Pouring One Out for Skip Caray

I would be remiss if I didn't take time to offer my version of a tribute to Skip Caray, longtime broadcaster for the Braves, who died Sunday. Caray was a part of the old TBS crew who, during the 80s, brought America one miserable Braves game after another. Despite watching the likes of Oddibie McDowell, Gene Garber, and Rick Mahler screw up one game after another, Caray, known for his dry wit and sarcasm, managed to make 90-plus loss seasons slightly less painful than they were.

One comment in particular that always made me laugh was said during one of those miserable stretches in the late 80s. As the Braves were taking the field, Caray said, "Like lambs to the slaughter, the Braves take the field." But thankfully for my and Caray's well-being, the start of the 90s began a Braves turnaround and they became a real baseball team.

During the 1992 NLCS against the Pirates, Caray made possibly his most famous call when Sid Bream scored from second on a Francisco Cabrera single (yes, Sid Bream scored from second on a single) and sent the Braves to the World Series. And by the way, this is probably in my top ten best sports moments of all-time. My hatred for Doug Drabek, Andy Van Slyke, and Barry Bonds still knows no bounds.


With so many crappy announcers out there today, it sucks to lose one of the good ones (not that I want the bad ones to die, just stop doing their jobs). Caray never played up the drama when there was none and described exactly what he saw or felt. That's pretty rare in this day of created drama (I'm looking your way Jim Nantz and Brent Musburger) and no laughing or joking about the action on the field (Joe Morgan: Guilty. I hate Joe Morgan.).

So here's to Skip Caray, one of the greats. We shall miss ye.