Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwellwas an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 seasons, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television. In January 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Harwell 16th on its list of Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSportscaster
Date of Birth25 January 1918
CityWashington, GA
CountryUnited States of America
It's a great idea. Now, there's really a way to compare these guys. I enjoy the versatility of the different announcers.
Radio is such a great medium. It makes you use one of the most important things God gave you imagination. The listener can picture what the announcer is telling you.
McDonough said, referring to the Hall-of-Fame announcer who spent more than four decades as the voice of the Detroit Tigers. ''I thought I'd be with the Red Sox all my career. Really, it's the only play-by-play job I ever wanted.
My bosses said, 'He's a mean, old man. He's not going to talk to a kid like you who's just starting out,' ... But he was very warm, very hospitable. I sat in the living room with him and we talked for about 15 minutes on the air. He filled the whole program, then we sat around and talked a lot more.
Especially in this strike filled year but my feelings about the game are still the same as they were back then and I think that maybe yours are too.
I decided very early that I was going to be a reporter, that I would not cheer for the team. I don't denigrate people who do it. It's fine.
I love the game because it's so simple, yet it can be so complex. There's a lot of layers to it, but they aren't hard to peel back.
He is a Hall of Fame broadcaster, and a Hall of Fame friend.
Radio will always be with us because of its great portability. TV can't give you that.
It's a lot harder for one guy to make a reputation for himself in radio than it used to be because the listener has so many options.
I always played it down the middle myself. I had my own rule. If anything affects the game, if it would be in the paper or people were going to talk about it, I had to mention it. If a player missed the cutoff man or threw to the wrong base, you have to report it. If he made three errors, it's a matter of fact. Nobody that I ever worked for a ballclub or sponsor told me to do this or do that. I never had to contend with that. I feel sorry for the guys who get in that situation. It's not their fault.
It's easy, inexpensive, everyone can do it and it will lead to better things.
We had a dog in those days named Blue Grass and the players used to give us their Wheaties for him. Blue Grass loved Wheaties and so did I.
It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.