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Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas |  | Author: Randy Miller
Publisher: Running Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $10.99
as of 9/8/2010 20:30 PDT details
You Save: $13.96 (56%)
New (29) Used (16) from $7.24
Seller: happyendingbooks
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 37286
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0762438967
Dewey Decimal Number: 070.449796092
EAN: 9780762438969
Publication Date: March 9, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
To Philadelphia Phillies fans, he was the soundtrack of summer. To millions of football fans across America, he was the “Voice of the NFL.” And as open and giving as Harry Kalas was throughout his professional and personal life, there are countless layers of the man that have remained unknown . . . until now.
Author Randy Miller interviewed more than 160 people—including all of Harry’s surviving family, many of his close friends from childhood to present, numerous colleagues from baseball and the NFL, and even Harry’s longtime personal psychologist—to craft a loving and shockingly honest portrayal of one of the most celebrated broadcasters in the history of sports.
With incredible details from all phases of his life—from his upbringing in the Chicago suburbs, to his Hall of Fame broadcasting career in baseball, to his ubiquitous voiceover work with the NFL, to his personal vices for drinking and women, to his legendary friendship with Richie “Whitey” Ashburn, to his ongoing feud with on-air partner Chris Wheeler—Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas will surprise, delight, and enlighten all fans of the man they called “Harry the K.”
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 Great story, shoddily told September 6, 2010
PJC (Fort Collins, CO)
As a Phillies fan, it's interesting to hear the story of HK's life told with no punches pulled and no sugar coating.
Unfortunately, this book is filled with grammatical errors ("he had sang") and even a couple factual errors. For instance, the author writes that the Phillies swept the Brewers in the 2008 divisional series, when they won that series 3-1. The author even misquotes Kalas on the most important call he ever made, the 2008 World Series clincher. The book quotes Kalas as saying "Watch this city celebrate," when what he said was, "Let this city celebrate." Most Phillies fans have heard that call enough times to realize that the book has it wrong.
It's a great read, but it was perhaps slapped together a little too quickly.
 Best Sport Biography of the Summer August 20, 2010
LP
A very well written and interesting look into a good man that was not perfect. I highly recommend this book!
This book is outta here!! June 9, 2010
Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I asked for Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas by Randy Miller for my birthday this year. The request wasn't because I'm a Phillies-fan--I am, but a marginal one at best. My reasons for this request were twofold. First, I was awed by the outpouring of affection for Harry by Philadelphia fans when he passed away last year. And second, book reviews that I read were intriguing. Harry's first and second wives both collaborated with Randy Miller and both approved of the final book, although neither wife speaks to the other. Sports writer Randy Miller has given us a biography as enjoyable and interesting as Harry Kalas was in person.
I think that Kalas can best be described as a "character." The son of a minister, Harry was a wild-child who gravitated toward alcohol, cigarettes, and women. He was also gifted with a rich, baritone voice. From a very young age, his goal was to become a sports announcer. He got his big break when he was hired as a sportscaster for a minor league baseball team in Hawaii. From there, he went to Houston and finally landed with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he remained until his death in a broadcasting booth 39 years later. Miller pulls no punches and gives an honest look at Harry's life, warts and all. On the plus side, he was a genuinely kind and likeable man, always willing to give of himself. On the minus side, he liked to party a little too hard, drink a little too much, and cheated on both wives. He started seeing second wife, Eileen (and they had a child together) before he was divorced from first wife, Jasmine.
Miller divides Harry the K into chapters that deal with all facets of Harry's life. They include his other broadcasting jobs (he advertised Coors Light, Campbell Soups and was a voice of NFL Films), his relationship with his long-time partner, Richie Ashburn (His Whiteness), his feud with fellow broadcaster Chris Wheeler, and his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But Harry the K is also fascinating in that it shows the evolution of broadcasting in both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Miller claims that NFL Films made football more appealing with "field-level camera angles, slow-motion footage, sounds from the sidelines--all set to music and punctuated by creative narration. As the popularity of NFL Films exploded, the popularity of the league did the same. Unable to compete with America's pastime prior to the late 1960s, the NFL eventually surpassed, then blew away Major League Baseball in television ratings."
Harry the K includes dozens of photos of Harry, his family, his colleagues, the athletes he worked with, his awards, his funeral and his final resting place. The book also includes a forward by Mike Schmidt and a special introduction by Ryan Howard. My only complaint was that the index was somewhat lacking, but this gripe was not enough to take away any stars. Otherwise, since I finished Harry the K, I understand why Kalas was so beloved and why he will always be a legend in Phillies' history. As he would have said, "this book is outta here!"
 Good read -- but has some filler May 16, 2010
Troy Peters (Annville, PA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed the book. Harry was the voice of baseball for me since I was a kid. As the author notes up front, I am sure he struggled with what to include in the book since some of the stories about Harry are unflatterring but, he becomes redundant apparrently thinking the reader has forgotten what he read just a few chapters or pages earlier. From my persepctive, if you can get over this issue you'll enjoy it. I am encouraging others to read it.
The life of a Philly icon April 17, 2010
gfweb (pa USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Harry the K, as somebody said, has narrated the memories of a whole city. Between the Phillies, NFL films and numerous commercial voice-overs Kalas' voice has been with Philly for 40 or so years. By all accounts, including this one, Harry was one of a kind...great company...outgoing...kind and in most ways a helluva guy. He was with the Phils through more than a few lean years and made it to see their last World Series; always with relentless optimism and high hopes.
The author doesn't spare telling us about the rough patches in his life. This isn't a hagiography. But even with all the warts, Harry still seems like a guy you'd really like to know.
The writing is generally good, but would've benefited from a stern editor who would screen redundancies and over-used phrases.
Its not War and Peace, but it is a darn good book if you care about Philly sports and especially about the Phillies. Mets fans would also benefit from reading the book; if only to see what a good organization looks like. (snicker)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
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