just re-read the entire thread. can't sum up my 31 years of memories. but a couple pure honest ones come to mind. hearing Harry's voice over the tv before the picture has come on (while the tv warms up) and fiddling with the radio dial when driving way outside town trying to find a radio feed and you heard his voice and you had it. i can't believe i'll never have that again.
i really thought he'd live to be 90 or something and I'd get years of listening to him with Carter and his brother who will be born next month. Luckily Carter has picked up imitating him from the DVDs and youtube clips. his favorite is to say "Phillies Wood Yampions of BEIS-BALL". So my job is to keep Harry's spirit and voice alive in my house so to my kids he won't just be some old timer the old man talks about.

Goodnight Harry.

lots of videos, stories and pics on 6ABC and NBC10, including Moyer recalling the last time he saw Harry this morning......said he came into the locker room, looked around, didn't say anything, and walked out....

CSN running the Andersen files episode detailing Harry up to the HOF induction.

I live outside the Philadelphia area, so I've only gotten to hear Harry doing Phillies games over the last few years via mlb.tv. My first memories of Harry were of him on the Notre Dame football replays that aired Sunday mornings on WGN in the early 1980s. I can still hear him saying "Larry Moriarty" and "Steve Beuerlein". I can't type how he pronounced them, so I won't even try, but you can imagine. Since then, I've heard that great voice on Inside the NFL, NFL Films, etc.

I'm a lifelong Phillies fan, so it's been great to hear him doing Phillies games the last few years. I've shed so many tears since I heard the news of his passing. There's his voice on a Coors Light commercial, I'm crying. There's his call of the last out of the glorious 2008 World Series, I'm bawling. There's the moment of silence at the Nationals game, I'm crying. But then, watching the Phillies-Nats game, and not seeing him there, that's when it really hit me. And listening to the radio feed. LA, "I can't see the field through the tears."

I had the privilege of meeting Harry after a Phillies-Cubs game at Wrigley a couple of years ago. What a gracious man. He took the time not only to sign autographs but also to talk to the fans who were there. And from what I've read and heard about him over the years, that was who he was; he was as fine a man as he was a broadcaster.

This is an immeasurable loss. It goes without saying that Phillies games will not be close to the same. I'm going to watch my DVD now, World Series 2008. I'm so glad he got to call that final out. My thoughts, my prayers go out to all who were touched by him. Rest in peace Harry.

That voice will live on forever.

CSN's videos from earlier today

the LA one is still rough

Now the old PECO spotlight program featuring Harry.

RIP Harry
Some more quotes/tributes
Geary

"It's hard to keep myself from crying," Geary said. "When I got traded, He was the first guy to call me in the offseason. He told me it was an honor for him to work with me. He said you always make your way back to where you want to be and that I should take advantage of this to see a different side of the baseball world."

"The first time we came to Philadelphia that year, he came into the clubhouse to find me," he continued. "That shows you want kind of man he was. He was always smiling, always there with open arms.

"He had stories you could spend weeks listening to non-stop. He was a legend and it's sad to hear he's gone. It's another reminder to take every day like it's your last because you never know what's around the next corner."

Bob Uecker

I'm sad today," Uecker said. "He's one of my all-time favorite people -- an easy-going guy and a great broadcaster for the Phillies and NFL. What a versatile, talented guy, and he never let you know. He was just Harry.

"He always reminded me of a character from [the 1942 film] Casablanca -- baggy pants, the white shoes. He'd have a hot toddy every once in a while. He was just an easy-going guy, and he was the same guy in the booth. If you didn't like Harry Kalas, you didn't like anybody."

Trent Steele wrote:It's interesting to read some of the comments from other non-local websites. For many, they knew Harry as the "Voice of God" from NFL Films not as the Phils broadcaster.

Something that, as a Phils fan, would give me a little grin in knowing Harry from his "day job".

Bob Loblaw wrote:

dajafi wrote:Highlight of all my Clearwater trips might have been Harry signing my old-school Vet-era Phils hat in '06. He had recently turned, or was about to turn, 70, and there were rumors he might retire. I told him I hoped he'd call Phils games forever.

I met him in ST as well, and he signed a bat I had -- a few years ago in 05-06, I tried to get a team bat signed - I gave up after a while (although I had most of the big names). I saw Harry and figured I had to get him to sign it - he did, then I asked if he could also inscribe it with "It's Outta Here!" and HOF 02 (or whatever year he made the HOF). He did, no problem. Not growing up in Philly, I didn't have the memories to share with him, and my - at that time 6 - son didn't know who he was. After a few more years of listening to baseball games -- and with MLB Extra Innings FINALLY broadcasting the Phillies home feed last year, we both became very well acquainted with Harry's work, although I knew it from the three years I went to Nova in the mid 90s.

I'm not looking forward to telling my son that Harry KAlas died.

Found these 4 year old pictures on my computer...

Most call Harry a legend, but I am reluctant to because the word "legend" isn't sufficient for what Harry Kalas was to Phillies baseball... for an era, the only era most here may have experienced, Harry Kalas was Phillies baseball. The mere sound of his voice was Phillies baseball. Something that invokes fond memories of summer, and in my case was part of the definition of summer, part of the soundtrack of summer. He was more than the "voice". He was the personification of Phillies baseball for the era. A constant regardless of rosters and records. As of early afternoon April 13 2009, Phillies baseball will never be the same.

Anyone know if I can find Franzke/LA audio from today? Anything. Especially the HR for Shane, but really anything.

CFP wrote:Anyone know if I can find Franzke/LA audio from today? Anything. Especially the HR for Shane, but really anything.

I'd be appreciative as well.

Also, this might be better in the other thread on announcers lineup, but I would really be thrilled if they move LA and Franzke over to TV. Maybe they can at least take some of the middle innings for this year? They deserve a crack at it.

BigEd76 wrote:Harry's call of Eddie Mathews' 500th HR in 1967

Great find. Thanks for posting that.

This just in, from grannywiz:

I did not want to ring back when I got in as it was late by then but thank you very much for ringing to tell me. I read the reports in the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning. And what struck me was the connection with my dad. All three of them, Richie, HK and my dad died in the harness so to speak doing or involved with baseball. And I also think how proud my dad would be to know how committed you are to the Phillies. I am really glad I was able to hear HK do the World Series game last autumn. It was a wonderful photograph of his throwing out the first pitch this spring. It is abundantly clear from the coverage that people are stricken at his loss.

Bill Campbell was being interviewed on WIP and he mentioned that Harry's surgery was cardiac to help improve the circulation in his legs which became rather poor as of late and gave him great difficulty climbing stairs and walking for longer distances.

Talked to my dad and my brother last night, we are a bunch of simpering grandmothers...

Bakestar wrote:Talked to my dad and my brother last night, we are a bunch of simpering grandmothers...

Yeah, it's been that kind of morning for me too. I just watched the opening of the post game coverage yesterday with Barkann and lost it all over again. They did such a great job last night with all that coverage, dedicated to one special man.

Wizlah wrote:This just in, from grannywiz:

I did not want to ring back when I got in as it was late by then but thank you very much for ringing to tell me. I read the reports in the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning. And what struck me was the connection with my dad. All three of them, Richie, HK and my dad died in the harness so to speak doing or involved with baseball. And I also think how proud my dad would be to know how committed you are to the Phillies. I am really glad I was able to hear HK do the World Series game last autumn. It was a wonderful photograph of his throwing out the first pitch this spring. It is abundantly clear from the coverage that people are stricken at his loss.

cool grans, doubleU

Barkerstar, you wish