The baseball and announcing communities lost an important and loved member this week.
Harry Kalas, the longtime Phillies announcer, died at the age of 73 from apparent heart disease. Kalas is best known as the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, NFL Films and many Chunky Soup commercials.
As a lifelong Phillies fan the news of his passing came as an unexpected and unwanted surprise. Watching the Phillies, or listening I guess, will never be the same. At first, the thought of listening to a game without hearing Kalas or his infamous home run calls was unrealistic. Ever since I was a child, Kalas has been the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies. My voice of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Athletes talk about going out on top, hoisting a championship trophy. But what about announcers? Kalas did it.
He witnessed and called the Phillies, who he was been apart of for 39 years, win a World Series championship last fall. A legendary announcer who ended his career with a legendary call.
Not many basebll announcers in history are remembered in such high esteem. The Cubs had Harry Caray, the Cardinals had Jack Buck. Both teams have honored these men in the right way. Buck even had his "number" retired in Busch Stadium.
For the rest of the season, the Phillies will wear a patch of his initials, "HK", on the chest, next to the heart.
Could there be any more appropriate way to honor a man who so loved by so many in an organization, city and around the world.
Nobody knows if any person could ever take his place, but whoever tries should be prepared to try and fill possibly the biggest shoes in announcing history.
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