Posted on 02/18/2008 5:48:30 AM PST by toddlintown
I just saw a piece on the Chicago CBS TV station noting that the 10th anniversary of sportscaster Harry Caray’s death is upon us. 10 years…Holy Cow! Despite some of the bum raps he received a few years before his death, (“Too old,” “He’s losing it,”), Harry’s comeback from his stroke in 1987 sort of took the wind out of his critics and managed to make him a legend to thousands of North Siders.
I grew up with Harry Caray as the play-by-play man for the Chicago White Sox, a fact, I think, that some Wrigleyville folks have conveniently forgotten. Harry, at the time, was paired up with former Red Sox outfielder Jimmy Piersall, whose claim to fame was the fact that he cracked-up on his way into the 1952 baseball season.
“You’re crazy,” Harry would say after Piersall would make some sort of off-the-wall comment during a Sox game. “No I’m not,” Jimmy would retort, and then with a hesitation add, “…and I’ve got the papers to prove it!”
(Excerpt) Read more at beerinfood.wordpress.com ...
To me Jack Brickhouse was the voice of the Cubs. Harry Caray was that funny drunk guy who did the White Sox.
“Take me out to the ball game” was written 100 years ago in 1908. The reason I know that is that my Aunt died a week ago; this fact will be in the eulogy that I deliver.
I miss listening to him on WGN. What a great slice of Americana.
I remember him as the Voice of the Cardinals, back before he got run over in St. Louis and made it to Chicago.
Thanks for making me feel young.
Maybe 20 years ago or so, my wife and I coming around the corner and heading to Harry’s restaurant. At the time, there was a parking lot across the street, just north of the joint. Jack Brickhouse was beet-red and drunker than a skunk, and his wife and two other guys were helping him out the door, eventually across the busy street and to a car in the lot.
The thing that stands out in my head to this day, however, was not that he was hammered, but the fact that he was so much taller than I imagined. 6’4” at least.
Irv Kup was another guy who shocked me with his height. I left the first White Sox game played at the new park (1980?) when they were down by something like 10 runs. I flagged a cab and as I went towards the door, this big nitwit with another guy started to grab the cab door. “Hey!” I said, “This is my cab (fortified with about 6 beers in me).”
The big guy said “OK, OK” and I jumped in. Sitting in the cab, I realized it was Kup. He must have been 6’4”-6’5”
The funny thing was the sound of all the beer bottles being knocked over.
I want a job I can do while drinking. Haven’t had that since before the Crash of ‘87. LOL!
Harry’s speech would become slurred during the longer double-headers.
I loved when he tried to pronounce players names backwards.
Hilarious! I must have missed “Loves & Fishes Night.”
And “Loaves & Fishes Night” too!
#10 lightning fast pick off move reminding those base runners, “thou, shalt not steal”!
“That was a smooth double-play. Just like this Falstaff beer.”
You do know, of course, why he got run over in St. Louis, right?
I still remember the expression on Milo Hamilton’s face at the news conference announcing Carey’s addition to the Cubs broadcasting staff. Stunned freakin’ disbelief doesn’t begin to describe it.
A lot of people suspect that the Cubs hired Dwayne Staats to replace Milo Hamilton for that very reason.
You’re just a pup.
In 1959, I worked for WDAN in Danville, Ill. They carried the Cardinals, and as a the youngest staff member I had to “work the board” during those games.
If you remember, it was Harry Caray and Joe Garagiola calling the games...lots of personality and yucks. Then about the 7th inning came along the best pipes in baseball, who became my hero, Jack Buck. Later, I had the chance to work with him. And I met Harry too. He was in tough shape, trying to hard-scrabble a living by individually teaching kids how to be broadcasters.
Harry had to endure a couple of tough years before Wrigley came to the rescue.
WGN-TV had all the sports in the ‘50s including Hockey.
My best Brickhouse story goes back to ‘53 or ‘54 during an auto show. Brickhouse had a hand-held mike and reached for the door of a display car...there was an obvious short and it drove him to the ground. Scary, but funny too, because not only was Brickhouse tall he was chubby, too.
Milo hated Harry, but I think if you asked the average Cub fan today about Hamilton, they wouldn’t know who the hell you were talking about.
I’m watching the first Harry Caray special of the day on the Tribune Media channel. They totally glossed over the Piersall dust-up when he said on their Saturday late afternoon TV show that the players’ wives were basically gold diggers (and insinuated more than that).
It was the beginning of the end for Harry and the White Sox, and Rheinsdorf and Einhorn helped show Harry the door.
“not only was Brickhouse tall he was chubby, too.”
Yeah, he was a bit of a bubble butt, but being so tall, he could pull it off.
Ever seen the caboose on Chet Coppeck? Another big guy.
Before Harry became a Budman, he was a Falstaff man. It appeared to me at times that they wouldn't even break away for commercial, just cut to the booth where Harry was guaranteed to have a few mt's laying around. Then back to the game to watch the Sox in those lovely black shorts and softball jerseys.
"Heyyyyy Jimmmeee, did you know that Falstaff spelled backwards is 'fats laugh'?
Was that the one they just finally tore down east of Torrence Ave. behind Cargill Oil? (122ndish north side of the river)
Milo spent a year with the Pirates after Bob Prince was fired -- for the same reasons the Harry probably should have been -- he spent the later innings of most games bombed. Even if the game was a sleeper, you had to listen because you never knew what the hell Prince was going to say. ;~))
Prince was just as unique as Harry and after 30 years had become an institution among Pirate listeners and instead of easing him out slowly into retirement, KDKA just cut him loose with no notice.
That made poor Milo the scape goat and he only lasted one season, but I thought he did a very great job and I guess still is in Atlanta.
Milo's 'young' assistant for that one season was Lanny Fratera stayed with the Pirates and is now one of the senior citizens in baseball broadcasting.
I guess am getting old too.
The just don;t make them like Harry anymore --- well I guess they are making them but they won't let them get any near a microphone. ;~))
yup
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.