PHILLIES NEWS

I can't tell you how many times I have heard the old saying, "nothing lasts forever". I can tell you that until now I never believed it. I grew up listening to Harry Kalas call Phillies games and for as long as I can remember there was never a spring or summer night in the house when that familiar baritone was not heard reverberating from somewhere. While the players and other members of the franchise came and went, Harry was always there. No matter how bad things got with the team you knew you could still turn on the TV, hear his voice, and enjoy the game. Somewhere deep inside I always thought it would be that way every summer, but today at the age of 73, just hours before the Phillies game, Harry Kalas passed away in the broadcast booth getting ready for the game, just the way he probably would have wanted. It is often in this world, that you don't realize how much someone means to you until they are gone. That was true for me today. I did not know much a part of my life he'd become until I sat down to watch the Phils today and the voice wasn't there. I don't know how it will be to watch the phils the rest of the season, but it won't be the same. Harry wasn't just some hall of fame announcer to those of use who listened to him every night. He was so much more. The coverage of his death on TV today seemed to reaffirm as much. So often when a legendary figure passes away, some news anchor just reads off some short statement saying I was deeply saddened, he will be sorely missed etc; That was not the case today with HK. The amount of people seen or heard commenting on how Kalas touched and even changed their lives, not just on CSN, but on ESPN and all the News channels was simply amazing to me. It goes to show just how much he meant to so many. He was more than an announcer, has was one of us, just another fan watching the game with us in our living rooms every night, just like one of the family, a father, a brother, a friend. I would like to finish this brief tribute by expressing the shock and yes, sadness I felt upon hearing of his death today, but I know not the right words to express such feelings. I only know I wasn't ready to say good bye.
It almost seems inconsequential now to talk about how the Phils did today, but the show must go on. With heavy hearts, simply because Harry would have wanted them to play, the Phils took the field in Washington this afternoon for the first of 3 games with the Nationals. Fittingly, Jamie Moyer, the lone Phillie from the Philly area, got the start. He didn't have his best stuff, but Moyer manageed to tough out 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, and that was enough for the determined Phils. In the bottom of the 1st, Adam Dunn doubled in a run for a 1-0 Nats lead. In the top of the 2nd, the Phils came right back with 2 runs on a bases loaded walk to Chris Coste and a sac fly by Moyer for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd, Cristian Guzman singled in a run to tie it at 2. In the top of the 3rd "the Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino slammed a solo homer for a 3-2 lead. In the top of the 4th Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 out double for a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Guzman singled in another run to cut it to 4-3. In the bottom of the 5th Elijah Dukes lined a solo homer into the seats to tie it at 4. In the top of the 7th, Ryan Howard crushed a 3 run homer, and Raul Ibanez followed a couple batters later with a solo homer for an 8-4 lead. In the bottom of the 7th Adam Dunn clobbered a 2 run homer to cut it to 8-6. In the top of the 8th Eric Bruntlett delivered a pinch double and scored on a sac fly by Victorino for a 9-6 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 9th, after allowing Ryan Zimmeran to hit a 2 run homer, Brad Lidge closed out the Nationals for his 2nd save of the season and a 9-8 Phils win. So the Phils move to 4-3 overall with their 3rd win in a row. They'll look to make it 4 in a row on Wednesday.