AJC > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 05
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
What will you miss most about Skip?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s a pit in my stomach every time I hear Skip Caray’s voice. And the last “So long, everybody,” brings tears to my eyes.
The AJC’s writers (Dave O’Brien, Mark Bradley, Furman Bisher and even Mike Luckovich) have done more justice to him than I possibly could, but I have to honor Skip with this fan’s perspective.
A summer presence since my childhood, Skip made the Braves’ bad times enjoyable and the good times even better. His call of Sid’s slide and the final out of the ‘95 World Series will always be with me, but more important are the many, many times he made me laugh out loud during games that otherwise would have been tough to watch.
After his removal from TV broadcasts, I found myself listening to more games on the kitchen radio, Skip’s and Pete’s voices filling up the room while I puttered around.
And this season, after so many years in contention, the Braves’ struggles brought back the Skip I remember from the 1970s and ’80s — the guy who said exactly what we fans were thinking, only funnier.
The pre-game show on the radio last night was full of wonderful memories and heartfelt thoughts, and Jon Sciambi and Joe Simpson did a great job of honoring his memory during the TV broadcast. They reminded me of all the things I’ll miss: knowing the hometown of each fan who catches a foul ball; the not-so-subtle digs at the umpire, official scorer or network that most recently had ticked him (and usually the fans, too) off; the ridiculing of promos or disclaimers he found useless.
Most of all, though, I’ll miss his perspective of the game and waiting for him to say the next thing that was going to make me laugh. There were countless times that he sent me running to find my husband elsewhere in the house so I could share with him what Skip had just said.
Skip Caray was many things, but what stands out to me most is that he was a fan, just like the rest of us. Braves games won’t ever be the same again.
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