Harry & Game of Life

HARRY and

the Game of Life

From 1945 to 1969 Harry Caray was play-by-play guy on KMOX Radio for the St Louis Cardinals baseball team. Those broadcasts reached millions who would never see major league baseball games in person. In 1953 ‘loser’ Browns left St Louis and the Cardinals took over as only home team. From then on, at least for we growing up in 1950’s learning baseball from him, Harry Caray was baseball.

Harry had two catch-phrases everyone waited for him to shout: “Holy Cow!” and “It might be, it could be, it is!” Mostly this meant something good was happening for the home team. But, Harry needed very thick glasses and in the days before he could watch play on TV monitors sometimes the ‘it might be’ was a fly-ball out to left-fielder.

Harry’s positive sound every Spring filled us with belief this would be The Year! He made us forget Cardinals were a fifth place team composed of Stan ‘the Man’ Musial and 23 other guys. Because we had Harry for our cheerleader we could ignore they’d lose as many as they’d win!

Met him once when driving cab in St Louis. If you had even once heard his voice you would have known who it was in the back seat without looking. I thanked him for all those springs when the sound of his voice gave us hope of a new season, of a new opportunity, of a new beginning.

His greatest contribution, though, may have gone unnoticed. Harry, Gabby Street before him, and Jack Buck who followed taught true team supporters how to appreciate and respond to the competition of sport and of life.

• You cheered for your guys, even when they failed seven times out of ten. You booed bad behavior by any man without regard to team loyalty, cheered valor found in any man on the field of play.

• Because it was a ‘family game’ true fans did not throw stuff, nor start fights, nor use language inappropriate for women and children (well, not often, anyhow).

• It was okay to ‘hate’ them; but the other team was the competition, not the enemy. You respected them as men just as you would your own team members. Sometimes they won because they just played the game better. Okay, yeah, some of them might have thrown an occasional spitball, so there’s that.

• When the umpire makes his final call, the last appeal adjudged, it is accepted. Arguing, denying, does not change the outcome. There would always be another competition, another chance to prove our team the better.

• The game wasn’t over until it was over; but, when it was over you accept the results. The final score was kept by ‘honest brokers’ who kept an honest count.

On January 20 2021 a new home team with its new man and new promises took over in the city of Washington. Promises, this time, of a pennant, of new dreams, of new wins with few if any losses. This time it would be spring again. This time it would be different. This time it would be better than before.

Maybe it’s just that I’ve grown old and too jaded by years of watching the home team have as many losses as wins; too wearied by too many lessons left unlearned, or ignored. Somehow it doesn't feel like the spring of my youth. Where’s Harry Caray when we need him?