WPHL-TV - Phillies baseball opening - Oct. 12, 1980

This was another clip previously here...from October 1980, here's the opening to WPHL-TV's coverage of Game Five of the National League Championship Series. Harry Kalas and Rich (Whitey) Ashburn were live at the Houston Astrodome for this one.

This aired during a time when MLB allowed a team's local TV outlet to produce its own LCS coverage, thus duplicating the game in the home market along with the network broadcast (in this case, ABC). The local stations were also allowed to simulcast the network's World Series feed. Both practices ended after the 1983 season.

Harry Kalas (and Rich Ashburn), R.I.P.

This clip was originally uploaded by user "Retrodan5", under a previous handle.

NOTE: THERE IS NO GAME ACTION IN THIS CLIP.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• WPHL-TV
• Channel
• 17
• Philadelphia
• Phillies
• Baseball
• 1980
• National
• League
• Harry
• Kalas
• Richie
• Ashburn
• Houston
• Astros

[doug3esq]

one correction on your intro comments, Rollo. The Phillies broadcasters were not allowed to broadcast the World Series back then--even on radio. Harry and Richie had to watch the '80 WS with the rest of us. Some years later, Harry reenacted the final out but he did not make the call of Tug's strikeout of Willie Wilson live. He was never able to broadcast live that "The Phillies are World Champions of baseball!" until this past October.

[RolloSmokes]

If you read closely, you'll see that I did mention the word "simulcast" in my blurb.

My earliest memories watching baseball on TV go back to 1981. I remember ABC's coverage of the Yankees-Dodgers World Series that year also being aired over WPIX. Their announcers (Rizzuto, Messer, White) did a brief pre-game before tossing it over to the ABC team. Two stations broadcasting the same feed -- that's a simulcast.

I hadn't known that local radio was blacked-out, but it all changed in '84.

[USAGiant]

Classic. The intro would lead to one of the great playoff games in MLB history. The Phils-Astros game 5 is so underated.

[PHILLYDEMOCRAT]

RIP WHITEY RIP HARRY

[lcvd1]

I remember clearly where I was watching this series when it happened. I was 9 years old and on my grandma's bed watching it.

[TomasTigre]

I love seeing clips like this. MLB can be dicks about people posting MLB footage, but they don't do anything with 98% of the footage they own. They rarely show full games anymore on MLB network, they cut them down to one hour blocks so that they have more time for their thousands of clip shows that show basically the same stuff over and over.

I'm not a Phillies fan, but I love being able to see Harry Kalas, I just wish there were a lot more clips like this on Youtube.

[AshburnStadium]

@jfayiii - Gino's is back, and just celebrated their first anniversary in October 2011 under the same Gino Marchetti leadership. They started in King of Prussia, their former corporate hometown, and in the first year, opened stores in Towson, MD as well as Bensalem. They're still expanding, too. However, their cheapest burger is now north of $4.

[AshburnStadium]

@saml760 - Andy Musser is alive and well as of October 2011.

[SunshineStateTeam]

@doug3esq it actually wasnt some years later but immediately afterward. For Christmas in 1980 I got a record of the 1980 Phillies audio highlights sold thru Kiddie City. Harry narrated and it had radio clips from thru-out the season on side 1 and then the NLCS radio highlights and the WS re-enactment followed by parade clips on side 2. I dont know know where the record is now but I still look in my moms basement everytime I'm home.

[XLValenciaXL]

I remember back in the day every once in ahwile during an extra innings game Richie would get hungry and say on live TV if the staff of Celebre's pizza in listening to this i would like a pizza. 15 minutes later a pizza would arrive at the broadcast booth. Richie was asked to stop calling for pizza on air. He was allowed to do birthday wishes. One day he said "i'd like to send out a special birthday wish to the celebre's twins, Plain and pepperoni! We will be right back after this comercialbreak

[Mineretta2012]

Harry Kalas has so much in his voice. I would not think it is the same without him. I don't really like watching baseball cause it is kinda slow to me but my Brother watched every game and so did my x husband and I became accustomed to the voice and it is sad to know he won't be heard anymore. Kind of special memory to me the sound of his voice.

[leroydubya]

Wow. Two icons of Phils baseball broadcasting. RIP to both Harry and Whitey.

[daveywaikiki]

This is really cool, the Harry the K closing upload is great too. There's a video with Andy Musser where he shows his Phillies' 1980 ring on allthesebeers' channel.