Caray, Bowers, and now Van Wieren

Tim Darnell

October 21, 2008

Add to the losses the Atlanta Braves endured on the field of play this year comes the notable voices and personalities that departed as well ... two for the heavens, and one simply for the hearth of family and home.

Skip Caray. We all know about him, and there's nothing that can be added here that would magnify or enlighten any reader. But Bill Bowers ... there's another story. Bowers, who took over Turner Field's PA duties when the beloved Marshall Mann died, himself passed away last week.

I knew Bowers personally; when I owned and operated the independent Albany Alligators minor league baseball team in 2001, Bowers was my first PA announcer. He lived in nearby Americus, and wanted a shorter commute. And while our relationship didn't end well, I was nonetheless saddened by his passing. He was a big man, with a big voice, and a big personality to boot.

And now, Pete Van Wieren. We should've seen this coming; with Caray gone, I can't imagine it wouldn't have been quite the same for Van Wieren to continue a professional life dominated by the schedule of baseball. Van Wieren worked well with Mark Lemke (it'd be impossible for him to work poorly with virtually anyone), but there can be only combination known as Skip and Pete.

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