![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thatcrazycajunPeople talk a lot about dynasties in sports—of families, of teams, of cities—but it's not often that one established off the playing field has such an impact. Now, the second voice in what has truly become a family sportscasting dynasty has been silenced. Skip Caray, son of legendary Chicago baseball announcer Harry Caray Sr. and the voice of the Atlanta Braves for over three decades, has died at 68 after struggling with a number of medical problems for at least the past year, including diabetes and congestive heart failure. He died peacefully, in his sleep at his home north of Atlanta proper in the recently-created suburb of Sandy Springs; our local paper has his obituary here.
He came south only a couple of years before the Braves themselves did, seeking a place where he could practice the family business and carve out his own career out of his famous father's shadow. For the next 30 years, he proceeded to become a legend in his own right...and in the process, helped Ted Turner pioneer the national cablecasting of local major-league baseball teams' games.
He had reduced his work to home games only for health reasons in the past year, but was still calling games literally right up to his death. He never had any trademarks like his dad's "Holy Cow!", but he did achieve a sound and style that was his own. And his own son Chip had joined him in the booth by then, ensuring the Carays' legacy will continue. So long, sir, and thank you.
He came south only a couple of years before the Braves themselves did, seeking a place where he could practice the family business and carve out his own career out of his famous father's shadow. For the next 30 years, he proceeded to become a legend in his own right...and in the process, helped Ted Turner pioneer the national cablecasting of local major-league baseball teams' games.
He had reduced his work to home games only for health reasons in the past year, but was still calling games literally right up to his death. He never had any trademarks like his dad's "Holy Cow!", but he did achieve a sound and style that was his own. And his own son Chip had joined him in the booth by then, ensuring the Carays' legacy will continue. So long, sir, and thank you.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-08-04 10:32 pm (UTC)Not that the news of Skip's passing wasn't sad, but I'm glad to hear Chip is still a going concern.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-05 01:44 am (UTC)This may sound crazy, but Harry Caray was the first person whose death I ever really remember crying over. And that includes both my grandsires. I worked in Chicago Harry's last summer, and had actually headed for the ballyard at one point to go see him, but like a tourist took the wrong expressway, got stuck in a traffic jam, and gave up before making it. If I'd had my head on straight I'd have said "fsckit, I'll make it before the 7th, that's what counts...." *sigh* but no. And then the following Febu-ugly, he stood up to take a bow in that chop house, and lights out.
I did get to hear Skip in the Braves' finest hour, though, and I'll never forget it. October 1995, Game 6, Tommy Glavine won, Wohlers pitched for the save, and he said, "As we used to say after the Hawks games, It's Cocktail Time." And I, alone in the house at the time, raised my beer towards the radio and said, "Yer damn right."
The torch is passed. The legend continues.
Can't wait to see what Luckovich will do with this.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-05 11:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-05 11:03 pm (UTC)