Harry's Sage Advice for Sarge, and the Rest of Us

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April 13, 2009, was one of the toughest days most of us have had in our time following Philly sports. I can only imagine how much harder it must have been for the close friends and family of Harry Kalas, as well as those who worked with him, all of whom probably also fall under the "close friends" banner. 

Todd Zolecki spoke to a handful of Harry's colleagues from the broadcast booth and asked for some of their lasting memories of him. While I enjoyed them all, Jim Jackson's made me laugh out loud, and Sarge's had me reflecting on a truly outstanding piece of advice for a broadcaster, but also for fans.

Gary Matthews: "He taught me a lot. He taught me not to look at Ryan Howard's strikeouts as opposed to the damage that he's done. The numbers that he's put up are right up there with Babe Ruth and everyone else. In other words, Harry told me not to concentrate on the negatives -- concentrate more on positives, especially with a great player. And Ryan Howard was one of his favorites. He talked to me about those things. I don't know if he was putting me in line. He was more giving me his opinion, which I thought was great."  

Now, it's all part of being a sports fan to nitpick over the details and hash it out with fellow enthusiasts or opposing fans. But Harry really had a way of nailing the take-home points, didn't he? Sounds simple enough, focusing on the positives more than the negatives, but we can all get caught up on the wrong side of it sometimes.

Definitely check out what the others had to say about their friend, coworker, and example. 

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