High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Todd Kalas Discusses the Legacy of Harry Kalas | 'The PBP: Voices of Baseball'

Episode Date: August 28, 2024

From 'The PBP: Voices of Baseball' (subscribe here): Matt Spiegel is joined by Astros TV voice Todd Kalas, who discusses his father's legacy in Philadelphia and Houston. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does possible sound like for your business? It's having the spend to power your scale with no preset spending limit. Redefine possible with Business Platinum. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms and conditions apply. Visit amex.ca slash business platinum. All-star closer, Ken Lee Jansen, we have a question. What's the best podcast of all time?

Baseball isn't boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast, it's my passion, it's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod. There is another fact, so jump aboard the B.I.B. Express, follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage

on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. I was a kid growing up in Jersey listening to 1210WCIU. And I didn't know your dad was a smoker, but I heard it. You know what I mean? Like eventually I figured it out. What kind of cigarettes were they? And were you a kid in that booth, smelling those cigarettes and feeling that atmosphere

in the broadcast booth? I think way back in the day, he was starting with cools. And then I think he switched to parliaments, parliament menthols. But yeah, not only did he smoke cigarettes, but on Sunday afternoons, he would smoke cigars. And he and Richie Ashburn would smoke cigars and Chris Wheeler hated cigars, so they would always intentionally make sure the wafting of their cigars was going over towards wheels. So

Yeah back in the KYW and WCAU days Dad's cut his teeth with a phyllis from 1971 until the day he died So he had an incredible run there with the Phillies. But yeah, he was always a smoker. Probably cut his life a little shorter, but I don't think he ever would have traded it off for living another five years if he had to give up smoking, because he was a smoker from the day I was born, and he loved it.

You know, I hate to think about the years that he missed, but my goodness, what a full life and career, obviously. But like, I'm one of millions of baseball fans whose sensibilities for broadcasting and for the game itself were informed by his pacing, and his praising, and his delight in certain moments. And I didn't even like that team. I didn't like the Phillies.

But man, I liked listening to him. certain moments and i didn't i didn't like that team and like the phillies but man i like to listen in the ham so what uh... what uh... what a powerful thing on has that has your relationship to his style like did you love it did you then hate it and try to push against it i've talked to joe buck who's a friend and has been on the pod you know so i wonder it if if you tried to do it and then pulled away and then came back to it if that's been a figure in your in your life as you've built your own brand as a

broadcaster yeah i mean there's definitely some some nuances that are part of my broadcasting style that are just ingrained in my head to the hers broadcast every day of my life so you uh... there's going to be certain intonations and certain pacing that you hear from dad's calls that will also carry over to my calls. I feel like more than anybody, he let the game breathe. And even if he was on the radio,

there would be a pitch or two where all you would hear was the guy selling hot dogs or Cracker Jacks in the stands or the fans just background murmur. You wouldn't really hear anything. So he let the game breathe. And every once in the stands, or the fans just background murmur, you wouldn't really hear anything. So he let the game breathe. And every once in a while, especially on TV, I'll catch myself, well, you don't have to really fill up space here.

There's visuals. You can let the game breathe a little more. So I tried to do that. So that's definitely a tip of the cap to dad's pacing through the years. But I've always tried to avoid any of his catchphrases or his home run calls. So kind of do my own thing. And that's kind of evolved since I've been here with Houston, which has changed through the years with the different teams. But yeah, I, I've,

there's definitely an impact and an influence that I think you hear in my cadence a little bit from dad's style, just because it was something that I was basically weaned on. Don't you think that ball's out of here? I mean, has I mean, that that informed catchphrases still and even just stylistic like does Gary Cohen pay pay rent? He said to check every once in a while. I think Dwayne Kiper has a similar call for the Giants. So, yeah, those two guys kind of both attach that out of here call to their call deals.

Alonzo drives one deep left field really going back. And it's different than Dad's call. But yeah, I mean, there's only a finite amount of ways you can call a home run. So it's, yeah, whenever I hear Kipe or Gary, who was a friend from my first year with the New York Mets call a home run, I definitely think of Dad's call. Could it be?

Could it be? It is out of here! Number 400 for Jim Tobey! That's awesome. And then you had a wonderful moment, I think it was a Jake Marisnik home run in spring training with Astro Orbit. And can you tell people the backstory of that? Because it's just so cool that I thought there was a lovely subtle homage that those who knew really felt it, you know? Yeah, so back when dad first started in Major League Baseball broadcasting, he was hired in 1965 to be the Houston Astros broadcaster, but there were already two veteran broadcasters here, Lowell Pass and

Gene Elston. So dad was kind of the third guy, the young and upcoming guy. So he only got an inning or two a game, but he developed while he was here his home run call to be that ball is in Astros orbit. When now is 72 runs batted in 24 home runs. There it goes deep into center field, way, way back goes Mattie Alou and that ball is in Astro orbit. Oh did he hit it. To straight away center field it is 457 feet and Wynn hit it over that point. In center field a three run home run is 25th of the year and the little dynamo, the toy cannon now has 76 runs batted in the year. What a shot.

So like when I was in Philly and everybody asked me if I was going to do the out of here call, I'm like, no, I'm not going to do it. And then I moved to Houston. Everybody's thinking, well, maybe he'll bring back that balls and Astros orbit because we haven't heard it. Hey, fantasy football owners, the road to winning your fantasy football championship starts now. I'm Matt Harmon from Reception Perception. Join me and James Co. as we take a deep dive into the position

that's going to make or break your fantasy roster. Wide receivers. We analyze route running, target share, and all the metrics that matter, giving you the insights you need to draft the best wide receivers. As you prep for your draft, let us giving you the insights you need to draft the best wide receivers. As you prep for your draft, let us give you the coverage you need. Follow and listen to Reception Perception on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Since the late sixties, early seventies, when dad's last year was here in 1970. So I was like, I can't, I can't use his call, but I will on the anniversary of his birthday, use that call from that day forward. So the very first year in 2017 we happened to have a game on March 26th, the day of his birthday. He was no longer with us at that point but I was like every time we have a game on March 26th that's going to be my call and back then it was only going to be spring training games. Now the major league season starts so early.

I might get a regular season game out of it, but I'll, I'll forever, whenever we have a telecast on March 26 called the death balls in Astros orbit as a tribute. And those two strike counts, but you've also mentioned how he throws that four seam fastball and what the four seam he tries to do is exactly that. Tries to get in the kitchen of right-handed hitters. Jake Marisnik sends one deep and that ball is in Astro orbit as Marisnik ties the game with a solo home run, Jake's second home run this spring. Something else that your pops gets credit for, because I can't tell you how many broadcasters

this has come up with on this show and just in conversations through the years. I mean my pal Len Casper who jumped to White So White Sox radio from Cubs TV part of it is he wants to call the World Series and you don't get to do that as a TV guy. Your dad and Richie Ashburn the Phillies fans in 1980 kind of demanded that they do the World Series and from my research that's the beginning of the local radio guys getting to do the World Series and even being a part of it. I don't know if you were aware of that or not. Yeah, that's the history. There was such an

uproar when they didn't call the 80 World Series that Major League Baseball eventually changed the rules and said a local radio can call the World Series. So they had to recreate all that in 1980 and that's why when they finally won the World Series with Dad behind the mic in 08, it was kind of fitting that that was his first real chance to call a World Series champion. Fans on their feet. Rally towels are being waved. Brad Lidge stretches.

The 0-2 pitch. Swing and a miss. Struck him out! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of Baseball! Fran Lidge does it again and stays perfect for the 2008 season. 48 for 48 in save opportunities and let the city celebrate. And then he would pass the next spring. So it kind of, you know, it was meant to be in a way.

And then the fact that in 08 they played the Rays, a team that should have never been in the World Series. There was definitely divine intervention putting that all together so we could share that World Series together in 08. But yeah, that was the reason why Major League Baseball stopped having restrictions on local broadcasts, because there was such an uproar after the 80 World Series.