Fans have a chance to listen to those and other Kalas calls in a tribute CD that Chicago Cubs broadcaster Pat Hughes produced, wrote and narrated. It is part of his Baseball Voices Hall of Fame Series, which also includes tribute CDs for Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Bob Uecker and Marty Brennaman.
The Kalas CD can be found at baseballvoices.com.
"I was really impressed with it," Kalas said. "He was able to capture the passion of the Phillies fans, and the fact that we had some replays on there of some great moments in Phillies history, it was really something. I'm very honored by it."
Hughes chose Kalas for a few reasons.
"We all know about Harry Kalas," Hughes said. "The Phillies. The NFL Films. The Campbell's Soup. His voice is part of our culture. He is such a wonderful talent.
"He's somebody that we all admire in the business, not only because of his voice but because of how hard he works and how nice he is to people. He's been unbelievably friendly to me. But I think it's a combination of the natural God-given gift of that amazing voice and work ethic that stands out."
Creating the CD was an interesting process.
It took Hughes almost a year to complete. It was time-consuming because he had to find and comb through archived radio and TV broadcasts, which aren't always easy to obtain.
"All season long on road trips, flights and in hotel rooms, instead of just wasting time and watching reruns, I would listen to old Harry Kalas tapes," Hughes said. "The 1980 season? I love listening to those old tapes."
Hughes works with several collectors to find rare pieces. He found a clip from Kalas' first broadcast with the Houston Astros, on April 9, 1965, in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees that officially opened the Astrodome.
Kalas' first words?
"Mickey Mantle will lead off for the New York Yankees."
"To uncover a gem like that is a thrill," Hughes said.
