an actual argument, they scream that you are being "judgmental" (and adding to the absurdity they do not realize they are being judgmental!) — LASR - Stop with this smoking nonsense Frank Rizzo keeled over at 71 and he didn't smoke, when its your time, you go simple as that. It was nice tribute to a good man. So take your antismoking rants somewhere else remember 9 out of 10 doctors preferred Luckies, that was Harry's time.— ease
- Like I said LASR, you just don't get it. Get off your soap box— mem
- I'm not a smoker. I think smoking is disgusting and should be outright illegal because they have no health benefits (yes, I know a little crazy for most to handle). However, The tribute was very fitting. Some are worried about kids being influenced? Here's some truth.. all a kid needs to do is ask a friend for a cigarette. LASR, you a moron along with all these other "PC" idiots. I wouldn't care if the cigarette was a joint. Ya'll need to live live instead of offering your stupid advice that no one will listen to anyway.— philadelphia2008
- Yes, Great, Victorino did what he set out to do, We will remember Harry and this tribute for many years to come.— wiseoldowl
- Ok Ok, I don't smoke and I'm not going to jump on my soapbox and say "ban smoking!" or anything. I have no problem with the fact that Harry smoked...nobody knew about the health risks of smoking until at least the 60's. That said, this was a pretty asinine tribute. The players could have least lit one up in the clubhouse after the game rather than in plain view of the cameras. After all, smoking on most television programs is banned because it sends a bad message to kids. I think the tribute itself was fine and somewhat appropriate, but maybe they should have kept it private.— mikemimbs
- What I meant to say was that the execution of the tribute was asinine, not the tribute itself.— mikemimbs
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- They have to smoke it like a joint , just as in here the people who feel they have a right to interfere with what they wanted...will do just that. You know "the holier than thou groups".— joeycar
- smoking isn't cool; it kills; Michael Crichton too died too young; he was am M.D.; he knew better but he couldn't quit either; the phillies should havae had a smoke out to celebrate Harry, whom we all will miss.— jonnyB
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- I really don't think smoking in front of the cameras, and kids seeing it, is a good thing. Bad choice of expression, to honor a great man. First Utley cursing and now this. Arb, you are wrong.— FJG JR
- This is such a sad situation and I do understand the players wanting to do something in tribute to him. I just think celebrating his unhealthy habit is not the best way to go. I'm not saying the players smoking one cigarette is going to cause all the kids out there to smoke. I just would have like to seen them do something else. If they really wanted to do a tribute using his smoking I agree with Mike that it could have been done in the clubhouse or maybe light a cigarette in honor of him and let it burn instead of the players smoking it.— tysephie
- And I agree with everyone who said it looks more like they are smoking pot then a cigarette.— tysephie
- Heres the deal, you always will always have idiots who haven't got a clue and will never get it and then you'll have what the Philles did yesterday as real mans tribute to one of there own just a like vet who will lay a pack of smokes and lighter down beside a freind on the wall or monument.. its that simple..— onetimer
- Whitey and you Harry........perfect together forever. Your memory will be with Phillie fans for generations to come, God bless you and thanx for ALL he memories.— gogetem
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- You said it all onetimer...it IS that simple. Yet these people keep trying to twist it into an anti-smoking crusade.— mem
- Take it for what is was, TheWire, a phreak'n Phillies-style tribute. RIP Harry - you will be missed. Raise a glass with Whitey today...— sarnell
- Lighten up TheWire, others - it was a sincere and fitting tribute.— lentonc
- smoking may have contributed to his death, or maybe set a bad example to the children, but it also made his voice sound like it did. that silky smooth sound combined with the dark richness was because of smoking...the tribute was great, quite franky i wish it was a cigar, but i am sure it made Harry smile.— | scuba |
- What a pitiful bunch of whiners, I urge everyone to light one up in Harrys memory at the Phils next home game when he'll surely be honored by the team.— TomM
- Nosmoke, the wire: Would you have told Harry to his face that he should not smoke cigarettes? The man lived the way he wanted to, and that is to be respected no matter what your opinions on smoking. How trivial and small minded can you get? Smoking in the dugout was as fitting a tribute as there could have been.— sla6yer
- WOW,I can;t belive, i did the exact same thing.smoking a cigarette was a true feeling of tribute to the Man,of course the non smokers will bg to differ,we all handle death in our own ways.— JOHN/UNITED
- oh please, are all you people without a vice? If Harry enjoyed a smoke to celebrate a win, who are you to question the phillies honoring him this way? Grow up. You're probably still upset about Utley's speech.— HeatherP
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- i'm gna go have a smoke right now in tribute to HK. he was THE MAN! he will be dearly missed that we can ALL agree on!!!— WC-Jonesy
- You people who are condoning this are true idiots!!!— scars73
- Man...I cannot believe the comments I see here...people like you are the reason this world is becoming a miserable place to be. I'd call it the feminization of American men, but that's an insult to females. Too many wimps and sissies. Pathetic. Hope your proud to whine on a fitting tribute. Crybabies.— Nico Lange
- ..they didn't inhale...okay?— fakeplastic
- Nico, maybe you haven't had someone you really cared about, pass away way too soon, because of smoking? I have seen cancer totally destroy lives. Whether people want to admit it or not, and blame parents, the greatest parents in the world can not always stop their kids from imitating celebs.— scars73
- The Wire, never knew Harry, Wire ur an IDIOT
- The Phillies wanted to do something to honor the man and they did. You have to be a small minded idiot to want to make them feel that they did something wrong. scars73, my father died from smoking and I wouldn't want anyone to go through that but this isn't going to make someone pick up the habit and if it does maybe the world is better off without someone who bases life choices on something like this.— Reds Fan
- lighten up... they're not telling kids to light up for HK. if you prefer smoke a doobie for a life well lived. last year's championship and dying with your boots on. good for harry. but now who will keep the uber-annoying "wheels" in line?— natedog
- if he smoked and lived to be 73, that is not what killed him. Sounds like something kids (like Victorino) would do, so don't get all bent out of shape over it. RIP, Harry. We will miss you.— deb2
- Wire, what are you thinking to write what you did? Very flawed thinking on your part.— Reds Fan
- Harry the K a true original. This cigarett thing shows us again what is so special about this bunch of Phillies. These youn men get it— Jaybar
- Hey if I could smoke and drink until I was 73 and then just die without any pain or suffering in a hospital bed or go through cancer treatments, I would call my life a success. R.I.P. Harry!!!— cambo360
- As an ex-smoker, I normally would not encourage this sort of thing. It's hard to walk away from nicotine and I hope everyday that I never go back to it. But this is a tribute to Harry Kalas and something he was known for - one of his trademarks. Harry was a throwback to a more innocent and simple time. Hell, smoking was even glamorous then. Perhaps smoking did kill him in the end, but it's something he did and where the hell do you think those golden pipes came from? We all do things that aren't necessarily good for our health and so did Harry. Let's not get all crazy about this. Take it for what it is and don't be so darn politically correct. I support Scott Eyre, Ryan Howard, and those Phils who participated...it was sweet tribute to the memory of H.K. And can you picture Whitey in the booth without a pipe?— Mulholland45
- RIP Harry... Only losers would complain about smoking on this board!— jnixon05
To everyone complaining about the smoking. YOU ARE PATHETIC!!!! To each his own. Role models? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE ROLE MODEL FOR YOUR KIDS, NOT THEM!!! Why don't you guys get into a plastic bubble with your kids and hide in the closet from life?- This is ridiculous that you guys are complaining of their tribute. Would you rather them drink a beer in the dugout for Kalas? Personally, I would have preferred the latter, but great tribute nonetheless. Rest In Peace Harry.— shaungallagher7
- it is the same concept as burying someone with his/her favortie drink...and then having one at the receptiong for a toast to their life...the olayers couldnt take a shot of burbon before the game so they did they next best thing a took a puff in harrys honor...i am pretty sure he will be buried with one so he has something to go up to baseball heaven with...well done boys— kstella13
- Wow, how stupid. If Harry didn't smoke he would still be here playing with his grand kids. Why glorify it? Harry was an addict to nicotine and that killed him way sooner than he should have died. Here was a man with tons of money and the best medical care....he could have easily lived 90 healthy years, instead of 50 good ones and the last 23 being sickly and out of breath when he climbed a flight of stairs. Tell it like it is.— JonKap
- You've got to love this team - Chase using the f-word at the Bank after the parade, these guys smoking a cig to honor the Voice - they don't care about being PC. Lighten up, Francis!— Unca Mook
- To put it into perspective: "Ever seen that commercial Yul Brynner did right before he died! ‘I’m Yul Brynner and I’m dead now because I smoked cigarettes.’ Okay. That’s pretty scary, but they could have done that with anyone. How about Jim Fixx! Remember the big runner who died while jogging! ‘I’m Jim Fixx and I’m dead now and I don’t know what the f happened. I jogged every day, ate nothing but tofu, swam 500 laps every morning. Yul Brynner drank, smoked and got laid every night of his life. I’m running around a dewy track at dawn, and Yul’s passing me on his way home in his big, long limo, cigarette in one hand, drink in the other, two girls blowing him. Where did I go wrong!’ ”Yep, they’re both dead. But what a healthy-looking corpse you were, Jim—look at the hamstrings on that corpse. Look at the sloppy grin on Yul’s corpse!” - Bill Hicks So I think a few puffs on a cig by they're "role models" isn't going to corrupt your kids, unless you let it...— Unca Mook
- Arrgh, to appease the grammar nazis, "their"— Unca Mook
- why not light up? a great tribute to harry!— billyboy5050
- Well wire we are in the 21st Century pal. And you know what if people think that kids smoke because they saw this then you know what be parents and tell them why. You will be surprised to see how a kid can understand stuff when you explain it to them.— lcd24
- George Burns live to be 100 years old, so don't try to insult a legend and upset his family with your anti-tobacco tirades. I hate smoking, but I think this was very touching and thoughtful. People who are crying about it just don't understand what HK meant to the city, the team, and all the fans. We're definitely gonna miss you....— EaglesFanInStPete
- Might be a moot point, but... These guys looked up to Harry. I'm surprised Moyer didn't jump on board because he took Harry's death the hardest. Do I condone what they did? Not really, but to each unto their own as far as the tribute goes. You want to talk about chew? Ask Ibanez about the wad he has in his mouth night after night.— wfc2008
- In response to the poster who thought it wrong for athletes/role models to smoke publicly, former Phils 1B John Kruk said it best. "Lady, I ain't an athlete. I'm a ballplayer!"— AshburnStadium
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