Sunday thoughts.

On Saturday I took-in a Wilmington Blue Rocks game. For those of you unaware, the Blue Rocks are the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. A minor league baseball team. I used to go more often, then I kind of let it slide, so to speak. Earlier this year, I ordered an 8-game partial season package so I could go on eight Saturday nights.

The games start at 6, the parking is free and the ballpark is less than 45 minutes from home, so why wasn't I going more often? Exactly the question I asked myself.

They have a nice ballclub down there. Lots of good hitters and an exciting brand of baseball. Granted, you have to be a baseball fan to appreciate the minor leagues, which is where I come in.

In addition to a third row seat being 8 dollars, the concession prices are reasonable and the team treats its fans with respect and gives out a lot of SWAG (Stuff We All Get) which is both a good marketing device and a nice treat for those of us who go to the games.

It's a great ballpark, and every seat is good. You can hear infielders calling pop up's, umpire calls and the odd manager argument. Did I mention that the parking is free? The only strange thing is that the fans aren't as hard-core as I'd like. I cheer for the players and get worked up over great plays, but it seems as though the fans are out for the evening regardless of the team. That's fine, but for a Phillies fan, it's a little odd. I'm not going to stop cheering, though. I'm also going to dedicate myself to going more than the eight times for which I have a ticket.

If anyone from the Blue Rocks has stumbled here on some random Google search, let me tell you how much I enjoy the games and tell you what a great organization you're running down there.

On another note, I'm often puzzled by lazy journalists who roll-out the hate talk when someone from Philadelphia does something stupid. They start with the old snowballs at Santa reference which, by the way, is as old as Santa, and proceed to the City of Brotherly Love stuff. We're linked to that saying when things go bad, but we never hear it when we do something right, as the Phillies and their fans did on Saturday with the ceremony honoring the late Harry Kalas.

Nine thousand fans showed up and paraded in front of his casket. Most of them stayed for the speeches and tributes, most notably by Mike Schmidt, who was eloquent in calling Harry's life "bountiful." Another home run for Michael Jack.

I felt no need to go, preferring to have my private thoughts - as I do in most cases. I watched on television. For those who chose to go, they and the Phillies paid tribute to Harry with class and dignity, and I'm guessing that no journalist or TV talking head will roll-out the Brotherly Love reference.

So, a little haiku for the lazy journalists:

How come we don't hear

"City of Brotherly Love"

when we express it?

This tribute is outta here!

This isn't going to be a popular opinion, but I think the Phillies are overdoing it a little with the Harry Kalas tributes. A little bit. I guess they don't want to make a mistake by not doing enough, but I think the extent of the things that are going on between tonight and tomorrow are a little too much. Here's a partial list:

• Throughout the season, Kalas' renowned "Outta here!" home run call will be played over the PA system after every Phillies home run at Citizens Bank Park
• Players, coaches and manager Charlie Manuel will wear an HK patch on their uniforms.
• A billboard honoring Kalas will be displayed on the outfield wall.
• The TV broadcast booth, where Kalas broadcast since the Bank opened in 2004, will be named the Harry Kalas Broadcast Booth: "That ball's outta here!"
• In the first half-inning of Friday's broadcast on Comcast Network Philadelphia, there will be no commentary.
• During the seventh-inning stretch Friday, a video of Kalas singing "High Hopes" will be shown on PhanaVision. Fans will be encouraged to sing along.
• The ceremonial first balls will be thrown out by Harry's sons Todd, Brad and Kane.
• There will be a moment of silence before Kane sings the national anthem.
• A video of Harry's career will be aired on PhanaVision.
• Fans will receive an 8" x10" color photo of Kalas.
• Beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, on a first come, first served basis, fans will have the opportunity to pay their respects on the field as they pass by Kalas' casket behind home plate. Fans will walk by the casket until approximately 12:45 p.m., when everybody will be directed to seats. Beginning at approximately 1 p.m., current and former players, broadcasters, front-office employees, friends and family members will pay their final respects before the on-field tribute begins at 1:30 p.m.
• Kalas' signature will be displayed on the field during the seven-game homestand, beginning Friday.
• A black drape will appear in front of the Phillies' radio and TV booths.
• The Phillies flag in Ashburn Alley will be hung at half-mast.

Sheesh. By the way, the expression "first come, first served" probably should never be used when discussing a funeral or viewing. I'm just saying.

It's partly because of my feelings about the way we deal with death. I loved Harry too, but we tend to do more after death than we do in life, and I find that odd, to the extent that I think Harry would be embarassed by it all.

And, I wouldn't want to be the person who is going to have to cut the line off at the deadline tomorrow. I'm thinking that there will be more mourners than time and somebody is going to have to tell them they can't go in. They say they're expecting about 200,000 people - I think it will be more - and I wonder how quickly they're going to want to whiz past the casket (probably an empty box - would they have an open casket?) and be ushered out of the ballpark before paying their respects, whatever that means.

There will undoubtedly be helicopters providing aerial views, a couple of local radio stations will be broadcasting live (pun) from the event and Comcast will be televising the whole affair.

All for what, exactly? To salve the feelings of the living, who would be better served staying at home in quiet contemplation over the entertainment provided by Harry during his life, which we never made such a fuss over - which I find odd. Whatever happened to "rest in peace?"

I told you it wouldn't be a popular opinion.

When life intrudes.

Baseball is one of those things that is supposed to take us away from the drudgery of everyday life. That's true, except when some real-life event intrudes on the game and makes us think. Then, life and sports intersect and that's almost never good.

There was the earthquake that stopped the 1989 World Series and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 that stopped the game for a few days - among others. Generally, it's the death of an icon or some tragedy. Good things make us appreciate the game while bad things make us feel as though the game isn't as important as it is on most days.

Regular readers know I'm a Phillies season ticket holder and a lover of baseball. This season, I paid for the MLB package from Comcast so that I could watch any game. If I'm not watching the Phillies I'll tune in the Orioles, but it's nice to be able to tune into any game.

When the news of Harry Kalas' death came to us yesterday, I started to think about all of the great play-by-play voices we've had in Philadelphia, and Harry is at the top of the list. Not only the top of the list here, but in baseball. What I have found, in addition to the games, is how average the other teams play-by-play guys are. The one exception I've found is stumbling across Vin Scully's voice on the Dodgers' broadcast. Otherwise, they're just guys talking about the game.

Harry was more than that. When he was partnered with Rich Ashburn, they were the Bob and Ray of baseball. Best friends watching the game together and it just happened to be going out over the air. Richie died in 1997, and for me, the games have never been the same. Harry carried on, but his partner was gone and they never found a replacement for the easy banter that he and Whitey shared.

Baseball is time-consuming, and having someone comfortable to listen to passes the time easier. They make a three-hour game seem like thirty minutes. That's what Harry did.

I suppose I don't have anything insightful or particularly fascinating to relay about Harry Kalas other than a little bit of Phillies baseball died yesterday too. Thankfully, he saw his best friend go into the Baseball Hall of Fame, got into the Hall of Fame himself and broadcast a Phillies World Series win. That's a pretty good life, I'd guess.

All of us are a little better off for being able to share it with Harry.