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When I visited the Cardinals Hall in 2019, I noticed right away a photo that Harry was in. Not sure exactly what it was – it might have been Stan’s last game and a photo of the on-field ceremony. Anyway, as I was buying my ticket I pointed to Harry in the picture and said to the guy at the desk, “He should be in here.”
Anyone who had the chance to hear Harry call games in his Cardinal years knows the passion, joy and knowledge he conveyed was second to none. For 25 years he was a midwestern institution – much better than he was in his later years with the Cubs.
My two missions in life as far as Halls of fame, are to do my small part in getting Harry in the Cards Hall, and Ken Boyer in the big Hall.
No question whatsoever that Harry Caray should be in Cardinals’ HOF. Jack Buck was first rate, but Harry was something else altogether. He introduced me to the game of Big League baseball. Harry Caray was the best baseball play by play guy simply because he made listening to the game way more fun than anyone else.
This isn’t about the Cardinals Hall of Fame, but as a committee member, I pay attention to what other teams are doing.
As folks remember, the Giants had an impressive run in the prior decade. Over the weekend, they added five players from that group to the team “Wall of Fame” – Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Joe Panik. They were the starting infield and the catcher.
Posey is running their baseball ops now, so I guess he added his buddies. But Joe Panik? It would be like if the Cardinals honored Daniel Descalso.
I know, it is their team and they can honor who they choose, but it seems a real stretch to me.
I think it’s a grievous tragedy that So Taguchi hasn’t been fitted for one of those schnazzy red sportcoats. If not for the inimitable So, the Cardinals never survive the ’06 NLCS. Anyone that says otherwise can kiss my Taguchi.
That does seem odd that the Giants added Joe Panik. The Reds Hall is pretty liberal as well. Guys like Tommy Helms and former Redbird Wayne Granger are in it. Seems like that would be akin to our Hall adding Ken Oberkfell and Lindy McDaniel.
Now both Obie and McDaniel had good moments as Cardinals, and Halls can do things however they chose, but you generally think of them as only including the best over a reasonably long period of time.
I am 77 yr. old and Harry Caray was the voice of the Cardinals on KMOX when I started listening. Harry should 100% be in the Cardinals HOF.
Broadcasters are ownership selections. The committee does not have any say other than lobbying. I don’t know why Caray is not in, but my guess is their messy divorce, albeit decades ago, with the principals no longer alive.
I wonder if the current ownership even heard Harry in his prime? When I was a little guy and my dad would regale me with stories of the previous night’s game, he would tell me about Harry’s description as much as about the game.
When I was 14 and playing ball I hit second for the team I was on. Me and the lead off hitter would be on deck loosening up for the start of the game and I would do a pretty good “Harry”, and it would just crack that guy up. 😀
Us who remember him are fading out. But there are all kinds of clips out there for younger fans to check out. He is a Cardinal Hall of Famer, just not formally recognized yet.
Certainly, as a StL native who has been working in MLB almost his entire life, Bill DeWitt Jr. is very familiar with Caray. I have no idea about any personal relationship, though.
Got up for middle-of-the-night relief and checked into the sixth inning for an exciting finish! Now back to the feathers. Gnite.
Harry Caray far and away eclipses the Cardinals HOF. From my vantage point, his name is in the same honor ring that includes names spelled Musial, Schoendienst, Gibson, Brock, etc. I’ll always remember the great Harry Caray as the legendary icon that introduced me as a young boy to the game of Big League baseball and the Birds on the Bat. Whenever Harry called out his signature, “It might be,” it was high time for unparalleled baseball suspense and excitement. To me, Harry will always be the St. Louis, Cardinal’s greatest fan and far and away the all time best voice to ever broadcast from a ballpark press box. You can sum up Harry’s style with one simple phrase…”Holy Cow!”
I hope this isn’t considered sacrilege, but I consider all media, whether broadcasters or writers, on a different level below the actual athletes. The annual awards for broadcasters (Frick) and writers (Career Excellence) are given out at Cooperstown and they have an area in the museum, but the Hall of Fame is very careful to not label them as Hall of Famers. IMO, that is the way it should be. They are important, but without the players, they would have nothing to cover.
I’m with you Brian. Those broadcasters and writers often do a fine job as they sit on their derrieres behind microphones and typewriters. As a kid in the 40s and 50s our radio was constantly tuned to the Cardinals games and I enjoyed and appreciated the work of Harry and others. But talking about baseball and writing about baseball ain’t playing baseball. It’s kinda like those excellent actors who play doctor roles on medical shows. They’re really good at what they do, but you wouldn’t want one to take our your appendix. Starting in the 60s with college, army and long periods working abroad I had only sporadic contact with baseball, but since retirement I’ve resumed my love affair with the game. Unfortunately I sometimes now find myself irritated with some of the media element. I must be getting old and grumpy.
Today, sports “media” is much broader and less structured than ever. Hot takes and being first matter more than being accurate. Come to think of it, I guess it isn’t just sports media.
I remember my dad complaining that after listening to Caray he just didn’t care for Buck. Something was missing but he couldn’t put his finger on it. My mom said ‘exuberance’. That’s it Dad said. She then added a few other things I rarely heard from my mother, and won’t repeat. I remember that although I was only around 13 or 14 years old because my mom absolutely hated Jack Buck. Mom knew Jack’s first wife, whom he had recently walked out on leaving her with 6 kids. At least that’s how she put it. There was additional scandal involved with the story which I will leave out, not personally knowing the truth. Jack’s in and Harry isn’t though. I guess it doesn’t matter so much what somebody allegedly did, but to whom.
Obviously they were both outstanding and, in my view, the Cardinals had far and away the best radio broadcasting duo in the game. I’d have to say that one’s preference probably leans towards whether it was Harry or Jack who was the lead play by play man at the time they first began listening to KMOX radio broadcasts of Cardinal games. Buck was outstanding, but no one made listening to a baseball game more fun than did Harry Caray. And let’s face facts, the game of baseball is played to have fun.
Harry had that unique voice and inflection. Like when he would say “MUI’-sial”, really significantly emphasizing the first syllable. Or he would go, “TWO strikes and a ball”, on a 1-2 count really punctuating the “Two”. He just had it and did it like no one else.
I liked Jack a lot as well and did not like Mike Shannon when he started. But I tell ya, after a few years of working together those guys got really good and were great together in the ‘80s. By then I thought Jack had surpassed Harry as Harry got mixed up quite a bit on those Cub broadcasts and had lost a lot of his crispness – he kind of slurred his words more. But people loved him then as well as he became a cult figure – the classic “drunken uncle” type.
Gussie wanted Harry back in the late ‘70s when Jack departed for awhile to do a national show, but Harry turned him down and stayed with the White Sox.
Harry had a first rate singing voice too…Take me out to the ballgame was good, but my favorite was always, “The Cardinals are coming tra-la la la”…
I had forgotten about that “The Cardinals are coming tra-la tra-la” jingle that Harry did during the ‘69 season when we were finally putting together a run. That was a disappointing season. We were pretty heavy favorites coming in to the season, and promptly were swept by the Pirates in our first series of the year. Things just never really came together, although we did get going some after the All-Star break and Harry would sing that little jingle after a win.
Yeah, the Redbirds couldn’t overcome the Cepeda trade, a sluggish start, or Mets pitching. The highlight of that ’69 season has always been the Cubbies squandering a 9 game August lead as that adorable little black cat crept onto the playing field right past Santo and then placed the evil eye on Leo the Lip at Shea Stadium…After that, entire legions of evil baseball gypsies emerged to pounce on the Cubs, while the benevolent ones cast nothing but good fortune upon those Miracle Mets.
Edit…I almost forgot to mention that the little black feline fella chose Friday the 13th to place his black magic upon Leo and those Cubbies…
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