Dutchie Caray speaks at the rededication of the Harry Caray statue Wednesday at Wrigley Field. (Phil Velasquez/Tribune)
Dutchie Caray admitted Wednesday she was "a little sad at first" when she heard the Cubs were moving Harry Caray's statue from its familiar perch on Addison Avenue to the corner of Waveland Sheffield Avenues.
The move was done to accommodate the new Billy Williams statue, which will be dedicated on Sept. 7. After giving the idea some thought, Dutchie conceded Harry would've loved his new digs outside the bleachers.
"You can't buck City Hall all the time," Dutchie said Wednesday after ceremonies for the statue. "So I knew that I had to change and I'm very happy that I did. I'm happy that I came to the conclusion they really are honoring Harry and it's very, very nice of them to do what they did. They could've taken the statue down and left it somewhere as far as that goes. But I think it's beautiful. I'm very happy with the outcome and it's just a lovely tribute to Harry."
Dutchie wore a No. 23 Cubs jersey to the ceremonies, saying Ryne Sandberg is a "very good friend."
But she wasn't making a statement on who should be the next Cubs' manager, and insisted she won't lobby Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts on Sandberg's behalf.
"(Harry) would be very happy (for Sandberg), I think," she said. "He really liked Ryno. Ryno was his favorite. Between he and Stan Musial, those were his two favorite ballplayers, and that's a lot to say now about Ryne since I don't think Stan is able to do any managing today."
Dutchie said Harry loved baseball so much that the mere fact he was at the ballpark changed his mood instantly.
"There were times when Harry would leave the apartment and I'd think, 'Oh, my God, this is a terrible, terrible day for Harry,'" she said. "He'd get to the ballpark and I'd go: 'Is that the same guy that left here an hour ago?' He was just so happy to be at the ballpark."
Well said, Ivy Green. And yes Kevin, that is Ernie Banks.
AAH, crap, too bad it wasn't to St. Louis where it belongs! Send it and anything about him to the Cards.... he bvelongs there not in Chicago.
Amazing and cutharrydowntosize: More than making those absolutely stupid comments, you should be ashamed of yourself for speaking ill of someone who no longer can defend himself. Or maybe you two actually are Milo under anonymous pen names.
Harry wasn't perfect but who is? He is synonymous with the Cubs even today and that's one hell of a legacy.
Anyone critical of Harry Caray or questioning why he has been honored with a statue either has a short memory or has missed the bigger point. The reason the Cubs have generally sell-out the ballpark (even when the team is lousy) and the reason improvements have been made to Wrigley Field, which was in sorry shape for years, is Harry Caray. Harry, along with Arne Harris's work on WGN, literally "sold" the Cubs and Wrigley Field to fans across the world on the superstation as households everywhere got wired for cable. He brought out the franchise's appeal in a way that no one before him or after him has been able to.
Harry epitomized "fun at the old ballpark." Remember, it's just a game. That being said, no one wanted the Cubs to win more than Harry, and no one told the blunt, honest truth about the team's performance more than Harry. And he did it in a fun, entertaining way. He was a man of the people who was a perfect representative of true Cubs fans and true baseball fans. Whatever anyone wants to say, Harry's appeal and enthusiasm sold more tickets than Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, or Andre Dawson ever did.
Amazing nailed it on the head. Harry was a boor, totally incompetent in his later years (like a current Cubs announcer), and petty---the way he waylaid Milo is a great example. Cub fans persistence in worshiping this clown demonstrates everything that's wrong about the Wrigleyville experience. Cubs have remained a national joke by continuing to have the guest conductor and then have the "guest" come on air and promote their new book/facial cream like the baseball set is the couch on the Merv Griffin show. Why serious baseball fans stopped following the Cubs years ago. Glad Dutchie came to her senses. Upset? I didnt realize Harry played on a Cubs team? Then again, most cub fans know about Harry than this Billy Williams.
A friend of mine, who is a Cubs fan, says it looks like Harry is judging the souls of the dead. Get a good look and you'll see what he means.
That is one ugly statue.. They wuz robbed!! Not a bad move for the folks at BudLight either. They get one of there best spokesmen in front of their signs, etc.
Should have moved it to St Louis. Why are Cub fans still so infatuated with this dead, drunk announcer? Harry was friends with anyone who gave him free beer.
I think its Ernie Banks
I believe that is Fergie Jenkins on the right. That bum Woo-Woo doesnt wear anything but a full Cubs uniform. Wish we could make him leave the Wrigley area and have a ceremony for that....I can dream.
Anyone else notice Ronnie Woo Woo in a turtleneck and blazer on the bottom right-hand corner of the picture?
Lookin' sharp, Ronnie. Woo! Woo!
Yes, cause Harry was nothing but a serious announcer who never injected any personality into a broadcast and it was only after he died that people decided he should be known as a crazy old fun-loving guy who did stuff like spell names backwards and was always wasted by the time the 7th inning stretch came along. Keep on trying to rewrite history, you clown!
Who is Dutchie to dictate this stuff? Initial trepidation. She has profitted handsomely by her decision (with the execrable Grant DePorter) to make Harry into a cartoon character.
Who cares where the precious statue is?