Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell | |
---|---|
Born | William Earnest Harwell January 25, 1918 Washington, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | May 4, 2010 Novi, Michigan, U.S. | (aged 92)
Alma mater | Emory University |
Occupation | Sportscaster |
Years active | 1943–2002 |
Spouse |
Lulu Tankersley (m. 1941) |
Children | 4 |
Awards | Play-by-play |
Sport(s) | Baseball (SA, MLB) |
William Earnest Harwell (January 25, 1918 – May 4, 2010) was an
Biography
Early life and career
Ernie Harwell grew up in
Harwell attended
Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Baltimore Orioles
The Crackers were a Class AA team, two rungs below the majors. Nonetheless, Harwell had achieved considerable notoriety due to the Crackers airing their games on WSB, a 50,000-watt station that reached much of the eastern half of the United States at night.
Harwell broadcast for the Dodgers through 1949, the
Detroit Tigers
Ernie Harwell was honored alongside the retired numbers of the Detroit Tigers in 2000. |
Harwell joined the Detroit Tigers' broadcast crew in 1960, replacing Van Patrick after the latter was dismissed owing to a sponsorship change. George Kell, who had begun calling Tigers games with Patrick the year before, and had previously played for the Orioles in 1956–57 while Harwell was announcing their games, was instrumental in bringing Harwell to Detroit. "George called and said, 'I recommended you and the Tigers asked me to get in touch with you.'" Harwell said. "I came and that was it."
Harwell shared TV and radio duties with Kell through 1963, then with Bob Scheffing in 1964. He began working radio exclusively in 1965, teaming with Gene Osborn for two seasons and then with Ray Lane from 1967 to 1972. Paul Carey replaced Lane in 1973, joining Harwell to form the Tigers' best-known and longest-lasting radio team, which lasted until the end of the 1991 season. Harwell gained a large following outside of Detroit because the Tigers aired their games on WJR, a 50,000-watt station that reached most of the eastern half of North America at night.
On December 19, 1990, the Tigers and WJR announced that the station wanted to go in a "new direction" and that the 1991 season would be Harwell's last, as his contract was "non-renewed".[5] Carey then announced that he had already planned to retire after the 1991 season, and that the decision was unrelated to Harwell's contract situation. Fans across Michigan and throughout the baseball world were outraged, but the ballclub and the radio station (who eventually wound up blaming each other for the decision) stood firm: "[Harwell's situation is] not going to change no matter how much clamor is made over it," said team president Bo Schembechler. The situation caused outrage so much that some made threats of violence against Schembechler. Some, such as Mitch Albom, blamed the situation causing as much negative feeling as it did on WJR executive Jim Long who was the one who pushed the quick, no severance pay removal of Harwell.[6] The movement in favor of keeping Harwell was so strong that even billboards in favor of his remaining were put up.[7] Rick Rizzs was hired away from the Seattle Mariners to replace Harwell in 1992, teaming with Bob Rathbun.
Harwell worked a part-time schedule for the
National broadcast work
Harwell's broadcast for the Giants of the third and final game of the 1951 National League tie-breaker series against the Dodgers, which ended with the pennant-clinching "Shot Heard 'Round the World" home run by the Giants' Bobby Thompson, was carried nationally on NBC television.
Harwell helped broadcast two
Post-retirement broadcasting works
Following his retirement, Harwell came back briefly in 2003 to call a
Harwell served as a guest
He also appeared as a guest on an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast in Detroit on July 1, 2007.
Harwell occasionally did vignettes on the history of baseball for
Broadcasting style
Harwell was known for his low-key delivery, southern accent (Detroit "Ti-guhs"), and conversational style. Some of his trademark phrases were:
- "That one is long gone!" (His trademark home run call, with an emphasis on "long")
- "He stood there like the house by the side of the road, and watched it go by." (After a called strikeout)
- "Called out for excessive window shopping." (Also after a called strikeout)
- "It's two for the price of one!" (After a double play)
- "A fan from [insert a city] will be taking that ball home today." (When a fan would catch a foul ball)
- "The Tigers need instant runs." (When the team was behind in the late innings)
Harwell would also begin the first
Non-broadcast activities
Harwell's 1955 essay "The Game for All America", originally published in The Sporting News and reprinted numerous times, is considered a classic of baseball literature. He also authored several books, including Life After Baseball, Tuned to Baseball, and Breaking 90: Nine Decades Young and Still Loving Baseball.[11] He was an occasional columnist for the Detroit Free Press.
Harwell also wrote popular music. His first recorded song was "Upside Down" on the Something Stupid album by Homer and Jethro in the mid-1960s. In the liner notes of the album, it says: "Detroit Tiger baseball announcer wrote this one, and we think it's a fine observation of the world today, as seen from the press box at Tiger Stadium. We were up there with Ernie one day and from there the world looks upside down. In fact, the Mets were on top in the National League." All told, 66 songs written by Ernie Harwell have been recorded by various artists. "Needless to say, I have more no-hitters than Nolan Ryan." – Ernie Harwell in article published May 31, 2005, in the Detroit Free Press
Harwell made a cameo appearance in the 1994 film Cobb and in the made-for-television movies Aunt Mary (1979), Tiger Town (1983), and Cooperstown (1993). His voice can be briefly heard in the films Paper Lion (1968) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and in the TV movie The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2004). Harwell appeared as an interview subject in the 1998 documentary film The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg and contributed to numerous other baseball-themed documentaries and retrospectives over the years.
The
Harwell served as a spokesman for
A devout
In 2004, the Detroit Public Library dedicated a room to Ernie Harwell and his wife, Lulu, which will house Harwell's collection of baseball memorabilia valued at over two million dollars.
On April 26, 2008, Harwell was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from
In late 2008, Harwell began to appear in television public service announcements for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, advising viewers about the Digital television transition in the United States.
Harwell was a member of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy Board, an organization which attempted to save portions of Tiger Stadium.[13] He offered to donate a large portion of his historic collection of baseball memorabilia, which he had collected over the course of his storied career, if part of Tiger Stadium could have been saved for a museum.
Harwell lived in Farmington Hills, Michigan,[14] and moved to Novi in the late 1990s, where he lived until his death. Up until just before his death, he still exercised regularly, did sit-ups, used a treadmill, and lifted weights.
Awards and honors
The
Harwell Field
On June 6, 2013, the Wayne State University Department of Athletics in conjunction with the Ernie Harwell Estate and the Ernie Harwell Foundation announced the establishment of the Harwell Field Project.[18]
This project is an outreach effort that built a baseball stadium in recognition of Ernie and his wife of 62 years, Lula "Lulu" Harwell. Harwell Field has grandstands, press box, team clubhouse and a foyer to recognize the achievements and contributions of the Harwells.
Illness and death
On September 3, 2009, Harwell announced that he had been diagnosed with incurable bile duct cancer, and that he, his family and doctors had decided against surgery or other treatment of the condition.[19][20] On September 16, Harwell gave a farewell address to fans at Comerica Park between innings of a game between the Tigers and the Kansas City Royals.[21]
Harwell sat down for a 60-minute interview on an episode of MLB Network's Studio 42 with Bob Costas, his final television appearance. The episode premiered November 17, 2009.[22] In the interview, Costas correctly foresaw the 2009 World Series would unfortunately be Harwell's last.
Harwell died on May 4, 2010, at his home in Novi, Michigan, surrounded by his wife of 68 years, Lulu, and three of their four children.[23]
He was set to receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting on May 5 in New York City.[24][25] Harwell considered Scully to be the best broadcaster of all time. However, in accepting the award on Harwell's behalf, Al Kaline noted "We Tiger fans respectfully disagree."[26]
Harwell lay in repose at Comerica Park on May 6. Over 10,000 fans filed past the open casket.[27] May 10 was declared Ernie Harwell Day at Comerica Park. Several players and broadcasters hoisted a flag in center field bearing his initials, similar to the ones that were also sewn onto all Tigers uniforms. Harwell's longtime broadcasting partner Paul Carey threw out the ceremonial first pitch that night.[28]
Bibliography
- (1985). Tuned to Baseball. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-912083-10-7
- (1993). Ernie Harwell's Diamond Gems, edited by Geoff Upward. Ann Arbor, MI: Momentum Books. ISBN 0-9618726-7-5
- (1995). The Babe Signed My Shoe: Baseball As It Was – And Will Always Be, edited by Geoff Upward. South Bend, IN: Diamond Communications. ISBN 0-912083-72-7
- (2001). Stories from My Life in Baseball. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0-937247-35-9
- (2002). Ernie Harwell: My 60 Years in Baseball, with ISBN 1-57243-451-1
- (2004). Life After Baseball. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0-937247-45-6
- (2006). Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook, by Ernie Harwell and ISBN 0-9792120-0-6
- (2007). Breaking 90. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0-937247-77-4
References
- ^ "ASA's Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time". Americansportscastersonline.com. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- The Associated Press. Marine Corps Times. Archived from the originalon 8 March 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
- ^ "Thoughts from One of Baseball's Broadcasting Greats". 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-12-07. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Lions Honor Legendary Tigers Broadcaster Ernie Harwell". DetroitLions.com. 2009-09-20. Archived from the original on 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ "The Tigers fired Ernie Harwell". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "DEFUSING EMOTIONAL TIME BOMB EVERYONE'S TO BLAME, NO ONE LOOKS CLEAN AS FACTS OF FIRING COME OUT » Mitch Albom". Mitchalbom.com. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (5 May 2010). "Ernie Harwell, Homespun Baseball Broadcaster, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Living Legends: Ernie Harwell". ESPN.com. 6 August 2003. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Ernie Harwell to pinch-hit twice during Tigers telecasts on FSN Detroit". Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ A 1993 rendition of Harwell's Song of Solomon reading can be heard at "Listen to Ernie Harwell's 'The Voice of the Turtle,'", Detroit Free Press sports blog, posted 25 February 2009.
- ^ MacLennan, Ashley (25 January 2018). "Throwback Tigers: Remembering Ernie Harwell on his 100th birthday". Blessyouboys.com. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- Toledo Blade.
- ^ "Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy Board Official Site". Archived from the original on 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
- ^ "Ernie Harwell's Old House in Northwest Detroit Is Up for Sale". Deadline Detroit. August 25, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ "Tigers' Ernie Harwell to receive Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award for broadcasting". Mlive.com. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Ernie Harwell, the Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame announcer, dead at 92". Archived from the original on 2010-05-05. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- ^ "Ernie Harwell Park". Archived from the original on 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
- ^ "New baseball stadium to be built at Wayne State in honor of Ernie Harwell (with gallery)". Mlive.com. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Bill McGraw (2009-09-03). "Not even cancer diagnosis can shake Harwell's spirit". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on 2009-09-06. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- YouTube
- ^ "Detroit Tigers Official Site November 12, 2009 Harwell relives career on MLB Network – Hall of Fame announcer reflects while dealing with cancer". Archived from the original on 2009-11-15. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
- ^ "Ernie Harwell dies at 92". Archived from the original on 8 May 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Tigers' Harwell set to receive Vin Scully Award". ESPN.com. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Dignitaries share warm memories of Ernie Harwell | freep.com | Detroit Free Press". Archived from the original on 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- ^ Stephens, Bailey. "Emotional Kaline accepts award for Harwell". Mlb.mlb.com.
- ^ "Thousands walk, roll to park for Ernie Harwell's send-off". Freep.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Beck, Jason (May 10, 2010). "Detroit honors Harwell with stirring tribute". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-14. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
External links
- Ernie Harwell Ford C. Frick Award biography at the National Baseball Hall of Fame
- Ernie Harwell at IMDb
- Ernie Harwell at the National Radio Hall of Fame
- Baseball Bids Farewell to Voice of the Tigers
- Harwells to receive honor from library
- Detroit News career article
- Salon.com tribute
- NPR Feature
- Ernie Harwell Collection from the Detroit Public Library.
- Ernie Harwell passes away at age 92
- Ernie Harwell statue at Comerica Park