Harry Caray memories

A buddy and I were at Wrigley and while looking out into the street a limo pulls up about a half an hour before game time. Out pops Harry. I couldn't get over how little he was!

On Christmas Eve in 2000 I think, I'm riding with my family back from Mass at Holy Name Cathedral, and it's snowing like crazy. My dad stops at a stop sign and an older couple cross the street in front of us, really slowly. So my Dad's getting impatient and starts to creep up, and the man looks up some, and my Dad recognizes that its Harry, rolls down the window and yells "Hey Harry!" Caray, with Dutchie, stops on the sidewalk, turns around and yells back "Merry Christmas". To this day I'm very grateful my Dad didn't nudge the old guy out of the way, we'd of had to move out of the city for sure!

Shannon, either your memory was from a time longer ago than 2000, or it wasn't Harry Caray. He's been dead since 1998. Nice story though.

I don't have one singular favorite memory of Harry, I just remember watching Cubs games on WGN when I was away from home training (skating, for those of you who don't know), and the sound of his voice made me feel like a little bit of Chicago was with me.

How the Words

Paul As-sen-ma-cher

Just rolled off Harrys Silver Bud Soaked tongue and Over his Swollen blue lips onto that oversized Mic...and right through my parents old TV.

Man NO ONE could hatchett a name like Harry....NOBODY.

I remember when Harry was about 4 Bud's into a game how he would start talking about what a players name spelled backwards was.

Getting himself banished from St. Louis for boinking Auggie Busch's daughter in-law.

Murdering just about every two sylable name on both team's rosters.

Sounding as though he were still completely drunk during 8:00 PM night games, even though he left the bar at 4:00 AM the previous morning.

I did kinda like the guy, but those last ten years he was in the booth were pure torture to the eardrums. Stone carried him on his back during that final decade, and made the broadcasts tolerable.

Early 80's. Met Harry one evening at Faces on Rush street. Walked up to him and asked.."Hello Mr. Carry,how about an autograph?" He said "sure,if you buy me a beer" Heck, if that's all it took..I could have put Martin Luthers list to shame for about a case of Falstaff.He was a phenomenal person.

The last few years, I always thought the spit sock (the foam cover on his microphone) must have received a terrible workout every day.

Otherwise, I enjoyed listening to Harry and Jimmy Piersal back in the day. He was drunk. Jimmy was just one weird dude.

AS a long time baseball fan I go way back listening to Harry on radio & watching him on telecasts later for Chicago teams.I remember picking up KMOX (st.louis)radio on a good night from my former northern Illinois home back in 50s.Listening to Buck & him. Back in those days baseball was filled with colorful announcers. Not the boring type of nowadays evidence Brenly & Kasper.Enjoyed Harry & Piersall watching sox games on tv in 70s. Enjoyed Harry messing up players names & Piersall telling it like it was.Last time I ran into Harry was outside cubs hotel in San Diego one day before game with Padres.He was getting out of a limo & I yelled "Harry".He turned around & gave me a big wave!Harry will always be a legend in this long time fans book!

Speaking of Harry, what I really liked about him was that he was one of the first sports broadcasters (that I can remember) to occasionally find fault with the home team, and actually rip them.

Along with Jimmy Piersall, I thought they were a great tandem.
During their tenure in the White Sox booth Jimmy was absolutely insane, while Harry still had a few brain cells that had yet to be devoured by his drink of choice, which I believe was Coors at the time.

(It's amazing how suddenly your taste in beverages can change when a manufacturers offers you a small fortune to change them. Harry would have endorsed vomit if there was enough money in it for him, which begs the question, "Why on Earth would you buy anything that these guys are being paid a king's ransom to sell you?")

But I digress.

I hate, "Homers". Broadcasters that describe the game in total denial of the debacle you're witnessing with your own eyes, and barely if ever make reference to the home team's attrocious play, are nothing more than spineless toadies.

My older brother used to tell a story about how he was walking up a ramp during one game at age 10 when he saw Harry walking down with Steve Stone towards him. He couldn't believe it, and ran up to Harry asking him for his autograph. Harry looked down at him and said, "Beat it, kid" and kept walking.

I never had any problems with Harry, but I never forgot that story that my brother told.

When the Cubbies played the Mets Harry would go on and on about the fact that Rafael Santana's name spelled backwards is "anatnas" and how much that sounded the the name of a Greek god. It must have drove Steve Stone nuts but my friends and I loved it!

Mark,

I find that very hard to believe. I think your brother was giving you a bs story. I seen Harry (even when he was older and not feeling real well, sign for everyone that asked, he would never turn away a kid!

Seventh grade....jeez Modrowski, even I didn't start drinking till freshman year of high school. I can still take you down though, wanna bet on it?

When Harry was on the South side, he and Jimmy Piersoll were doing a daytime double header, and Harry got so tanked, Piersoll had to finish game 2.....

I remember when I was eating ribs at Don and Charlies in Scottsdale...I smelled barfy poop wafting from behind me...I turned around..and this guy was uncontrollably belching in my face...he hicupped this liquidy gas at me and his glasses flew off his face onto my lap..

now I'm almost about to hoark..

I looked at the glasses and recognized them right away...

but it wasn't him...because Charles Nelson Reilly was also too....already dead

Harry Caray just made me want to drink...and now I do...great man

I cut his limo off one time and next you know it caught up with me. Down came the window from back of the limo and Harry shouted at me, "Where the hell did you learn how to drive?"

wow great stories.... backwards names... assenmacher... grudzeilanek.... slammin BUDS... ridin steve stones butt... dissing kids???? wasn't the guy an orphan????? santana, great stuff there..... hey villano u stink .... it is official you are my sworn enemy..... i am no harry crazy but give credit where it is due.... dissing a dead chicago icon is more tasteless than coors anyday...... sew that harry patch on your jerseys, we all have them and its about time......

I liked him with the White Sox for years but his time with the Cubs was actually kind of sad.

It would be hard to pick one from the hundreds of games he did for some horrific Sox teams in the late 70s. He would be blind drunk by the 6th inning and usually get into trouble - especially after some banter with Jimmy Piersal.

The thing that sticks out first about Harry was this:

When he was with the Sox, the Cubs' fans actually used him time and time again as a prime example of how "low life" and secondary the White Sox and their fans were. It's as plain as the back of my hand. I'll never forget it even though I just laugh at it all these days.

Well, guess how immortal that man became with another team?

H - O - O - O - O - O - L - Y C - O - W !!!

The thing that sticks out first about Harry was this:

When he was with the Sox, the Cubs' fans actually used him time and time again as a prime example of how "low life" and secondary the White Sox and their fans were. It's as plain as the back of my hand. I'll never forget it even though I just laugh at it all these days.

Well, guess how immortal that man became with another team?

H - O - O - O - O - O - L - Y C - O - W !!!

Holy Cow Chris, you are hilarious!

The first years with the Sox, especially the 2-3 times he conducted joint interviews of Dizzy Dean and Satchell Page. They were fun to listen. Caray was critical of the Sox as a broadcaster, but was totally different after he moved north. I preferred Jack Brickhouse all the way.

Harry spilling beer and singing at Comiskey.He was the reason I started liking the White Sox

I disliked the way he poked fun at baseball players with foreign names. Not that he mispronounced names, Jack Brickhouse did it too and it was OK in those days. Problem was that he thought that Spanish names were especially funny ("A-A-YAA-LAAH, ha ha ha!" for Bennie Ayala). Would he know that his name, Caray, roughly translated in Spanish, means "Oh well" or "I'll be darned" or some other expression denoting surprise? His birth name, Carabina, is a carbine in Spanish and Italian. But, like I said he was savvy before he broke with the Sox.

Don't remember who the Cubs were playing, or who the pitcher for the other team was, but just before the game Harry is announcing who the pitchers are and says, "And going for the ___ is the fine young Mexican right hander (pause) from the Dominican Republic". Harry might not have owned a globe, but I loved his style!

Early in season when Piersall was lot of sorts in a Sox broadcast Harry asked Jimmy have you taken your pills today" hilarious.. I believe it was when Piersall was knocking bad vibes on Veeck's wife "Maryann" believe was her name..and soon after he jumped all over LaRussa like the 2nd game of the season. I believe Jimmy was cut loose. Could be wrong about that part of it.

Mark,
Contrary to what your brother said, when Harry was doing St. Louis games, I was 10 years old and used to take a bus across town and go to batting pratice a couple hours before games started and sat next to the visitors' dugout in Milwaukee. Musial had just hit a couple and chipped his bat. Harry took the bat, walked over from the batter' s box to me and with a big smile, handed me the bat.
I'll always remember Harry that way.

Chris sez: "hey villano u stink .... it is official you are my sworn enemy..... i am no harry crazy but give credit where it is due...."

Excuse me, but I liked Caray, and my reference to hating "Homers" was an salute to the fact that Harry was anything BUT a Homer. My reference to Harry being a shill is indisputable. He could sell bronze baby shoes to childless couples and get away with it.

Learning to read and comprehend would go a long way towards helping you to understand what's posted.

Secondly: Two people have attributed the, "Harry stiffed my little brother for an autograph" story to me.

Those comments were posted by James.

I will back up Villiano...(on this one)

although...a Shill is actually the plant in the audience that the salesman uses to get the crowd to buy the product...he is usually the first one to be like..."WHERE CAN I GET A BOTTLE?"

like in that "ebony and ivory" video...

I will back up Villiano...(on this one)

although...a Shill is actually the plant in the audience that the salesman uses to get the crowd to buy the product...he is usually the first one to be like..."WHERE CAN I GET A BOTTLE?"

like in that "say say say" video...

I was a bellman at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in the mid-80's working the Cubfest weekend. I got the lucky check-out call to help Harry leave his room. While descending in the elevator I told him how much I'd always admired him. The elevator stopped and on walked Ernie Banks, wearing a skyblue Cubs blazer. Harry said "Give'm your coat Ernie" and he did.

Like many, I was a Harry impersonator until his stroke. Overnight I found myself unable to say "awwright...let me hear you..."

I actually think it is spelled "Schill"...since i believe the words origins are YIDDISH!

My favorite Harry story concerns the time the Cubs got Ron Cey in a trade. I was on Division street having a beer with some friends and Harry walks in. I knew him casually as I was in advertising and had clients who sponsored cub games. I said "Harry we got the penguin, but I hear he is scared of the curveball" (Cey had been seriously beaned the year before.) Harry got so mad he got up in my face, called me some names, and my friends thought he was going to take a swing at me. He was a little drunk as usual.

"Steve, how can a guy from Mexico lose a ball in the sun?"

In the late 7o´s Veeck had a promotion "music night" where fans were given kazoos to break the guiness record for the World´s largest kazoo band. My dad had a small musical instrument business, so he was invited to dine in the Bard´s Room with other sponsors of the event. He took me and my brother. Veeck made an appearance and I was shocked/amazed to see that he had an ash tray dug out of his wooden leg. Harry was supposed to dine with the sponsers, but he didn´t show. Finally about 20 minutes before he was due to go on the air, he stumbled into the Bard´s Room rather pickled to say the least. He was holding onto the tables and chair backs to keep himself from falling over. This worked until he got to the table behind ours where he tripped over my brother´s chair leg and crashed into the table next to ours, spilling everyone´s drinks in there laps!!!...Amoung numerous others,I will always remember the broadcast of Disco Demolition Night. Priceless! Ah Ya Can´t Beat Fun At The Old Ballpark! R.I.P. Harry!

I remember a game in the early 70's against the Yankees, one of Harry's center field bleacher games at old Comiskey. We sat near Harry who came into the ballpark carrying a six path of Falstaff. We talked frequently during the game and Dick Allen didn't play. In the bottom of the ninth Allen pinch hit, and hit a walk-off. The pitcher was Lindy McDaniel the ball went half-way up the center field bleachers. What a shot! Harry went wild as we all did.

Steve, how can a guy from Mexico lose a ball in the sun?"
Posted by: Crisis? What Crisis? | February 21, 2008 10:30 AM

Only Harry could get away with saying this....:LOL

I never met Harry in person but watched him often. I once remember seeing him push up his false teeth with his thumb when he was on the air. He was very spitty and coughy. I do miss him though. When I was hospitalized for a lengthy stay as a teenager, I got a mysterious card from him along w/ a signed 8X10 photo of him. I kept them both and actually have the photo in a frame hanging in my kitchen. A Chicago Cubs kitchen...can you believe it?

The obvious choice here is Sox 2nd baseman Jorge Orta losing a pop up in the sun, and Harry griping "how could you lose it in the sun? YOU'RE FROM MEXICO!"

That is my favorite Caray memory in the booth. Either that, or else Piersal saying (on a Claudel Washington strike out) "Harry! Look at that swing!" and Harry responding "You look at it! I'm sicka' looking at it!"

I am also quite fond of Harry's pre-game comment from a late-70s game in Fenway: "Luis Teant... he's 41 going on 60. Claims to be turning 36 this August. From Havana, Cuba..."

I was sitting high in the upper deck between home and third. Musial, who became a grandfather that day by way of his son Dick's wife where he was stationed in Kansas, hit one high and far into the night sky. It dusappears over the pavilion roof, onto Grand Avenue. Harry did his usual schtick, "Way back. It might be. It could be. It iiiizzzzz. All the way over onto Grand Avenue. Holy Cow. Dick, of you're listening in Fort Riley Kansas, your dad just hit one to celebrate the birth of your son and why not name the kid Homer. Hey, hey. How about that."