...while wondering what ever happened to Glenn Hubbard

How do you put into words the loss of one whose words were so transcendent?

From the time I was a little kid, playing stickball on Lawrence Street, I'd swing my bat and hear the voice of Harry Kalas calling my trot around the ersatz bases. I'd dig in in front of the Procopio's house, middle of the street, awaiting Billy Scheeler's pitch; he'd send it on one hop and I'd swing, making perfect contact, broomstick to tennis ball and, every once in a while, (once in a great while), the hit would be perfect, launching the ball up the half-block, through the trees, over Fabio Incolingo's head and across Rockland Street, onto the porch roof of Victor Cobo's house. A home run. And in my mind, Harry Kalas would be calling the whole thing: "swing and a long drive, deep left center field, going a way back....at the track...and that ball is....OUTTA HERE!". I'd step on the curb to my right, first base, the chalk-drawn second base in the middle of the street, in front of the Heeneans', the car mirror designated as third, and back home, high-fiving Johnny Collins. In my neighborhood, baseball was life. I've mentioned before on these pages how baseball was our real calendar: Spring Training meant school was almost over. The All-Star Game meant summer was at its midway point. The playoff chase meant a return to school. And the World Series meant the holidays were about to come, then that long period of drudgery and schoolwork until the first crack of the springtime bat brought the neighborhood back to life. And all the while, the voice of Harry Kalas told the tale of it all.

Baseball announcers are unlike those of any other sport. Because of the pace of the game and the number of games in a season, the announcer forms a relationship with his listeners that just doesn't happen with football or basketball or hockey. I was spoiled growing up a Phillies fan. We were always in the playoffs (or at least it seemed we were); in Rich "Whitey"Ashburn and Harry Kalas I was treated to the best announcers in the game; I got to watch Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa (and Gene Garber too) every night. It was incredible. When my family moved away in the summer of 1984 and I was relegated to listening to the attrocity that was Skip Carey calling a baseball game, I realized what I had lost. Not only was I watching Glenn Hubbard, Pascual Perez and the way-past-his-prime Chris Chambliss -- I was also forced to watch them while listening to a horrid broadcast. For as great as Harry Kalas was with his words, he and Whitey also knew when to shut the hell up and let me watch the game. To give it time to breathe, like a fine wine. Watching TBS Braves broadcasts, and just about every other game since I moved away from Philadelphia, has been like observing a first date, with both people so nervous and afraid of silence, that they babble on incessantly instead of just letting things happen. So while the great calls, "...fair or foul....it is a.....foooooouuuulll ball", "swing and a miss he struck him ouuuut", are the first things that come to mind, it was the entire call that was greatness. No flourishes, no gimmicks. Just good baseball knowledge paired with a voice from the gods. Kalas would call a Joe Morgan home run he same way he would one by Garry Maddox. He was a true baseball fan and would make the play exciting, no matter who made it. A Phillies fan to the core, he was no homer. He taught me to appreciate greatness, no matter the uniform it came in.

During last year's World Series, it hit me how much Harry Kalas permeates the Phillies franchise. Cole Hammels was being interviewed and they asked him about how winning the series would feel. He replied, "well, we keep hearing about 1980 and 1993 and Michael Jack Schmidt...I mean Mike Schmidt, and..." And I smiled. Because "Michael Jack Schmidt", that was all Harry. I have quoted that myself in one of my favorite postings, ...what ever happened to Gene Garber, in which I wrote about my first trip to Dodger Stadium.

Much has changed about baseball. Much of it will never be the same. And we all die in the end, of course. But more and more as I get older, I am thankful for my raising. For my friends on Lawrence Street; for my education at Incarnation; for the family I have and the city I grew up in. I'm glad Harry Kalas was a part of my childhood. And I hope he and Whitey putting together a legends pickup game on the other side -- and they give Fidrych the start.
Keep the Faith, Harry. You went out on top.


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The regular season has ended and it's time for playoff basketball. Before we look ahead and make our predictions, let's see how close we came on calling the field.

In the Eastern Conference, we went 6 for 8, missing only on Chicago and Miami (Having picked NYK and the Nets). Out West, we correctly predicted seven of the eight playoff teams, having picked Phoenix to make it, while leaving the Rockets out. All in all, not a bad outcome. So now what happens? Well...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (8) Detroit Pistons

The worm has turned. Just as MJ thrashed the Pistons to stake his claim as the greatest player on Earth, so shall LeBron James lead his Cavaliers past the former Champions. The Pistons' run of Conference Finals appearances stops at four.

Cavaliers in 4

(2) Boston Celtics vs (7) Chicago Bulls

KG, no KG, doesn't really matter. Boston's just way too good for the Bulls to hang with. Chicago may steal a game and the playoff debut of Derrick Rose will be fun to watch. In the end though, this will not be much of a series.

Celtics in 5

(3) Orlando Magic at (6) Philadelphia 76'ers

Orlando's rolling; Philly is limping. Again, this will not be a very good series. If he can make this a long series, Tony DiLeo may get to keep his job as a permanent gig. We don't see that happening.

Magic in 4

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs (5) Miami Heat

Or, "the series nobody gives a damn about". D-Wade is always fun to watch and these two teams are about as evenly-matched as any. Unfortunately, no one cares about the Hawks, even in the ATL. And that's a shame, because they have some crazy-talented guys on their team.

Hawks in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (8) Utah Jazz

We never like to bet against Jerry Sloan. But c'mon. The Jazz will, as always, make this a more interesting series than it looks on paper. When all is said and done though, the Lake Show will roll on.

Lakers in 6

(2) Denver Nuggets vs (7) New Orleans Hornets

Is Tyson Chandler healthy? The answer to that question will determine the winner of this series. The Iverson-for-Billups trade was a stroke of genius, bringing Denver the point guard they have been lacking since the heyday of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Robert Pack. Still, the Bugs are a scary-good team who could catch lightning in a bottle and win the whole thing. We're going to take a chance and put our money on Chandler being healthy and George Karl having another spring implosion.

Hornets in 7

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs (6) Dallas Mavericks

Age and injury are finally taking their toll on the South Texas dynasty. Dallas is just too deep and is playing too well to lose this series. The Spurs are hobbling into the playoffs and will be bounced easier than many would think.

Mavericks in 6

(4) Portland TrailBlazers vs (5) Houston Rockets

The Blazers are the youngest team in the NBA. That will get Houston one win. If that one win is Game 1, this will be a long series. If Portland holds home court and the Rockets don't win until Game 3, the series will end quickly.

TrailBlazers in 6

Looking forward, we have Cleveland over Atlanta, Orlando over Boston and Cleveland coming out of the East. We have L.A. over Portland, New Orleans over Dallas and the Lakers winning the West. Cavs over Lakers in the Finals.

Enjoy!

Until next time,
Paz

And just for the hell of it, we have Bruins over Habs, Rangers over Caps, Devils over 'Canes and Pens over Flyers in Round 1 of the NHL's Eastern Conference Playoffs, with Sharks over Ducks, Red Wings over Blue Jackets, Canucks over Blues and Blackhawks over Flames out west. The reseeding confuses us, so we'll refrain from making second round picks, but suffice it to say we have Wings over Bruins in the Finals.

And finally, the best ribute we have yet to see on Harry Kalas can be seen here.