Richie Ashburn Documentary Trailer

Like most people in their twenties, my memories of Richie Ashburn are of him going back and forth in the booth with Harry Kalas.  We hear he was a heck of a ball player in his day.

A new documentary about Whitey titled Richie Ashburn: A Baseball Life is being released and prominently features the voice of Philadelphia.  Just a few short days before the first Phillies game of the season, this Harry heavy clip should get you pumped for a long summer.  More details about the movie after the jump.

From a release:

On April 22^nd along with the Phillies and MLB, we’ll be releasing the DVD, Richie Ashburn: A Baseball Life.  It’s really a great documentary of Richie’s life in baseball.  Details:

Richie Ashburn is arguably the most beloved figure in the long and storied history of Philadelphia sports. He thrilled fans for over a decade with his exploits on the baseball diamond, then spent the rest of his life entertaining generations of Phillies fans from the broadcast booth.  His Midwestern wit and dry sense of humor seemed to be in sharp contrast with the gritty atmosphere of East Coast baseball, but “Whitey” won over this tough town with his straightforward approach and playful charm. Richie Ashburn: A Baseball Life chronicles an amazing journey that takes us from his humble beginnings in Nebraska all the way to his enshrinement in the halls of baseball immortality at Cooperstown, New   York.  It’s a story told by his family and friends, teammates and colleagues, and by Richie himself in the form of archive interviews, broadcasts and rare Ashburn home movies.  It’s all lovingly narrated by his best friend and broadcast partner, fellow Hall of Famer Harry Kalas. 

Bonus Features:

- 1950’s Home Movie footage in Color.

-  Excerpts from his Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

-  Excerpts from his Jersey Retirement ceremony.

-  (3) 10 Minute “Whitey” featurettes.

-  3 Eulogies from his funeral.

Comments

[GreggyD]

I cannot wait to get my hands on that DVD. Seeing as I am only 20, I definitely would not remember Richie being on the field, and sadly nor do I have that many memories of him as a broadcaster. However, the respect that I have for that man from all that has been said about him as a person and the aura that seemed to radiate from him is one that is not too often seen in the average person today, let alone a celebrity of his stature. This DVD will truly commemorate and celebrate his life and allow many people to reminisce about their own memories of Whitey and give individuals like myself, a chance to get an insight on the life and career of one of baseball's classiest men.

[johndewar]

I can't wait for this. He was my grandfather's favorite player and I didn't know my grandfather too well, so this will be a chance to actually see the type of player he admired so much.

Like everyone else, grew up listening to Whitey on TV and radio. There will never be anyone else like him.

[Matt]

This may be blasphemy, but am I the only one who is not a fan of Harry Kalas' voiceovers? I mean, no one can touch him for broadcasting a baseball game as far as I'm concerned, but his NFL Films work, the annual Phillies video yearbook, Campbell's Soup commercials, and things like this grate on me for a reason I can't quite put my finger on.

[Tartan69]

Matt -- it's probably just because you're hearing his voice in a foreign environment (e.g. not a Phils broadcast), and it's a bit jarring.

And also there's no annoying Wheels side commentary in those environments to make Harry sound better.

[Tony]

man, my favorite thing to do when i was about ten or so was to turn my phillies baseball radio on really really low to make sure my parents couldn't hear that i was up, and listen to richie and harry. those west coast games were always the best!

[Ty]

I remember going to games at the Vet when I was growing up. I always looked forward to the seventh inning stretch because that's when we'd turn to the broadcast booth and Richie would wave to all the fans and you'd swear that he was looking right at you.

PS- Wheels would also wave but no one liked him