READ THIS: Harry Kalas Saved My Life: Striking Out, Bouncing Back and Living with High Hopes by Craig Daliessio

We believe when we heard the sports scores today, the Phillies beat the Yankees so today was the day to write the review of Harry Kalas Saved My Life: Striking Out, Bouncing Back and Living with High Hopes by Craig Daliessio.  The author is right: one person can absolutely make a difference in this world, as cliche as that may be, and you have to lose to appreciate winning.   Passion in life is everything, and although he does repeat many things that have been said before, his unique story is inspirational and worth reading.  We are so glad he likes Miracle- we love it too, although we think Rudy would have been better if it took place at Boston College.  How would a movie of your life play out?  We hope you live in a way that would make you proud of your movie, and for all of the Hollywood people we know-you should take a look at this book as it would make a moving tale for the big screen.  Of course, this is a great read for Father's Day.


Our Read This panel raved:

Harry Kalas Saved My Life: Striking Out, Bouncing Back and Living with High Hopes is a fascinating and inspiring read.  Author Craig Daliessio tells the story of hitting rock bottom and how he managed to emerge stronger than ever.  Once a successful mortgage banker, Delaissio found himself suddenly jobless and then homeless due to the economic downturn in 2008.  Mired in self-doubt and living out of his car in Nashville, TN, Delaissio's life began to turn around the moment he heard Harry Kalas call the last out of the 2008 World Series, when Delaissio's beloved Phillies won the championship.  Kalas had been the voice of his youth; having grown up a diehard Phillies fan, it was the voice to which he listened nearly every night from May - September.  Hearing the final out of the World Series called by Harry Kalas brought a smile to Daliessio's face for the first time in nearly five months, and, for a few minutes, gave him hope that something better was out there for him.  Alone in his car, he whooped and hollered and yes, cried...and for the first time in quite a while, felt a sense of pride in himself.  And like the Phillies, who, just the previous year had earned their Major League-leading 10,000th loss, Daliessio began to climb back from the bottom. 

 

Now an author (this is his third book!) and motivational speaker, Daliessio fills this book with little pearls of inspiration and wisdom.  Filled with plenty of sports metaphors as well as a plethora of inspirational quotes from everyone from Euripides ("There is in the worst of fortune the best of chances for a happy change") to Lee Iacocca ("In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive."), this book is the perfect pick-me-up for anyone who is going through a difficult time in their life.  Whether it's a minor funk or a major, life-changing situation (loss of job, divorce, etc.), Daliessio offers hope and encouragement that the rough times will pass, and better things will come.  I hardly ever "dog-ear" pages of a book; however, I just double-checked, and I have not one, not two, but TEN pages of this book dog-eared! 

 

One of the things I found most inspiring about this book was Daliessio's refusal to give in to the seeming hopelessness of his situation.  Though he was homeless himself, he still volunteered to help other homeless people at his church once a week.  While in a pawn shop, making a payment on an item of his, he witnessed a couple with a baby of about 18 months enter the pawn shop and pawn the woman's engagement ring for $15.  They insisted that they'd only need the money for a few days, but Daliessio could see their embarrassment and desperation.  That very afternoon, a friend had wired Daliessio $150 (which is how he was able to make a payment on his own item).  After watching the young couple, Daliessio gave them $20 out of the money he'd received that afternoon - he knew it wouldn't solve all of their problems, but he also knew it might buy them another week's worth of diapers or formula.

 

Although Daliessio never got to meet his "savior" (Harry Kalas passed away in April, 2009), I think Mr. Kalas would be overjoyed to know that his voice literally turned a man's life around!  And though Daliessio cannot thank Harry Kalas in person, he's doing his hero proud by doing his best to be a similar type of voice to others in need.  Believe me, the next time I hit a rough patch, I'm pulling this book out and heading straight for those dog-eared pages!

***

We may never really know the impact we can have on just one person.  Harry Kalas Saved My Life is a testament to just that...how one person can have such an impact on our lives.  And for most people, it can be just as small as hearing a voice, much like the narrator, Craig Daliessio.  What an inspirational story he has written.  I'll admit, at first I was a bit skeptical, but after the first chapter, I was hooked.  I couldn't put this book down.  To see how the narrator was on top of the world, then his whole life came crumbling back down.  He didn't let his problems and upset show in front of his daughter at first, which I find very admirable.  Then, just like that, he heard Harry Kalas call one MLB play, and he felt hope again.  Because of this, he began to turn his life around and was able to get back on his feet.  I admire everything about what Craig went through and what he did to come out of his "trial" as he put it.  I also liked how the use of quotes were used throughout the book, as if he would say those quotes to himself during whatever experience he was going through at the time.  This book comes highly recommended.  I've already told my friends they need to read this book. 

***

This is an excellent book describing  this economic down turn we are experiencing and what we can do to help those caught in the doldrums of today's times.  Also, it gave us the difference between advice and opinion.  I can now remember how wrong I have been to express  negative statements about those receiving financial aid in this terrible crisis.  Through this book, by showing the decision a father made to stay by his daugther when he could have left to obtain employement in another state, brought out the meaning of true love.  Reading this book, I am reminded of special friends that were there for  me in a time of trauma.  The review instills in us that being kind to others can bring lasting rewards.  I can realize, through all the disappointments Craig had to succeed ultimately, that God will some how be there for us, as in "Foot Prints In The Sand."  There are many models like Craig  and others we can look to as examples to follow in the time of distress
All of us may realize that, some of our kind acts may never be known to us like Harry Kalas.
 I wil keep this book in special reserve to be read again as a reminder of the need for helping others.


***


Craig Daliessio never met him, but legendary sportscaster Harry Kalas did indeed save his life. Daliessio's story is one of hope in the face of hopelessness, and of inspiration drawn from the most unexpected sources. It's also a story tied to an entire city; a sports journey from anger and disappointment to champions.

Daliessio's new book, Harry Kalas Saved my Life: Striking Out, Bouncing back and Living with High Hopes chronicles his amazing life story. A successful mortgage banker for years, Philadelphia native Daliessio ended up homeless when the industry collapsed, living in his car for six months until Harry Kalas entered his life. Listening to his beloved Phillies in the 2008 World Series, he heard Kalas call the final out, and almost instantly, his vision for his future changed, and he began the road to recovering his life.

In 2007, the Philadelphia Phillies were on the road to infamy, racking up their record 10,000th loss. Daliessio's life was simultaneously beginning to implode. Divorce, joblessness, and homelessness were on the horizon. The renaissance of the Phillies in 2008, and 'the voice,' of Kalas changed everything. It is surely a first of  its kind story: A professional sports team, and the voice of a broadcaster, actually intervened and turned around a life.

"After hearing Harry make the call, for the next 10 minutes I wasn't homeless, I wasn't broken, I wasn't full of sorrow and defeat; I was a Philadelphian! I was the proud citizen of a city of greatness once again," says Daliessio. " Those were my boys out there, those were my pinstripes; this was my World Series win, and that, my friends, was my announcer! It was as if someone out there still cared."

Harry Kalas Saved My Life isn't a sports book, yet sports is central to Daliessio's experience. A blend of self-help and success book, and memories from innocent times, he offers unique insights into overcoming challenges and lessons learned in both victory and defeat.

"Mine isn't an over-the-top motivational book," adds Daliessio. "The practical advice I offer is gleaned from my own experience, and I want to show others that regardless of what you face, hope never leaves you, it just needs to be released, and you never know what might set it free again." 

Craig Daliessio is a Philadelphia native and Nashville resident. A motivational speaker, he is a graduate of Liberty University and worked for ten years as a mortgage banker until the industry collapsed. He is a prolific blogger the author of previous books including Sometimes Daddies Cry…What a Dad Really Feels About Divorce and Nowhere To Lay My Head, the story of his journey from mortgage banker to homelessness. 

His writings can be found at www.sometimesdaddiescry.blogspot.com,

www.shinnyandshavings.blogspot.com, and www.noreputation.net. 

Harry Kalas Saved My Life can be purchased at www.harry38.com and will be in stores and on Amazon May 5th.