Tuesday morning the Braves gave their fans a memorial service at Turner Field to honor broadcaster Skip Caray. It was a tribute and also an anniversary.

Caray's broadcast partner and the leader of Tuesday's service, Joe Simpson, pointed out it was almost four years to the day since Caray was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame, on Aug. 13, 2004.

And Simpson also pointed out it was Skip's birthday.

"Do you know what today is?" he said to about 1,000 fans gathered in the stands behind home plate, pointing out that Skip would have been 69. "Today is going to be a celebration it's going to be happy and fun."

To prove it, Simpson led the fans in singing "Happy Birthday."

But it was sung with bittersweet tones.

"He was a bigger than life Hollywood star you never think is going to go away, like John Wayne or Mickey Mantle," Simpson said.

The Braves began the process of finding ways to honor Caray at Turner Field and the first visible sign was hanging on the door to the Braves TV broadcast booth that said: "Skip Caray broadcast booth." There's a sign on the front, too, facing the stands, presumably to be unveiled before tonight's game, the first to be played at Turner Field since his passing.

The flag in center field flew at half-staff.

The governor spoke, Braves CEO Terry McGuirk spoke, a message from commissioner Bud Selig was read. John Smoltz spoke, so did Pete Van Wieren. Skip's son and fellow Braves broadcaster Chip Caray spoke, with the rest of the Caray family watching from the stage set up just in front of the pitcher's mound.

Once, during one of the many touching video tributes, Caray's son Josh sang along to Frank Sinatra's "I did it my way."

Gov. Sonny Perdue could appreciate Caray's unique style.

"Skip never tried to be fancy or emulate someone else," Perdue said. "I think that's why we loved him. He was authentic. He just told a story with his own unvarnished, witty, opinion."

Simpson, Smoltz and Van Wieren all told their laugh-out-loud stories of times with Caray. Smoltz described a play in San Diego on a groundball on the infield when he and first baseman Julio Franco got tangled up trying to field the ball and Smoltz ended up rolling toward first base, hat flying off.

"The next day I got a phone call from Skip," Smoltz said. "He said 'Thank you, I've never laughed so hard.'.... He taught me it was OK to laugh at yourself."

There were poignant moments too, during a video tribute to Caray, set to Sarah McLachlan's "I will remember you," a moment of silence, and the playing of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.

Fans also got some insight into the famous moment, the one that will be the mark on Caray's broadcast career, when he celebrated Sid Bream's slide home in the 1992 National League Championship with his call of "Braves win, Braves win, Braves win."

Simpson was in the booth that night.

"I leaned over and gave him a hug and I said 'Great call' " Simpson said. "And he said 'What did I say? I have no idea what I said.' "

Shooting from the hip, Caray was at his best.

Tuesday also gave Chip Caray a chance to honor and thank Braves fans for their outpouring of love toward the Caray family since Caray died on Aug. 3.

"He loved this franchise," Chip Caray said. "He loved you Pete (Van Weiren), like a brother. He loved our players. But he also loved you (the fans). Baseball in our family is the soundtrack of our lives. We see young man grow up and become full grown men. We see them get married. As much as he enjoyed saying 'Braves win, Braves win.' He enjoyed saying nothing more than 'Listen to this crowd.' You were the bass notes to the soundtrack of my father's life."