[Deathwatch] Skip Caray, baseball announcer, 68

[Deathwatch Central]

Skip Caray, a longtime Braves announcer, dies

The voice of Atlanta baseball, 68, had been ill for a year

JOURNAL STAFF REPORT

Published: August 4, 2008

Skip Caray, a longtime announcer for the Atlanta Braves, died at his
Atlanta home yesterday.

Caray, who would have celebrated his 69th birthday on Aug. 12, went to
take a nap yesterday afternoon and didn't wake up. He is survived by
his wife, Paula, two sons, Chip and Josh, two daughters, Shayelyn and
Cindy, and seven grandchildren.

"Our baseball community has lost a legend today," said Braves president
John Schuerholz. "The Braves family and Braves fans everywhere will
sadly miss him. Our thoughts are with his wife, Paula, and his
children."

Skip Caray's two sons have carried on the family's broadcasting
tradition, which began with Skip's father, Harry Caray, a Hall of Fame
announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. Josh Caray
calls games for the Braves' Class A affiliate in Rome, Ga., and Chip
Caray serves as both a Braves announcer and the play-by-play announcer
for TBS' Major-League Baseball coverage. Chip Caray was broadcasting
yesterday's game between the Angels and Yankees at Yankee Stadium when
he heard the news about his father.

"I'm just in shock," Chip Carey said. "I know he wasn't feeling good,
but this was unexpected. He hung the moon for me. I got to talk to him
(on Saturday), and the last thing I got to say to him was, ‘I love
you.'"

Caray, who began broadcasting Braves games in 1976, battled multiple
ailments during the past year that he linked to diabetes. When he
wasn't available to broadcast this past weekend's series against the
Brewers, it was revealed that he was suffering from bronchitis. Since
the final month of last season, he had been limited to broadcasting
home games.

Caray was hospitalized during the latter portion of last season and
faced even greater complications once the season ended. In October
2007, doctors were concerned enough about Caray's health that they
asked for all of his family members to come to the hospital to possibly
pay their last respects. His liver was failing and the doctors in the
intensive-care unit felt they had done all that they could do.

Caray battled back and spent most of this past winter continuing to
fight ailments that were affecting his liver, kidneys and heart. He
said that some of his prescribed medications worked in a counteractive
manner and made it difficult for him to sleep.

When Caray returned to broadcast games at the beginning of this season,
he talked about his near-death experience and said that he was happy to
at least have an opportunity to return to the baseball world that had
provided so much to himself and his family.

"I'm 68," Caray said on April 2. "If I go tonight, I've had a hell of a
life."

Skip Caray was in the middle of his 33rd season with the Braves. A St.
Louis native, Caray started in local radio and later joined his father
broadcasting Missouri football games.

He joined the St. Louis Hawks' NBA broadcasting team and followed them
to Atlanta in 1967.

Many thanks to Deathwatch Central for posting this obituary