Aug 12 2008
Laughter, not tears: That’s how Skip would’ve wanted it
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA – Typically, death brings about sadness. Usually, it takes time for the tears to subside, for the grief to wane and then, only then, are we able to look back upon the dearly departed person and smile as we recall happier times.
And certainly, some of the wounds from Skip Caray’s death a week ago Sunday were re-opened Monday afternoon, inside a pristine Midtown church where family, friends, and Braves old and new gathered to recall a man who poured his heart and soul into 33 years of broadcasting this team’s highest of highs and lowest of lows.
But instead of this being an outpouring of grief and sadness, it morphed into a recollection session full of laughter and jokes, honoring a man who in every sense of the word was the Atlanta Braves.
And that’s exactly how Skip would have wanted it.
By now, Braves Nation has steadied itself best it can following the news that Caray, who started broadcasting Braves baseball in 1976 and continued to do so until three days before his death, will no longer greet viewers and listeners with, “hello again everybody!”
Caray’s death rocked this franchise and its fan base, and in many respects, the city that the Braves call home. Caray’s passing came as the team flew west for a seven-game, week-long road trip, a week that for all of us who follow this team was difficult, to put it mildly.
Back home Monday, a few tears flowed as broadcast partners, media colleagues, team officials, and players past and present gathered to remember Caray and the indelible imprint he made on this franchise. But beyond those moist eyes, there was laughter, hearty chuckles and warm smiles.
That’s exactly how Skip would’ve wanted it.
The Braves open a three-game set tonight at Turner Field against the Cubs, the team his father Harry Caray broadcast for throughout the 1980s and most of the 1990s before his death. A public memorial service will be held at the ballpark at 10 a.m. today, and the Braves will honor Skip in a pregame ceremony tonight starting at 6:45 p.m.
In my mailbox Friday afternoon sat a precious reminder of the man whose voice accompanied me on my journey from young tot who thought baseball was interesting to middle-aged man who loves this game so dearly. It’s a print of a beautiful portrait crafted by my friend Lew Hartman, a Vermont artist who eloquently drew Sid Bream’s slide into home plate, the slide that won the 1992 National League Championship Series, the slide that Skip described with his now-famous call: “Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves WIN!”
Looking over Sid’s slide in the print is a rendering of Skip. It sits framed today in the Sports Garage. In the print, Skip is smiling. I’m sure as he looks down upon us today, he’s probably uttering some snide remark about all the fuss we’ve all made about his passing the past nine days.
But I’m sure he’s doing so with a smile. Skip did it his way, right until the end. And the thought of him in Heaven, sitting with his dad in the press box at the great ballpark in the sky, is reason enough to smile, to crack a joke, to lift a glass skyward. Through the sadness, laughter and fond remembrances reign.
After all, that’s how Skip would’ve wanted it.
—30—
Bud, well put.