By Matt Phillips
February 6 2003

A warm and sleepy Sunday afternoon, Wrigley Field. Heading into the 7th inning stretch, the Cubs trail by a couple of runs. Suddenly, and despite the current score line, Wrigley bursts into life. The focus is on the broadcast booth and the man who stands at the window. His voice suddenly comes over the PA. "Okay, let me hear ya!" The man leads the whole crowd, young and old alike into a rendition of the old baseball standard, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."

As the song closes, the crowd erupts again. Anyone would have thought Slammin' Sammy had just hit a game winning homer. The man in the booth has some advice for the Cubs: "Now get some runs!"

The man on the mic is Harry Caray, one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in sporting history, king of the seventh inning stretch sing-a-long and as much a part of Cubs folklore as Wrigley Field and the ivy that hangs on the outfield wall.

Born, Harry Christopher Carabina in 1914, Harry was raised in one of the toughest tenament areas of St. Louis. He was just an infant when his father died and following the death of his mother, Harry went to live with an aunt.

After a stint playing semi-pro baseball, Harry got interested in radio and began auditioning for jobs in the industry. His travels took him to stations in Joliet, Illinois and Kalamazoo. It was in Joliet that Harry's surname was shortened by one of the radio producers. Harry Caray was born!

Ironically, it was with one of the Cubs' greatest enemies that Harry made a name for himself. From 1945 to 1969, he spent an amazing 25 seasons at the St. Louis Cardinals, calling the plays for KMOX with his main commentary partner, Jack Buck. Harry was named baseball announcer of the year, seven years straight for his work with the Cards.

During this time, Harry called some World Series play-by-play for NBC and also lent his announcing talents to basketball and the St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks) and the University of Missouri (American) football team.

As baseball entered the seventies, Harry packed his bags and waved goodbye to St. Louis. His next stop was the California sun of the Oakland A's. However, Harry's stay with the Athletics was a short one. The following season he was off again, this time to Chicago and the legendary Comiskey Park.

From 1971 to 1981, Harry spent 11 seasons with the White Sox and it was here that sing-a-long with Harry was born.

Harry was already known in the broadcast booth for singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" to himself during the seventh inning stretch. One day, he was secretly miked up so that the whole of Comiskey could hear. Naturally, the place erupted and Harry became a legend. The seventh inning stretch would never be the same again! Tony Bennett, watch out!

In 1982, Harry left the White Sox and headed across town to Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs. Here, he struck up his famous partnership with Steve Stone for WGN-TV and Radio.

However, it was just before the start of the 1987 season that Harry's health started to cause some concern. Harry suffered a stroke, and, for the first time since his debut in the booth, all those years ago, he had to miss some games. But, despite some speech difficulty, Harry was back on the mic by the end of May.

During the 1989 season, Harry was honored as the winner of the Ford Frick Award at the annual induction ceremonies of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, New York.

During his acceptance speech, Harry said: "The more I think of all the history which surrounds me, the more inadequate I feel."

Later that year, Harry was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame and then, in 1994, Harry was awarded the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame Award. He was now recognized as one of the greats.

Harry's famous exclamations, such as "Cubs win, Cubs win!" and, when a home run was hit, "It could be, it is, holy cow!" were now part of that legend.

In September 1997, Harry called his last ever Cubs game against the Colorado Rockies. Old father time had finally caught up with him and it was in a California hospital on February 18th, 1998, that Harry passed away.

In Harry's honor, for the whole of the 1998 season, the Cubs wore a Harry Caray caricature patch on their uniforms. And what a season that was, with Chicago's very own Sammy Sosa going all the way with Mark McGwire in the "Run for 61."

Harry may now be gone, but the Caray name still rules the broadcast booth. Harry's son, Skip has been a long term play-by-play man for the Atlanta Braves and his son, Chip, Harry's grandson, is now in the booth at Wrigley.

Harry spent a total of 53 years in the broadcast booth, an amazing total. So, when you first hear "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" on opening day, spare a thought for Harry. He'll be sitting in the bleachers in the sky, a cold beer in his hand, singing along as he did for all those years. Because, as Harry used to say: "It's a beautiful day for baseball!"