Harry The K

Back at it today after a nice 3 day weekend. Stayed busy most of the time, and had a very nice Easter relaxing with just the 5 of us (including Herschel, our black lab). Sunday afternoon was about as picture perfect weather-wise as you could get. Watched Phil and Tiger duel it out for a while at Augusta, but they ran out of holes and fell by the way. Still pretty riveting television. I took Zachary and Liam out to play some golf in the back during the afternoon. By play, I would mean Liam walking around picking up a ball and holding the kiddie driver, Zachary taking a Happy Gilmore-esque whack of the whiffle ball with his putter, and me trying to get my shot game in order with my wedge and the other wiffle ball that Liam wasn’t holding or going after. Had a delicious chicken and rice dinner, then enjoyed Amazing Race.

It is a sad day for many Phillies fans like me with news of the passing of longtime play-by-play announcer Harry Kalas. Players and coaches come and go, but many times we as fans identify with our team’s announcer more so than any one person. Harry Kalas had that sort of connection with Phillies fans. He had a distinct voice, which you knew the millisecond you heard it. Of course I’m sounding partial, but his famous home run call of “It’s Outtttttttta Here!” is probably the best in all of the sport. When the Phillies finally broke through and won the World Series last October, Joe Buck’s final out call on FOX didn’t bring a tear to my eye. It was when FOX replayed the last out with Harry’s call from the booth that I lost it.

Plus, as many others may not realize, he was a long time voice of NFL Films, and probably the 2nd most known voice of capturing the history of the NFL after John “Frozen Tundra” Facenda. He also gave a voice of authority every Super Bowl Sunday to Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl”.

Perhaps this is fate’s way of preparing me for the eventual day when we receive similar news regarding the lifeblood of Georgia Bulldog football, Larry Munson. I dare say there is no one announcer more intertwined and affixed to a college football team than Larry and his urging the defense to “hunker it down one more time!” or announcing that there will be “property destroyed tonight” after the 1980 win over Florida. He is THE connecting force between all Dawg fans despite your age and your background. As our former church pastor said, “the mortality rate in N. Fulton county is 100%”, so we know that everyone’s number will be called at some point. Here’s hoping Larry can enjoy a full run at the 2009 SEC Championship while fishing this fall.

We’ll end this note on the positive, with a quick shout out to my brother Ryan on his birthday today. Ryan, remember 29 is just a number, a prime number in fact!

Harry, enjoy the Herr’s potato chips in heaven and we’ll miss you here. There’s no better way than to go out on top, so please enjoy some of Harry's best, all leading to call of the final out of the 2008 World Series last October.