BOOM... The end of two eras

Every so often, someone comes along and changes the very face of the sporting world. Unfortunately, two of these legends will no longer be with us...

Earlier this week, the world was forced to say goodbye to one of the most heralded voices to ever grace the announcer's booth, as Harry Kalas passed away. With his gracious heart and baritone voice, Kalas quickly became the signature voice of the Phillies, as well as the voice of NFL Films. In an era of changing owners, players, and coaches, Kalas was the one of the few announcers who could fully represent their team. As a Ford C. Frick award recipient, Kalas was considered to be the one of the last true announcers in the game. With his signature catchphrase ("That Ball Is Outta Here"), and his close ties to players like Michael Jack Schmitt (Kalas had a habit of stating a player's full name), Kalas became the voice of the entire city of Philidalphia.

Fellow Ford C. Frick winner, Marty Brennaman (Reds Announcer) had this to say about Kalas. "As much as we will remember Harry as a broadcaster, many of us will remember him even more as being a hell of a guy."

Vin Scully, widely considered to be the best broadcaster in history, said, "He was not only a multi-talented fellow with a wonderful voice. He was a lovely guy. I mean, everybody liked Harry. The city of Philadelphia will just be in mourning because they loved him so much. I'm happy for him that his team was world champions last year, so he had the thrill of that."

Though he was the voice of NFL Flims, Kalas was not afraid to mock himself, as he was also the voice of Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl.

Steve Sabol, the president of NFL Flims, said that Kalas was the voice of the people. "In many ways, Harry is the narrator of our memories. His voice lives on not only on film, but inside the heads of everyone who has watched and listened to NFL Films."

Harry Kalas, you will be missed...

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In other news, John Madden announced today that he will be stepping down from the announcer's booth.

In a move that shocked the world, Madden said, "It’s time. I’m 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall. I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I’m home and, more importantly, when I’m not…"

Aside from his time in the booth, Madden is best known as the figure head of EA Sports: Madden Football, the most successful sports video game in history. Madden also has the highest winning percentage (.750) of any coach in NFL history. After retiring, Madden soon established himself as the premier football analyst in the sporting world. To this day, he is the only broadcaster to be named the head analyst on each major network (CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC). His accolades have not stopped there however, as he is also a successful spokesperson as well as a four time New York Times best-selling author.

Many people often try to imitate his mannerisms because of his high energy and signature catchphrase of "BOOM!". Though there are many people who try to imitate his voice, there is no one who can imitate his heart.

NBC announced that Chris Collinsworth would replace Madden in the booth.

So... though we will not be able to hear their voice from week to week, we will still be able to appretiate all of the memories that they have been able to give us for so long.