BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: ATL Journal-Constitution: Caray recalled in his style

Baseball Primer Newsblog
— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

ATL Journal-Constitution: Caray recalled in his style—honest and funny (RR)

On such a reverent occasion as his memorial service, Skip Caray would have gotten a kick out of a little irreverence shown by his friends during Monday’s celebration of his life… Van Wieren got a chuckle when he pointed out there were more people at Monday’s 4 p.m. service than had been at many of of the Braves games he and Caray called in the 1970s.
...
Braves front office members, players, coaches and staff filled up 10 pews. Not far behind sat former players who’d been a part of some of Caray’s favorite calls: Otis Nixon, Rick Camp, Charlie Leibrandt, Javy Lopez, and Ron Gant.

Braves players Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann joined Skip’s sons Chip and Josh Caray as pall bearers.

John Smoltz represented the Braves as the last of six speakers to make remarks. He paid tribute to a man who used to kid him about his lack of hitting. “I’m batting higher than I ever did in my life,” Smoltz said. “I’m batting sixth.”

Smoltz got the laugh of the day when he told the story about what Skip used to say about Ryan Klesko after the Braves moved him from first base to left field.

“Ryan is running the right routes, we just can’t get the ball to him,” Smoltz said.

ATL Journal-Constitution: Friends remember Caray as ‘first class’ (RR)

NTNgod Posted: August 12, 2008 at 02:40 AM | 4 comment(s)
Related News: General, Atlanta, Announcers

Reader Comments and Retorts

Go to end of page

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

Page 1 of 1 pages

1. NTNgod Posted: August 12, 2008 at 02:48 AM (#2899358)

ATL Journal-Constitution: Friends remember Caray as 'first class' (RR)

But no one in the congregation had a Caray story like [Rick] Camp's. Convicted of federal money laundering charges in 2005, he spent two years at Montgomery (Ala.) Federal Prison. He was only paroled last October. Caray, first with a letter and then with personal visits, had been one of the few people to stay in contact with him.

"When you go to prison, you can put your friends on about one hand," Camp said. "You get in a situation like that, these guys over here will fade away real quick. But then you got your real friends like Skip Caray... I had five, six guys I could depend on and come and see me. It's different. It's totally different."

2. NTNgod Posted: August 12, 2008 at 03:07 AM (#2899364)

Yahoo!: Edes: Skip never missed a beat

Skip could stir hearts, souls and minds with the best of them, said Schuerholz, the general manager and architect of Braves teams that won 14 consecutive division titles and who became close friends with Caray.

"But I’m also reminded of caustic, acerbic, offensive and ticked off," Schuerholz said. "He had all the tools in the toolbox."
...
His favorite foil was his producer of many years, Glenn Diamond.
...
"He’d like to ask me on the air, ‘Glenn, what’s coming up after the game’ – we’d have a one-sided conversation, with him repeating to the audience what I was saying.

"Tonight, we have a movie, Skip, called ‘Encino Man.’ He said, ‘Encino Man?’ He goes, ‘All right, fans, tonight is an ESPN SportsCenter night.’ I don’t think the executives at TBS were too excited about that. But the fans, they loved him."

3. Scott Lange Posted: August 12, 2008 at 08:35 AM (#2899404)

Memorial at Turner Field at 10 this morning, if you're in Atlanta. I'm going.

4. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: August 12, 2008 at 08:54 AM (#2899416)

That's a lot of ex-players at a broadcaster's funeral. Speaks well of Caray.

Page 1 of 1 pages

You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.

<< Back to main

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

ATL Journal-Constitution: Caray recalled in his style—honest and funny (RR)

Reader Comments and Retorts

Support BBTF

My Bookmarks

Hot Topics