Traveling Chimp

It was April 18, 1987, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Top of the 9th, two outs, our Philadelphia Phillies losing 6-5.  I can remember it like it was yesterday, poised on the edge of my parents bed and glued to the only TV we had at the time.  I was watching my childhood hero, Mike Schmidt, as he was about to make history, but the soundtrack of his great feat was being delivered by a much more unassuming icon.

“The 3-0 pitch. Swing and a long drive, there it is, number 500! The career 500th home run for Michael Jack Schmidt! And the Phillies dugout comes swarming out to home plate! The Phillies have regained the lead at Pittsburgh 8 to 6.”

The transcript doesn’t do the call justice. It was absolute passion, absolute joy.  It was a fan being a fan and it was everything I was feeling at that moment, delivered with the eloquence and energy that we all wished we could muster at times like that, but none of us are Harry Kalas.

Yesterday Harry was preparing for an afternoon game between the Phils and the Nationals  in Washington, D.C., when he was found collapsed in the booth. He was rushed to the hospital to no avail. The voice that was the soundtrack of so many summers had left us to rejoin his long time broadcasting partner, Richie “Whitey” Ashburn, who had passed in 1997. Many of us heard the news as we tuned in for the pregame show hosted by one of Harry’s favorite Phillies, Mitch Williams. Mitch was clearly overcome with emotion, like the rest of us, as we were all forced to come to terms with the loss of a man who was more than just a baseball announcer and more than just a local celebrity.

Harry was one of us. He was a fan first and a broadcaster next, but he did both with more skill and love than any who came before him. He loved Philadelphia. He loved the Phillies. He loved the game of baseball. Most importantly though, he loved us, the fans. Harry never separated himself from his audience, never shied from an autograph or a story. He was always available, always humble, and always more interested in finding out about you than in talking about himself.

Many of us in Philadelphia know no other voice of the Phillies. He broadcast for Major League Baseball for 41 years, 36 of them with the Phils. If you’re under 40 you probably dont remember another broadcaster leading the way. In those nearly 4 decades the Phils had many up years, and more than their fair share of down. But it didn’t matter to Harry. He loved the game so much, loved the team so much, that win or lose he shared the same enthusiasm. He was the fan we all wanted to be, honest but optimistic. When Chase Utley squeezed a run from second base on a routine infield grounder he belted out “Chase Utley, you are the man!” No one could have said it better.

In 1980, revenue driven policies from MLB prevented Harry from calling the Phillies World Championship victory. Luckily, in 2008 those rules no longer existed, at least for radio, and we all got to hear the words we had waited oh so long to hear.

“The 0-2 pitch. Swing and a miss! Struck him out! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! Brad Lidge does it again, and stays perfect for the 2008 season! 48 for 48 in save opportunities, and watch the city celebrate!Don’t let the 48-hour wait diminish the euphoria of this moment, and the celebration. And it has been 28 years since the Phillies have enjoyed a World Championship; 25 years in this city with a team that has enjoyed a World Champion, and the fans are ready to celebrate. What a night!”

25 years of hope, frustration, and pent up emotion, all let lose in those eloquent words. Harry celebrated with us. He knew how we felt. He put it so perfectly.

Harry knew the players better than anyone. He was a part of the team. Where there would otherwise be a clear delineation between the team and the media, Harry transcended. He rode in the back with the players, playing cards and sharing stories. He was our man in the clubhouse, behind the scenes, and many players loved him just as much as he loved them. A knickname given by Harry always stuck, even if it was something as off the wall as “Mitchy-poo”. You had to be there to understand. But while players come and go, Harry was always there. His career spanned far more than most, and he shared much more of his life than any player could. Plays and the players who make them will likely fade from our memory, but like it’s been said, one thing is forever:

“Swing and a long drive! Watch that baby! Outta here!!”

Harry’s voice was as memorable as anything in Philadelphia sports, instantly recognizable, comforting, and always welcome. You heard it everywhere in the greater Philadelphia area from center city to down the shore. The mere sound stirs emotions and feelings that are deeply personal to each of us, and those feelings wont soon be forgotten. In fact, it’s the thought of losing those feelings that makes his passing so tough.

The Phillies won yesterday afternoon against with the Nationals, but the broadcast was far more centered on Harry than the game. Rain moved in after the game and continues to pour down today. At this point it’s scheduled to ease up shortly before tomorrow nights rematch in Washington, and we all know Harry wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s fitting that we have a dreary, bitter off-day to mourn. A day to tell stories and share memories. The emotional clouds will hang far longer, but the game, that game Harry loved, that team, those fan, us, must go on.

We love you Harry. Thank you for everything.

Okay, I’ve been off the radar for a while, cause as you know sometimes life and the grind decide you don’t need or deserve anything even remotely resembling free time. But I’m getting a little rest & relaxation in at the least likely of places…the airport. My latest jaunt to bustling Ohio has highlighted a simple fact – for better or worse, small airports do what they do better than big hubs.

I landed most recently in Columbus, OH and found myself smack in the middle of a well lit, clean, attractive space. Wide open halls and inviting eateries were abound, and I swear that one of those airline employees actually smiled at me as I passed. FOR NO GOOD REASON!! Then, low and behold, no sooner than I found myself smack in the middle of this little slice of travel heaven I was out. No shuttle, no treadmill, no gauntlet of kiosks and credit offers, there I was at the luggage carousel. When what to my wondering eye should appear? My luggage…MY LUGGAGE!…before I even got to the carousel. Great googily moogily!

Now feeling swift and efficient I bounded off to get my rental car, but I was thwarted in my efforts because, well, I was there already…before I even got up to speed. Off I went to enjoy the many pleasures of Ohio.

As I depart the Buckeye State I’m having a similar experience, now at Dayton International. Not as much charm and a little more worn than Columbus, but much of the same pleasant efficiencies. Could it be that we’d benefit from a smaller, more agile airport network? Would service improve and delays be reduced? Let’s face it. Most major cities don’t have the land or money to develop several small airports instead of one large one. Chicago already has two, and both are too big for their britches, so what would we do there? I don’t know, I just know that sometimes bigger isn’t better…

Stress makes you do stupid things, like leaving your brand new cellphone in the back of a cab while rushing to the airport multitasking all the way. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to do such a thing you’re certainly not alone. In Chicago a few years ago it was reported that over 85,000 phones were left in the back of taxis, with a little more than half getting returned to their owner. Do it once and you’ll probably learn your lesson…

…unless you’re a big dumb monkey…

For the second time in as many months I pulled this trick with my brand new Samsung Omnia. You know, the one I’m in the process of field testing. The cab company was of little help (thanks a lot Victory Taxi), claiming they were unable to reach their driver when I immediately called from my work cellphone curbside (I knew carrying two phones would come in handy one day). After a few fruitless calls to my wandering phone I gave up and made my way through security when suddenly hope sprang eternal.

As it turned out a good guy on his way back to the city had picked up my phone and was willing to get it back to me. By this time I was boarding my plane for Vegas and it was a comical juggling act making arrangements to retrieve the phone, but it was worth every minute, and when asked how I liked the phone, I happily obliged with a recitation of my critical review (stay tuned, the published version is on its way).

So I tip my hat to the honest benefactor who made sure my field testing can continue, and I’m reminded once more to pay attention as I travel. Next time I might not be so lucky…

Picture this: You’re 6. As in pre-pubescent. Things at home are rough. You’re out of juice, mom wont get off your back, and even that baby in the E-Trade commercials has a better smartphone than you. You just want to get in to the office and get your A, B, C’s on, and damn if you don’t miss the bus. What do you do? Steal Mom’s car of course.  If only you knew how to drive.

The angry ones over at Travel Rants have advocated fining airlines for overbooking flights, citing greed and money as the main motivation for the practice. I’ve been bumped from flights before, and it certainly is frustrating, so I’d have to say I agree with them to some extent…

Overbooking is a fact of life for airlines. Thin margins and increasing costs force them to squeeze every last dollar out of a flight that they can. For a long time this created what really seemed like an abusive system that clearly valued full planes over goodwill towards the customers filling them. This practice has been on the decline however. In the first 9 months of 2008, the rate of seat bumps was nearly half what it was for the same period in 2000. The reason for this is obviously – we all know we get rocked with charges if we miss our flight and have to reschedule, so of course we’re doing everything we can to make the flights we’re booked on.

Unfortunately, overbooking still happens, and it always will as long as it’s legal and there is a non-trivial passenger no-show rate. It seems as though the airlines aren’t doing enough to recognize when and where these issues occur, since they always seem to happen at the same time and place. There’s plenty of data out there, and plenty of smart people to analyze it. A 2002 study at Duke, sponsored by American Airlines, advocated a significant reduction in the rate of overbooking. Airlines have to get smart and apply these types of evaluations to specific schedule and traffic patterns. And cost considerations should go beyond the airline’s operating numbers. To a business traveler with a tight schedule, the value of a timely and reliable arrival is far greater than the sum of fuel and labor.

Smarter algorithms with lower overbooking rates and a greater vlauation of a bumped passenger would go a long way to improving goodwill while maintaining maximized profits. Sweetening the deals for voluntary bumping would go a long way towards cushioning the issue as well.

By the way, know your rights when you do unfortunately get into one of these situations, and take heed, we’re almost out of the holiday travel season…