Isn’t it funny how sometimes in life, people you never meet can have an impact on you? For some folks it’s an actor or musician, for others maybe it’s an author or humanitarian. Well for hundreds of thousands of people in Atlanta that person might have been Skip Caray. The looooongtime voice of the Atlanta Braves died in his sleep today at 68, and I’ve gotta tell ya, I’m pretty bummed out about it. I’m almost 27 years old, a diehard baseball fan, and I have spent countless days and nights listening to this man call Braves games either on TBS or the radio. God, I used to love listening to a ball game on the radio. Sure, maybe that stemmed from my parents not letting me watch a ton of tv or not having a tv of my own for a long time, but whatever. There’s just something special about hearing a baseball game described over the airwaves, especially when it’s done by someone who knows what they’re doing. And boy, Skip knew what he was doing. The son of legendary Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray, Skip really brought the entertainment when he was in the booth. He was the most sarcastic, dry, and straight up funny dude I’ve ever heard call a game..and he never seemed afraid to be honest about how he felt the team was playing or whatever else was on his mind..and that was refreshing. I kinda can’t imagine what it’ll be like without him. Who’s gonna tell me that ‘a fan from___(enter random city here)___ just came away with a souvenier’? I loved that, made me smile each time I heard it. I used to love watching him do games on TBS back in the day because he’d always make offhanded remarks about whatever shitty movie was coming on after the game that night. Ah, memories. It’s just one of those things man, you listen to a person for so many years that he becomes a part of your life..and now I’ll never be able to hear his voice again. It’s just so sad. My heart goes out to his family and the whole Braves organization really. It’s gotta be really tough for all those guys, especially considering most of them probably grew up listening to Skip too. It’s a sad day for all of baseball.
Thanks for entertaining me Skip, I’ll miss you.
..and I’ll always remember to never step on downed power lines.
