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| Harry and me in 2003 |
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On my flight out to San Francisco on the 13th I finally finished reading
"Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas," by Randy Miller. It's a must-read for Phillies fans, Philadelphia sports fans, baseball fans in general, fans of Kalas' work for NFL Films, or anyone interested in a fascinating biography. Miller's book is not a fluff piece. He spares no details in telling the life story of the late Phillies broadcaster. Harry was a drinker, although he never let it interfere with his work. And he was a womanizer. He was living with, and had a son with, the woman who eventually became his second wife years before his divorce from his first wife became final. He cheated on both wives for some time. Yet, for all his flaws, he was beloved by his family and friends, not to mention Phillies fans.
But that's not why you're reading this, are you? You read that headline and want the dirt, you naughty little minx. Well, you may have guessed that the following tale comes from Miller's book.
The team traveled to Pittsburgh for a series in June 2001. The night before the series was to begin, a group of Phillies personnel was at the hotel bar, including Kalas, fellow broadcasters Larry Andersen and Scott Graham, and third baseman Rolen (who eventually moved on, of course) and his fiancee. At 1 a.m. the bartender announced that it was last call -- early for Pennsylvania, since the bars are allowed to stay open until 2. The group, except for Graham, wasn't ready to call it a night.
So the bartender directed them to a nearby block where bars were still open:
