Skip Caray dead at 68

ATLANTA -- Skip Caray, a voice of the Atlanta Braves for 33 years and part of a family line of baseball broadcasters that included Hall of Famer Harry Caray, died in his sleep at home on Sunday, the team said. He was 68.

over 3 years ago delorean 14 comments 0 recs |

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RIP

In the nascent days of me watching cable TV circa 1984 or 1985, watching the Braves on TBS was an enjoyable experience only because of Skip Caray. He had a nice, wry delivery and the fact that he sounded like Kermit the Frog always cracked me up. A very talented broadcaster whose talents were sadly wasted in a town that doesn’t give much of a crap about pro sports. He’ll be missed.

No, my Crazy Crab bobblehead is not for sale.

by Kitspool on Aug 4, 2008 9:08 AM PDT reply actions

RIP Skip

The best thing about Caray back in those days was how he refused to take the game very seriously (probably in part because the Braves were so bad). He called the lead runner "the leading lady", he made fun of how badly the Braves were playing, and often talk about where/how much he’d be drinking after the game.

I remember one game against the Giants where the Braves were leading with 1 out in the 9th, a Giant on 1B, and Jeffrey Leonard at the plate—Caray mentioned it was happy hour, and that he was ready to buy the first round "as soon as Leonard hits into this 6-4-3". No sooner had he said it, Gene Garber induced a grounder to short. His call was something like "6…4…3, Braves win, and I’ll see you to the bar."

"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK

by Josh from Hollywood on Aug 4, 2008 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Much like his dad, Skip apparently liked his alcohol. Probably one of the reasons he died at a relatively young age.

No, my Crazy Crab bobblehead is not for sale.

by Kitspool on Aug 4, 2008 1:04 PM PDT up reply actions

A Skip/Harry anecdote

I saw an interview with Skip where he talked about growing up in St. Louis with the notoriety of having his dad as a famous Cards announcer (Harry used to sign off the broadcast every night by saying, “Goodnight, Skip”). Well, Skip was in high school, and on the football team—as an O-lineman. This one week, the team was playing a rival who had a legendary defensive end he was assigned to block.

Skip was really scared all week, but got the coaches got him psyched up, and by the time the game started, he was sure he could handle the guy. On the first play, the guy lines up across from him and Skip’s all pumped up to kick his ass. But just before the opening snap, the guy whispers, “Goodnight, Skip”, and Skip was so caught off-guard by this, he let he guy blow right by him for a sack.

"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK

by Josh from Hollywood on Aug 4, 2008 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions

I loved Skip Caray. I used to watch a lot of Braves games back when they were pretty much the only team on national TV. He was a good one.

by Dan from NM on Aug 4, 2008 9:25 AM PDT reply actions

RIP Skip.

by wilriv21 on Aug 4, 2008 11:41 AM PDT reply actions

How sad.

"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.

by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Aug 4, 2008 12:30 PM PDT reply actions

“Be sure to stick around after the Braves game for Beast Master 2!”

I loved how they always had to plug crappy movies on TBS after Braves games.

I didn’t mind Skip, good dry humor.

Bay City Ball

by xanthan on Aug 4, 2008 1:15 PM PDT reply actions

RIP Skip

I never cared for him as a broadcaster (I know after somebody dies your supposed to forget all about what you actually thought of them and just heap endless praise, but I don’t believe in that) but he seemed to love the game and I’m sure he was a good guy.

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 4, 2008 1:46 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah, I pretty much disliked all the TBS Braves guys, but it’s still sad to see him go.

by jcb9 on Aug 4, 2008 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions

I’d be willing to bet that you guys are too young to have seen TBS broadcasts from the 80’s. Because if all I knew of Skip Caray were the broadcasts he did from 1991 on, I wouldn’t have thought much of him either - boring, maybe a little annoying. But when the Braves were a joke of a team, dressed in a joke of a uniform (powder blue awfulness), playing in a joke of a park (“The Launching Pad”), and owned by a joke of an owner (remember, back in those days, Ted Turner tried to manage the team before MLB told him he couldn’t, and successfully got Glenn Hubbard to wear “CHANNEL” on the back of his jersey instead of his name, so he could be a walking ad for TBS - Channel 17 back in those days), Skip Caray seemed to be the only one in on the joke.

In fact, I’ve always said the most entertaining announcers are those who work for bad teams. It takes a special announcer to be entertaining when you’re team is getting blown out every night. Skip Caray was right up there with his dad (”’Herr’ spelled backwards in ‘Rreh’”), Hank Greenwald (“His stance is so wide, if it were 4th Down and that much, you’d definitely have to punt”), and Lon Simmons (“The outfielders are deep… I saw them reading books on philosophy before the game”) at keeping you laughing during even the most unwatchable of games.

"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK

by Josh from Hollywood on Aug 4, 2008 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions

I’m not too young – I was born in 1980, and my baseball memories extend back to about 1985. But I didn’t have cable until 1990, so in that sense, you’re right.

by jcb9 on Aug 4, 2008 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions

I was also born in 1980, but you’re right I am too young to remember those days. My earliest memories of seeing him started when the Braves were already a juggernaut. That is probably when I first got cable too because the 1993 race was the first year I remember seeing a lot of games on TV, before that it was all Hank Greenwald and Ron Fairley.

by FluLikeSymptoms on Aug 4, 2008 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions

OK, I'll bite.

I was born in 1963. Moved to Indiana in 1985, got cable for the first time, and saw TBS Braves games from then on. When the Braves were a crummy team, Caray was really not a great announcer - he was as boring as the teams he worked for, and the country boy schtick really got old. Going to a bar? So what? Give me some analysis. No - we have to hear about his drinking. It was sort of like watching Channel 40 in the early 70s in Sacramento—low rent commercials and old creature movies. Strange, interesting for a minute. More to make fun of than to watch.

But…things got truly ugly when the Braves began to win. A bigger homer there never was.

I can see loving him if I were a Braves fan. But he was nothing special.

My thoughts go out to his family.

bringing you moral turpitude since 1963

by Idaho Nick on Aug 5, 2008 2:55 PM PDT reply actions