Remembering Harry Kalas

Harry Kalas died Monday, April 13, 2009 at the age of 73, after collapsing in his broadcast booth. He was the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies for 38 years.

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Gallery: Remembering Harry the K
Harry Kalas Museum Exhibit Opening
Harry Kalas biography out next month.: A well-researched biography on Harry Kalas by Bucks County Courier Times Phillies beat writer Randy Miller is out next month from Running Press.
Video: Remembering Harry Kalas
Phillies fans at Chickie's & Pete's in South Philly share their memories of Harry Kalas, the beloved announcer of the Philadelphia Phillies for nearly 40 years. He passed away suddenly just prior to gametime in Washington, D.C. Video by Sarah Glover
Gallery: Harry K on Wall of Fame
Gallery: A look in Harry K's house
Now for sale: Harry Kalas' home: It's been three months since he died, and Harry Kalas' wife, Eileen, has put their 41-year-old brick-and-frame rancher in Upper Providence Township on the market.
Mourning Harry Kalas: The broadcaster's widow says his golden retriever was inconsolable.
High hopes for a Harry Kalas sculpture: A drive is well underway to create a bronze likeness memorializing legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas. What began as a petition on Facebook has grown into a fund-raising project with small models already created by a professional sculptor.
A long drive for Kalas statue: A drive to create a bronze statue memorializing Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas is under way. What began as a petition on Facebook has grown into a fund-raising project with a two-foot plaster model created by a professional sculptor.
In memoriam: Harry Kalas: April 13, 2009 started out like any other early-season baseball day. Harry Kalas boarded the team bus, just like he had thousands of times before. He went to the broadcast booth at Nationals Park to begin preparing for that day's game. Just like he had thousands of times before.

Then suddenly, shockingly, tragically everything changed.
Goodbye, Harry: IT'S FITTING that Harry Kalas will rest forever on "a long drive." After the ceremonies at Citizens Bank Park, the legendary Phillies broadcaster was buried Saturday afternoon at Laurel Hill Cemetery, on a hill overlooking Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill. Harry's grave does not yet have a headstone. Burial arrangements were made by the James A. McCafferty Funeral Home in the Northeast.
Kalas, Ashburn reunion: There has been much talk since Harry Kalas' death about his possible heavenly reunion with longtime broadcast partner and friend Richie Ashburn.
In silence, fans honor a friend: Bob Ford: Thousands of fans at Citizens Bank Park said goodbye to the late, great Harry Kalas. They touched his white casket. They were nearly silent, a reflection of the silence that has settled on the city since he died Monday.
At Kalas' ballpark, a warm goodbye: The sky over Citizens Bank Park was as blue as Harry Kalas' eyes. The sun shone like his indelible smile. And the temperature was warm, like the man himself.
Memories and mementos at Kalas sendoff: The sun swept down the third-base line and by 8 a.m. shined on Harry Kalas' casket, warming the skin and spirits of Phillies fans who came by the thousands to pay respects to their beloved Hall of Fame broadcaster.
Harry the K's inspiring legacy: Bill Lyon: Harry Kalas was taken from us this week past, but he left behind an inspiring legacy, a 73-year example of sustained excellence and unassuming, unaffected modesty. The real world most definitely could use more of his gentlemanly kind.
E-mails about Harry Kalas: While thinking about how baseball will never sound the same, it's time for an all-Harry Kalas e-mail bag. Since 1971, Phillies fans have been comfortable inviting Harry into their living rooms, cars, backyards, beach blankets and anyplace else they wanted to hear or see the game. And we were always comfortable with Harry in our presence. How many times have you heard someone say about an announcer, "That guy gets on my nerves." You never heard that about Harry.
Thousands pay tribute: By the time the on-field tribute to Harry Kalas began in the afternoon, about five thousand fans had turned Citizens Bank Park into an open air church, with the Phillies flag flying at half mast out in center field.
Emotions fill ballpark: Jarrod Funk is a big, burly guy. But when the Harry Kalas tribute video played on PhanaVision at Citizens Bank Park last night, he couldn't hold back the tears.
Call of No. 500 forever links Kalas, Schmidt: They forever will be linked in the annals of Philadelphia sports history. One because of his exploits on the field, the other because of how he described those feats.
Man gets awesome Harry Kalas tattoo: Here's a Harry Kalas tribute that will last forever. Artist Rob Fiore of Inkwell 309 in Montgomeryville spent nearly three hours Thursday tattooing a full color portrait of the legendary Phillies broadcaster on the arm of Michael Schwarz.
Kalas to be honored today, tomorrow, long after: The Phillies plan a memorial tribute to Harry Kalas at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow. Fans can pay their respects to the Hall of Fame broadcaster in a viewing from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Harry knew when to use sound of silence: Mel Proctor has done play-by-play of major league baseball for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals, so he obviously understands that end of the business inside out.
Kalas' voice became eyes for this fan: For David Hoppman, Harry Kalas was much more than an iconic broadcaster of Phillies games. He was a matchmaker. He was a pair of eyes.
Viewing at stadium puts Kalas in good company: Legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas will join rare company with tomorrow's memorial service at Citizens Bank Park. According to research by the Baseball Hall of Fame, Babe Ruth and Jack Buck are the only other men to have their caskets displayed at a major league stadium.
Kalas casket on view at the Bank
Letters: Golden memories of Harry: AS THE time went by and we all got older, I could always count on the Phils and Harry Kalas to bring me back to memories of yesteryear.
Ashburn's family fondly remember Kalas: The relationship between Harry Kalas and his friend and broadcast partner Richie Ashburn is one that will never be duplicated.
With Kalas gone, Phils must find new face: Harry Kalas would have hated it. The broadcaster's sudden death has put his beloved Phillies in a delicate position, one they've never really occupied before:
Phillies set plans to honor Kalas: The Phillies plan several tributes to Harry Kalas tomorrow night before their game against the Padres at 7:05. It will be the first time the team is at Citizens Bank Park since the broadcaster's death on Monday afternoon in Washington.
Here's a horse Harry Kalas would have loved: SHEZOUTAHERE RAN IN the third race at Philadelphia Park on Tuesday. On paper, the second-time starter looked as if she should have been, maybe, 5-1. The bettors made her 5-2.
Game rained out; Phils still dealing with Kalas' death: WASHINGTON - The Phillies' clubhouse was quiet yesterday afternoon, two days after the team lost its longtime broadcaster Harry Kalas to heart disease. After a win Monday and an off-day Tuesday, many Phillies remained saddened yesterday in the hours before their game against the Washington Nationals was postponed because of rain.
Phillies still trying to cope in aftermath of Kalas' death: WASHINGTON - Harry Kalas never called a game that was more difficult than his broadcast from Shea Stadium on the night of Sept. 9, 1997.
Phillies Tribute to Harry Kalas: The Phillies plan a memorial tribute to Harry Kalas at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. Fans can pay their respects to the Hall of Fame broadcaster from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The Phillies plan an on-field tribute at 1 p.m.
Kalas: A true diamond: Hagen: Harry is gone, but memories are forever. And a sampling from an avalanche of e-mails that arrived underscore the fact that Kalas existed on that special plane with his listeners.
Final meeting for father and son: Todd Kalas, 43, doesn't understand his impulse to drive to Clearwater on April 2, the final day of the Phillies' 2009 spring training and, it would turn out, the last time he would see his father.
Fanfare for an icon in a league of his own: On the day after Philadelphia lost its voice, a low, dark sky shrouded the city. It was fitting. As the rain came down yesterday, stories flooded the area. People wanted to share their memories of Harry Kalas. That was fitting, too.
Phillies Tributes to Harry Kalas: Fans can pay their respects to Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas in a viewing from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
Todd Kalas grateful for fans' love for his father: THE FATHER AND SON met at a greyhound track in St. Petersburg, Fla., near where the son follows his father's career path. It was the last weekend of spring training.
Philadelphia's Voice: And love it he did: December 1974, the Palestra. Harry Kalas was set to broadcast his first Big 5 game, along with Al Meltzer. Then president of the Temple Loyalists club, I took money from petty cash to buy a small bottle of aspirin before the game.
Morning Report: One call Kalas had to miss: There probably are a million Phillies fans who will tell you they remember exactly where they were when Harry Kalas screamed, "The Phillies have won the 1980 World Series championship."
More on the loss of Harry: WITH MONDAY'S death of legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, we wondered when fans would see the SuperPretzel commercial he was to appear in, taped last month in Ardmore.
What was Harry Kalas' best call?: There's a poll on Philly.com, and I thought we might as well take it. Best Harry call: 987: Mike Schmidt's 500th homer. 1993: The Phillies beat the Braves in Game 6 of the NLCS. 2007: Brett Myers closes out the NL East championship clincher. 2008: Brad Lidge strikes out Eric Hinske in Game 5 of the World Series.
Harry Kalas, family friend: AMID the familiar music of the ice-cream man, kids playing in the street and the other sounds of summer in and around Philadelphia, many people brought along a couple of friends to keep them company on nights when they went out to sit on their steps or in their backyards. Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn dropped into the neighborhood each night and on Sunday afternoons, giving folks a couple of hours of baseball and conversation.
A heavenly voice: Bill Conlin: We will remember where we were and what we were doing when the news Harry Kalas had been rushed to George Washington University Hospital was overridden by club president Dave Montgomery's announcement of his death.
Just the right touch: Rich Hofmann: If you were Harry Kalas, you were the public face of a franchise for nearly 4 decades, but it is more than that. In a city like Philadelphia, to be truly successful, you need to be that face and also a mirror onto the fan base.
How Kalas found his voice: Paul Hagen: Less well known about Harry Kalas is that his early life in Naperville, Ill., had its share of trauma. Kalas' climb to the big leagues began in the military when he spotted an opening for a broadcaster.
Ford: Somebody stole the Liberty Bell today: By Bob Ford
Rain Delay, with Harry the K: In the Mix: "Rain Delay" is a gentle acoustic ditty that's a sweetly melancholy ode to indolence and surely one of the great baseball inspired pop songs of all time - better than Bob Dylan's "Catfish" - with a spoken intro by none other than Harry Kalas.
Kalas mourned by baseball: Members of the Phillies' family and elsewhere in baseball reacted to the death of Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas. Says former Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski: "In my mind he was the Philadelphia Phillies."
'We lost our voice today': WASHINGTON - Just before noon yesterday, Harry Kalas got off the Phillies team bus and walked into the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park. As always, Kalas said something nice to everyone he encountered, then stopped, pulled out a pen and wrote down the lineup that had been posted on the wall.
Kalas' wide range recalled at NFL Films: The sadness wasn't confined to the offices of Citizens Bank Park or the world of baseball yesterday. News of Harry Kalas' death also hit home and hit hard across the river at the NFL Films home office in Mount Laurel.
Baseball and other memories: Readers of The Phillies Zone, a blog by Inquirer beat writer Andy Martino, offered comments about Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas:
The sound of Philadelphia silenced: IT DIDN'T MATTER what Harry Kalas was saying. When we heard him doing play-by-play or announcing a TV commercial, Philadelphians immediately recognized his voice - and thought of home.
Phillies icon Harry Kalas dies: Harry Kalas, the sincere and sentimental Phillies broadcaster whose smoky voice and singular home-run calls were for nearly 40 years as much a franchise fixture as the "P" on its players' red caps, died yesterday at 73.
Players light up cigarette before game as tribute to Kalas: WASHINGTON - It was, in many ways, the perfect homage to someone who had been celebrated for his singular style, for his cool, for a Philadelphia lifetime known as Harry the K.
Colleagues agree: Kalas was a joy: WASHINGTON - Scott Franzke was hired by the Phillies shortly before the 2006 season. That first year, he hosted pre- and postgame shows and did a little play-by-play in the middle innings.
Fans offer their tributes to Kalas: WHEN THEY HEARD the sad news yesterday, friends Bryan Jordan and Clint Layton, both 21, drove 22 miles from Pedricktown, N.J., to Chickie's & Pete's in South Philly to honor Harry Kalas' memory by watching the game he spent his final moments preparing to announce.
For the Phillies, an ordinary day darkened by extraordinary loss: WASHINGTON - It started like any other day, like thousands of ordinary baseball days before it. Shortly before 11:30 yesterday morning, Harry Kalas boarded the team bus that would take any members of the Phillies traveling party who weren't already at Nationals Park to the stadium. The rest of the broadcasting crew. Former general manager Pat Gillick. Clubhouse manager Frank Coppenbarger. Reliever Ryan Madson.
Players remember Kalas as a good friend: WASHINGTON - After the game was over, grim duty on a terrible afternoon, the Phillies all had their stories about Harry Kalas. Not surprisingly, Jamie Moyer's were the oldest.
An imitator bows to the master: Harry Kalas has often been imitated, but few have done the legendary broadcaster's voice as well as Joe Conklin. Harry has been the centerpiece of my act from the beginning," Conklin says.
Wild about Harry: THERE ARE many measures of a man - family, race, religion, humanity, occupation, awards, and - dare I say it? - honor.
Harry's Golden Moments: Some of the memorable calls Schmidt's 500th: "Swing and a long drive ... There it is ... No. 500! ... The career 500th home run for Michael Jack Schmidt."
Remembering Harry Kalas: Notable quotes: Mayor Nutter: "The one absolute constant with the Philadelphia Phillies was Harry Kalas ... My expectation is for a long, long time we will continue to hear the voice of Harry Kalas in a number of different ways."
The flame is out, but not the memories of Kalas: HE WAS A storyteller at heart, and so, on a day when those who knew him told stories of their own, we must start with the man himself. It was 1998, and Harry Kalas was attempting to kick his cigarette habit. As a substitute, the legendary announcer had taken to fingering cigars in the booth. While attempting to explain the allure of his new habit to fellow broadcaster Chris Wheeler one afternoon, Kalas settled on what he felt was a rock-solid justification.
Harry remembered me: THERE'S AN inside joke within the confines of the Daily News sports department. The question, "Who's Joe Berkery?" refers to the fact that I've been here for 20 years, yet for most of that time I've toiled in anonymity that rivals the unknown soldier.
Ode to the fans: Harry Kalas saluted the Philadelphia fans with a poem during his acceptance speech as the 2002 Ford C. Frick winner at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.:
A life worth remembering: Here are some highlights of Harry Kalas' life and broadcasting career: Born: March 26, 1936, Chicago, Ill.
The voice of summer: For generations of Phillies fans, Harry Kalas narrated the soundtrack of summer. The legendary broadcaster died yesterday after collapsing in the booth in Washington, hours before a Phillies-Nationals game. He was 73, and had called Phillies games since 1971.
Fans remember Harry Kalas: Sister Janice Kobierowski sat at her table at the Aramingo Diner, glued to her transistor radio, hardly touching her meal.
Phillies honor Kalas, then win: WASHINGTON - Shortly before yesterday's first pitch, Shane Victorino sent out a search party. He needed a pack of cigarettes. Pronto.
A legend who did not act like one: Every time you heard that distinctive baritone, deepened by a million smokes and marinated like fine bourbon aging in oak casks, you felt something soothing and reassuring. God's in His heaven, Harry the K's in the booth, and all's right with the world.
Kalas, Ashburn had rare chemistry: They were a pair of towheaded Midwestern boys who came to baseball on different roads and, fortunately for Philadelphians, ended up at the same destination - in the tiny booth they shared for 26 summers.
Harry Kalas dies at 73: Phillies Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas died at 1:20 p.m. today. "We lost our voice," said team president David Montgomery.
Harry Kalas dies at 73: Legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas died earlier today at the age of 73. "We lost our voice today," team president David Montgomery said.