Remembering Harry

Written by E. Bauwens | 12 April 2010

It’s been a year since Phillies fans all over the world lost our favorite fan, Harry Kalas, but he’s definitely not gone.

Harry Kalas’ voice isn’t something that you can just forget. His charisma was contagious, and he captured everyone’s hearts with his energetic commentary and hilarious interjections. Even when the Phillies weren’t the hot shots they are now (AKA most of the 1990’s) Harry found a way to win over fans and boost the energy of a crowd. I for one think it takes a really amazing person to get short-tempered Phillies fans to come back year after year, always with the belief that “This is our year.”

I think that Harry Kalas was everything I’ve ever wanted to be when it comes to sports news: he was a simple, brilliant guy that loved every single thing about baseball. He’s the type of person I strive to be, and he has made a profound difference in the world of baseball. Growing up in the Philadelphia area, I’ve come to realize that Philly fans can be fairly unforgiving, and that’s putting it nicely. I’ve always seen Harry as a calm and uplifting voice that somehow manages to ease the tension of a bad pitch or an unfair call. Sometimes he would remind of a really sensible grandfather in some after school special that always managed to solve the problem at the end of the day. At the end of the day, Harry Kalas helped baseball made sense to me. His commentary was what built the foundation for my love of the sport, and I will never forget him.

Harry Kalas, you are the man!