It was in October 1969 when Harry Caray was fired as the Cardinals' lead broadcaster, one of the most controversial — if not the most controversial — moves in St. Louis sportscasting history. The dismissal of the immensely popular broadcaster who didn't hesitate to speak his mind, after 25 years on the air, never was fully explained. But it was well documented that he had a falling out with Gussie Busch, head of the Anheuser-Busch brewery that owned the team.
Now, more than half a century later, another Harry Caray is set to carry the load in one of the team's broadcast booths. It was announced Monday afternoon that the team's telecaster, Bally Sports Midwest, has finalized an agreement to hire Harry "Chip" Caray III — grandson of the broadcasting icon and son of well-known baseball announcer Harry "Skip" Caray Jr. — as its Cardinals play-by-play announcer. The deal has been in the works for more than a week.
He replaces Dan McLaughlin, who left by "mutual decision" last month following his third drunken-driving arrest in a little more than 12 years.
It will be a homecoming for Caray, 57, who graduated from Parkway West High School in 1983 before going to the University of Georgia and having spent his entire professional career elsewhere — including in Chicago to broadcast the Cubs and more recently in Atlanta, where he has been a Braves broadcaster for the last 18 years as he followed his St. Louis-born father's lead there.
"I'm grateful and excited to come home and call games for the team that made me fall in love with baseball as a kid in St. Louis County," Caray said in a statement. "As a visiting broadcaster, I have always admired the passion, knowledge, and loyalty of Cardinals fans, both here in St. Louis and across the country. The honor of continuing the legacy of my grandfather Harry, my dad Skip, and so many other great Cardinal broadcasters past and present, is the stuff dreams are made of. I can't wait to start this exciting new chapter with my great teammates at Bally Sports Midwest. It's great to be home!"
Caray, 57, brings a big-time résumé, and voice, to St. Louis. Joe Buck says Caray will be a great fit.
He should know. Buck's father, Jack Buck, worked with Caray's grandfather in the Cardinals' radio booth for a decade and half before ascending to the No. 1 spot after his partner was fired. Then Joe Buck later was an integral part of the Cards roster of announcers early in his career before soaring to national prominence, currently as ESPN's "Monday Night Football" play-by-play announcer.
"I've always loved Chip," said Buck, whose journey to the top of the network sportscasting business began at Fox, for which Caray was part of the mix when baseball was added to its lineup in 1996 with Buck in the lead role. "That (Caray) name carries a lot of weight and he's done good by it. He's very talented. I'll enjoy listening to him."
Buck emphatically said listeners will be pleased, too, with what they will hear.
"I know St. Louis and Cardinals fans will welcome him with open arms," Buck said. "He's one of us. His full name is Harry Caray for God's sake."
While his grandfather was bombastic and a showman, Caray's father was quite the opposite with a much more low-key approach but with a pointed dry sense of humor that he would adroitly use to punctuate his descriptions.
Chip is somewhere in between, with a strong voice that rises to the occasion when appropriate but not overbearing or intrusive. And he knows the game — and importantly in his new role, has a deep knowledge of Cardinals history.
"Chip brings a wealth of experience to the booth and has a great feel for the history and tradition of the franchise," Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III said in a statement.
Bally Sports Midwest general manager and senior vice president Jack Donovan concurred.
"We're excited to welcome Chip to Cardinals Nation," he said. "There is an illustrious history of Cardinals broadcasters and we are excited to add to that incredible roster by bringing in one of the best play-by-play announcers in baseball today. Chip brings enthusiasm to the game and cherishes the opportunity to be part of Cardinals baseball. We can't wait for Cardinals fans to hear him behind the microphone."
