A Sad Day For Baseball

Yesterday was a sad day for all baseball fans. Philadelphia is mourning the death of Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas. If you have never had the privilege of hearing Kalas call a Phillies game, you may have heard him as the voice of NFL Films. ESPN has a moving tribute. I was never a big fan of Kalas, largely because I am a Mets fan and Kalas was a Phillies homer. But I sure did respect him.

Mark “The Bird” Fidyrich also passed away yesterday. He really only had one great year–1976. I was just a kid at the time, but I will never forget watching him pitch on Monday night baseball. (This New York Times obituary reminds me that it was June 28th). I quickly became a part of his cult following and I still own his Topps rookie card. I used to love how he jumped over the foul lines on his post-inning run to the dugout.