Another loss in the booth
We’ve lost two outstanding broadcasters in the span of a week.
First it was Harry Kalas, the Hall of Fame voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, who passed away just hours before calling a game in Washington, D.C. Then yesterday, someone closer to home: the great Merle Harmon.
Harmon was best known around the DFW area as the TV voice of the Rangers from 1982-1989. He was behind the mic fr Mike Witt’s perfect game in 1984 and the night Nolan Ryan whiffed Ricky Henderson for his 5,000th career strikeout in 1989.
He gave a touching speech at the memorial service for Mark Holtz in 1997 at The Diamond Club at the Ballpark, detailing a personal conversation he had had with Mark about faith and believing that all thing, no matter how bad they were, happened for a reason.
Perhaps Harmon’s biggest claim to fame was the years he spent as the voice of football’s New York Jets and his time on network TV calling The Game of the Week.
But when I think of Merle Harmon, I think of a sunny Saturday afternoon a little over a year ago, when I had the privilege of driving Merle and our good friend Carroll Beringer over to Dallas for a special lunch with a number of their baseball friends from over the years.In the 45 minutes each way to and from lunch, I was entertained with some of the most riveting baseball stories I’d ever heard. It was absolutely enthralling, from the Ballpark Way exit in Arlington where we met Merle, over to Dallas and then back.
It was just two guys talking baseball. Who needs a radio when you have entertainment like that?
Even though I only had the chance to visit with Merle three or four times in my life, everything I had ever heard about Merle Harmon was confirmed in those brief encounters: he was an absolute class act.
I am eternally grateful to Carroll Beringer for introducing me to Merle and allowing me to bask in the presence of broadcasting greatness.
Thanks Carroll, and thank you Merle.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Mr Kalas was a gem. Many people know that sports fans in Philadelphia aren’t known for alot of class, but do a little research and you’ll find how much they loved Harry. An absolute gem, someone will take his seat and his mic, but will never replace him.