Outta Here But Not Forgotten: Phillies’ Voice Silenced

Upon writing this, I know there are many articles of the same vain.  However, this man deserves every tribute coming to him in the coming days. 

Harry Kalas was not just a broadcaster, he was a friend to Phillies fans the world over from April to September and sometimes beyond.  Harry made the game come alive with each and every spirited call.

Even if the game was out of reach, Harry had a way of making you feel that an amazing comeback was on the verge of transforming from fantasy into reality.  You could feel it in his voice, night in and night out, that there was no doubt who he was rooting for. 

Mere words cannot begin to describe the impact of a man who transformed the moments of something so trivial as a baseball game into magnificent oral poetry. 

I was not old enough to appreciate the legendary partnership of that Harry had with Richie Ashburn, however, from the age of 7 on, the “Outta Here” guy, as I remember calling him as child, was my first real introduction to the game that I love to this day. 

Harry taught me and every other Phillies fan that the mantra instilled by the likes of Tug McGraw, that you always got to believe until that last out is on the board.

The summers will never be the same without that voice, that passion and most importantly that spirit that made him one of a kind. 

You knew this day would come of course and in the case of Harry, it would have most certainly been in the place he loved the most, the broadcast booth. 

Players and managers have come and gone, but Harry was always there.  The old showbiz adage, the show must go on, comes to mind.  The games will indeed go on but there will be a significant hole in the hearts of fans listening to each and every broadcast. 

I could not help to think upon watching the ongoing tributes of all the warm and happy feelings that each and recalled moment brought me.  It is indeed a sad, dreary time, but when someone like Harry passes on, you cannot help but crack a smile in reflection of the lifetime of memories you are now left with to recall for the rest of your life. 

Harry, you’re outta here, but you surely will never be forgotten.