Tonight is Harry Kalas tribute night at the ballpark. It is of course a sell-out crowd. The players are wearing a black circular patch with HK in white just over the hearts. They will wear the patch throughout the season. Kalas' three sons, Todd, Brad, and Kane, threw out the first pitch to players representing three generations: Mike Schmidt, John Kruk, and Jimmy Rollins. Todd, a broadcaster with the Tampa Bay Rays, got to broadcast one inning with his father during the World Series, which was cool. Kane, the youngest, sang the national anthem before the game.
Larry Andersen, a reliever on the 1993 team, is wearing a tie he got from Kalas during the play-offs that year. He and Scott Franzke had talked about wearing a white jacket and white shoes a la Kalas but were unable to find any.
As a tribute to Harry, the TV crew did the top of the first inning with the Padres in silence. Nothing but the sound of the crowd. It was touching. Kalas was never afraid to let the game speak for itself.
The Phillies took a 5-0 lead in the first. It's now 7-1. I don't know what will happen this game, this weekend but I do know that the Phillies have been on an emotional roller coaster since season's start. That was less than two weeks ago but it seems like forever.
