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Ten Years Later

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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