Monday, April 13, 2009

"WE LOST OUR VOICE": I don't want to be typing this: Harry Kalas, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, collapsed and died today at Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C.

He was 73 years old, and has been broadcasting Phillies games since 1971. My whole life. It's impossible to think about Phillies memories without hearing him narrate them; growing up, I even owned the commemorative LP of Harry's key calls from the 1980 season. Los Angeles has Vin Scully; Detroit had Ernie Harwell; we had Harry. "Had"? It's stunning to think of him in the past tense. So sad.

edited: As one commenter just emailed me, when it rains, it pours: 1976 American League rookie of the year Mark Fidrych found dead at his Massachusetts farm today, from an apparent accident while working on his pickup truck. He was 54.

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