I have to say this Monday has been a somewhat melancholy day at the sports desk. The news that long-time Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray had passed away on Sunday afternoon at age 68 was greatly disappointing.
You see, I have been a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan. Many of my earliest memories involve spending time watching Braves games on WTBS with my dad. I remember fondly watching those players of the early 80s, when guys like Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, Chris Chambliss, Rafael Ramirez, Rick Mahler, Phil Niekro, Glenn Hubbard roamed the dimensions of old Fulton County Stadium. Back in 1982 the team reeled off 13 straight wins to open the season and went on to hold off the Dodgers to win the National League Western division. The excitement of the championship was soured by the 3 games to zero sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Championship Series.
Despite the outcome, I was hooked as a card-carrying member of the Atlanta Braves Fan Club. In those days, the Braves were the only team in the Southeast, so thousands of residents in states from Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, North and South Carolina, and Georgia identified with the slogan of the Atlanta Braves being "America's Team".
Much of the remainder of the 1980s witnessed the Braves scratch and claw to keep themselves out of the division cellar. Those seasons were dark ones for fans, but one of the few bright spots in those years was the way the Braves broadcasters kept the games entertaining. Skip Caray, along with Ernie Johnson Sr., Pete Van Wieren, and a number of other fourth broadcasters (such as Billy Sample, John Sterling, and Don Sutton) brought class to each game, and made fans feel as if they were part of the game.Part of the reason I developed a passion for sports and enjoy reading, writing, and covering sports was due to the passion that guys like Skip Caray brought to their job. It was easy to see that Skip loved baseball and was loyal to the Braves. He was easily what some today call a 'homer', and unabashedly was so.
Although Caray showed bias toward the Atlanta club, which makes sense considering they paid his salary, he always remained consistent when it came to speaking his mind. If a player was stinking it up at the plate or in the field, he would say so. If he didn't agree with a call or a decision, he in his own unique way would say so.
In the days of sports entertainment and celebrity status that many of the so-called "big time" sports networks strive for, Caray was a unique and refreshing breath of simplicity. He called the game with a great deal of knowledge and confidence without trying to make himself the star.
When Atlanta went from worst to first in 1991 and began an unprecendent string of division championships and postseason appearances, Skip was the consistent voice. Perhaps his signature call came in 1992 in the NLCS game 7 against Pittsburgh when Francisco Cabrera laced a base hit to left field. Sid Bream, a veteran with bad wheels, ambled around third and barely slid home before being tagged:
"Swung line drive left field! One run is in! Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...... SAFE! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! The Atlanta Braves are National League Champions again, and this crowd is going berzerk!"
Braves baseball and the sport as a whole is better because of broadcasters like Skip Caray. He will be sorely missed by this and many fans of Atlanta Braves Nation.
