Harry Kalas

On my way home from work this afternoon, I tuned in to the Phillies-Nationals game on the radio. The announcers seemed to be talking a lot about Harry Kalas, even more than they were about the game. I wondered if maybe he had died, and sure enough, a little while later I heard them say that he had indeed passed away today. Harry was one of the all time greats of play-by-play broadcasting, right up there with Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully. During today's game, the announcers related a story that I'd never heard before. When the Phillies won the World Series in 1980, there were apparently some rules in place that prohibited local broadcasters from calling the game (presumably in favor of the national broadcast). There was a big outcry after this, ultimately resulting in a change to that rule. But Harry Kalas did not get to call the Phillies' 1980 World Series victory live. It is fortunate, then, that he was able to finally call a World Series win last year when the Phils went all the way.