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There will never be another one like him. To put in simply, he was one of a kind. But the word simple and Harry Caray were seldom used in the same sentence. He was original and honest. He was baseball and for an entire generation, he was seemingly as important to the Chicago Cubs as the players on the field. Harry made the game fun and his enthusiasm for the game was evident from his signature greeting to his famous home run call.
Harry Caray was more than just an announcer of a team. He became the face of a franchise and an icon of a city. It is hard to believe it has been more than a decade since his last game on September 21, 1997 and it is even more difficult to fathom today is the 10th anniversary of his death.
From his classic mispronunciations to making fun of Stoney's cigar, Harry Caray's originality is sorely missed in today's game. Just imagine all of the adventures he would have with pronouncing 'Kosuke Fukudome'.
Not a game goes by that I do not miss hearing Harry Caray.
Over the past decade there have been good and great moments and unfortunately, not-so-great moments in Cubs history. Here are a few....in no particular order:
- Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout game
- Sammy Sosa hitting home run after home run
- The end of the Jim Riggleman era
- Game Number 163
- The playoffs of 1998
- The Don Baylor era
- 2003 - 5 Outs Away
- The Rise and Fall of Mark Prior
- 'In Dusty We Trusty' - The Dusty Baker era
- The Return of the Prodigal Son - Greg Maddux
- Maddux notching career win #300 and his 3,000th career strikeout
- Ryne Sandberg's induction into the Hall of Fame
- Rene Lachemann and Bruce Kimm
- The end of the Steve Stone era
- The Debacle of 2004
- 'Got Nomar?'
- 'Trader Jim' and 'Jim Spendry'
- Sammy Sosa winning the 1998 NL MVP Award
- Kerry Wood winning the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year Award
- The end of the Mark Grace era
- Jon Lieber's 20-win season of 2001
- The first NL Central Division title in 2003
- Derrek Lee winning the NL batting crown in 2005
- The arrival of Lou Piniella to the North Side
- The Summer of 2007 - NL Central Division Champions
- The Sale of the Tribune Company
- Ads in the Ivy
The 10th Annual Toast to Harry Caray is schedule for Thursday, February 21st.
Comcast SportsNet is running an all day salute to Harry Caray, "Holy Cow: Remembering Harry." Their tribute begins at 11:00am C.T. and will feature classic Cubs' games, including Caray's call of the clinching game of the 1984 season. The day will conclude with a half-hour special at 7:00pm C.T.
Harry Caray Videos from You Tube
Will Farrell's Classic Saturday Night Live Skit
Excerpts from 'Hello Again Everybody - The Harry
Caray Story'
Additional Articles on Harry Caray
- Welcome Back to the Ballpark - A recap of Harry Caray's last broadcast from JoeSportsFan.com
- Holy Cow....I Miss Harry! - The CCO - February 2006
- Raise Your Glass - The CCO - February 2007
Trips to the Northside
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I've always loved those Will Ferrell skits.
To me games simply aren't the same without Harry even to this day - I love Ron on the radio, but I grew up listening to Harry on WGN satellite feed in Florida. I remember my father (who grew up in Taylorville, IL) buying a satellite dish and throwing that monstrosity in our backyard for the one and only reason of watching his beloved Cubbies on WGN. As a boy, Harry and the Cubs were one in the same.
...and I will always regret the fact that Harry passed on before we signed Mark Grudzielanek - I would have loved hearing him butcher his name on a daily basis. :-)
If anyone tapes the comcast broadcast today, would they be able to make me a copy of that?
The Toast To Harry is about the coolest tribute ever, and I am so gonna put on my Cub Fan Bud Man shirt and raise a frosty...can.
Thanks for the vids - and the Martha Collins thing the other day was awesome too.
OMG... I forgot that it's been 10 years already. I grew up on Harry and the Cubs. I mean, I like the current announcers, but there was no one who could call a game like Harry. Besides, have you see anyone else with the balls to lean out of the press box, waving a mic, during the 7th inning stretch?
What's funny about that, in conversation of this actual topic, an Engineer at my station and I decided that his pronunciation of his name would seriously have put WGN's FCC license in jeopardy. I think it would have be absolutely hilarious, though. We also decided he'd of had fun with Nomar, as well.
God Bless Harry Caray!
10 years later and he still is cooooool! Great memories Neil thanks.