PHILADELPHIA — The sky over Citizens Bank Park was as blue as Harry Kalas' eyes. The sun shone like his indelible smile. And the temperature was warm, like the man himself.

On Philadelphia's first great day of spring, the city said goodbye to a legend in a moving 1-hour, 45-minute tribute at the ballpark Saturday afternoon.

"First class all the way," slugger Ryan Howard said. "It was a special day. It's sad we lost Harry, but I don't want to think of it in that manner. Too many great memories. The whole ceremony was just great."

Kalas, the beloved Phillies broadcaster for 38-plus seasons, died Monday at 73 from heart disease.

His white casket sat behind home plate for seven hours Saturday. From 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., a continuous stream of fans — the club estimated the number at 9,000 — passed the casket and paid final respects.

Several thousand fans, many wearing Phillies red, some holding signs in Kalas' honor, remained in seats in the lower bowl of the ballpark and listened as friends, family, dignitaries, and former and present Phillies paid tribute to Kalas. Phillies players, manager Charlie Manuel, and the coaching staff attended in full uniform.

The program wound down with the singing of Kalas' personal feel-good anthem, "High Hopes." After that, Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," the song Kalas had told family members he wanted played at his funeral, was piped over the public-address system. As the song played, Kalas' casket passed through two lines of Phillies players and personnel, past and present, and was placed into a hearse. Kalas was interred immediately afterward during a private burial at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park.

"That was outstanding," said Milt Thompson, a member of the 1993 National League-champion Phillies, one of Kalas' favorite teams, and the club's current hitting coach. "Harry was one of us. He never had a bad word to say about anyone."

Thompson honored Kalas' memory by wearing white leather shoes, bought on Friday. Kalas fancied white shoes and white belts.

Kalas would have used one of his favorite expressions to describe the weather: only perfect. And he certainly would have loved the light breeze that blew from left field to right. Not only was it a perfect home-run wind — and everyone knows how much Kalas liked calling long balls — but it kept the red 2008 World Series championship flag straight and at attention throughout the tribute.

Calling the final out of that World Series nearly six months ago was the highlight of Kalas' Phillies career. He cherished it even more than the day his picture was mounted in the baseball Hall of Fame, when he won the Ford C. Frick Award in 2002 for contributions to baseball by a broadcaster.

On the day he was honored in Cooperstown, N.Y., Kalas read a poem that ended with his saying, "Philadelphia fans, I love you." Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, one of 10 speakers Saturday, recalled that poem and said, "Well, Harry, we loved you back."

Rendell recalled Kalas' getting behind a charitable effort that kept city swimming pools open in 1992. Steve Sabol, who worked with Kalas at NFL Films, also spoke of Kalas' generosity.

"Behind a mike, he could do everything," Sabol said. "For a friend, he'd do anything."

The event was emceed by Tom McCarthy, one of Kalas' broadcast partners. The speakers were Rendell, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Rich Ashburn Jr., team president David Montgomery, Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer, Baseball Chapel president Vince Nauss, and NFL Films executive Sabol. Joe O'Loughlin, a Kalas family friend from Delaware County, Pa., represented the fans. Kalas' 19-year-old son, Kane, represented the family. Hall of Famers Robin Roberts and Steve Carlton led a contingent of former Phillies that included Darren Daulton, Dick Allen and John Kruk.

Moyer, raised a Phillies fan near Philadelphia, recalled making his major-league debut for the Chicago Cubs against the Phillies in 1986.

"The first thing I thought of was, 'Harry Kalas is going to say my name!"' he said. "What a thrill for a kid from Pennsylvania."

O'Loughlin spoke of how Kalas could elevate the spirit of the city with his voice.

Kane Kalas, a University of Miami student who has studied opera for six years, followed his moving rendition of the national anthem on Friday with a heartfelt tribute to his father and a word of thanks for those who loved him.

"My father loved this great city. He loved the Philadelphia Phillies. Most of all, he loved you fans," Kane Kalas said.