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Ernie Harwell

William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell (born January 25, 1918 in Washington, Georgia) is a former American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called balls, strikes, and home runs on radio and television.

Biography

Early life and career

Ernie Harwell grew up in Atlanta, working in his youth as a paperboy for the Atlanta Georgian; one of his customers was writer Margaret Mitchell. After graduating from Emory University (where he helped edit The Emory Wheel), Harwell began his career as a copy editor and sportswriter for the Atlanta Constitution and as a regional correspondent for The Sporting News. In 1943, he began announcing games for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, after which he served four years in the Marines.

Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and Baltimore Orioles

In , Harwell became the only announcer in baseball history to be traded for a player when the Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager, Branch Rickey, traded catcher Cliff Dapper to the Crackers in exchange for breaking Harwell's broadcasting contract. (Harwell was brought to Brooklyn to substitute for regular Dodger announcer Red Barber, who was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer.)

Harwell broadcast for the Dodgers through , the New York Giants from -53 (including his call of Bobby Thomson's "shot heard 'round the world" in the National League pennant playoff game on NBC television), and the Baltimore Orioles from -59. Early in his career, he also broadcast pro and college football and The Masters golf tournament.

Detroit Tigers

In , Harwell became the "voice" of the Tigers, replacing veteran broadcaster Van Patrick. In a controversial move, Harwell's contract was "non-renewed" by the Tigers and then-flagship station WJR in . Harwell worked a part-time schedule for the California Angels in ; the following year, popular outcry and a new team owner in Mike Ilitch led to his partial reinstatement on Tigers radio, with Harwell calling innings 1-3 and 7-9 of each game. From to , Harwell called television broadcasts for the Tigers. In , he resumed full-time radio duties with the team, continuing in that role through 2002. During spring training of that year, Harwell announced that he would retire at the end of the season; his final broadcast came on September 29, . Dan Dickerson replaced Harwell as the lead radio voice for the Tigers.

As a national broadcaster

Nationally, Harwell broadcast two All-Star Games and two World Series (1963, 1968) for NBC Radio, numerous ALCS and ALDS series for CBS Radio and ESPN Radio, and the CBS Radio Game of the Week from to . He also called the 1984 World Series for the Tigers and WJR.

Post-retirement broadcasting works

Following his retirement, Harwell came back briefly in to call a Wednesday Night Baseball telecast on ESPN, as part of that network's "Living Legends" series of guest announcers. In 2005, Harwell guested for an inning on the FOX network's coverage of the All-Star Game (which was held in Detroit that year), as well as an inning on the ESPN Radio broadcast. For Game 3 of the 2006 American League Division Series between the Tigers and New York Yankees, he provided guest commentary on ESPN's telecast for two innings, called an inning of play-by-play on the Tigers' radio flagship WXYT, and guested for an inning on ESPN Radio. Harwell also called one inning of Game 1 of the 2006 World Series for WXYT.

Harwell served as a guest color commentator for two Tiger games on FSN Detroit on May 24 and 25, 2007. Harwell worked the telecasts (alongside play-by-play man Mario Impemba) as a substitute for regular analyst Rod Allen, who took the games off to attend his son's high school graduation. (Harwell had filled in for Allen once before, on a telecast.)

He also appeared as a guest on an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast in Detroit on July 1, 2007. His typical sense of humor was on display. He talked about working beside the deep-voiced Paul Carey ("next to him, everyone sounds like a soprano") for 19 years, "which seemed like 30." He then asked Jon Miller and Joe Morgan how long they had worked together. "19 years." Harwell grinned at both of them, "Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Harwell currently does occasional vignettes (small video clips) on the history of baseball for FSN Detroit's highlight program Detroit Tigers Weekly.

He also does a blog on Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Michigan's Walky Talk site named Walking with Ernie, as well as TV and radio ads for the site.

Broadcasting style

He is known for his low-key delivery, southern accent (Detroit "Ti-guhs"), and conversational style, which included:

Pausing periodically to allow the sounds of the ballpark to be heard.

Frequently referring to the location of Tiger Stadium: "the corner of Michigan and Trumbull," or simply "the corner".

Following up foul balls into the crowd with, "That one was caught by a fan from _____ ," and inserting the name of a nearby town or city. Before ticketing was computerized, blocks of tickets were shipped to retailers in certain cities. Harwell reportedly knew in some cases which city a particular ticket was originally sold in. As the tickets were available electronically, Harwell would simply choose whatever city struck his fancy. (Unless listeners realized that this was a jocular invention by Harwell, the catch-phrase could leave them wondering how Harwell "knew" where particular fans hailed from.)

After a double play, "It's two for the price of one for the Tigers."

Exclaiming on a called third strike, "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched that one go by." (This was an allusion to a poem by Sam Walter Foss.)

Also exclaiming on a called third strike, "He's out for excessive window shopping; looked at one too many."

Describing a home run, "That ball is looooong gone!"

Using the phrase "And the bases are loaded with Tigers" when Detroit had runners on all bases.

Exclaiming "The Tigers need instant runs" when Detroit had fallen behind by more than two or three runs.

Describing a controversial ball/strike call, "And there's a strike on the outside edge, Mr. _____ (surname of umpire) said so."

Beginning the first spring training broadcast of each season with a reading from Song of Solomon 2:12: "For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle(dove) is heard in our land."

Describing a swinging strikeout, "He took his cut, and now he takes his seat."

On a Tiger manager's decision to allow the pitcher to work himself out of a jam: "He has decided to ride the rapids with the incumbent."

When an opposing team was starting a rally, he would customize, e.g.: "The Blue Jays are flapping their wings a little...The Mariners are marinating...The Rangers are ranging all over the place..."

Referring to some teams by their city names, e.g. "The Bostons" for the Red Sox, "The Clevelands" for the Indians, etc.

Notable calls

It's gone! - Harwell's recollection of his call of the "Shot Heard 'Round the World", the home run by Bobby Thomson that won the NL pennant for the New York Giants on October 3, 1951. The NBC TV broadcast on which Harwell made the call was not preserved or recorded for posterity.

Here's the set by Segui, the pitch...swung on, a drive to left! That'll be the ball game! It's over the head of Gosger! McLain wins his thirtieth, here comes Stanley, he'll score...Willie Horton hits a single and the ball game is over, and the Tigers win it 5-4...Denny McLain is one of the first out of the dugout, racing out, and Horton is mobbed as the Tigers come from behind, and McLain has his thirtieth victory of the 1968 season! - Calling the final out on September 14, 1968. It was the 30th win of the year for Denny McLain, the first such feat for a major league pitcher since Dizzy Dean in 1934.

This big crowd here ready to break loose. Three men on, two men out. Game tied, 1-1, in the ninth inning. McDaniel checking his sign with Jake Gibbs. The tall right-hander ready to go to work again, and the windup, and the pitch...He swings, a line shot, base hit, right field, the Tigers win it! Here comes Kaline to score and it's all over! Don Wert singles, the Tigers mob Don, Kaline has scored...The fans are streaming on the field...And the Tigers have won their first pennant since nineteen hundred and forty-five! Let's listen to the bedlam here at Tiger Stadium! - Calling Don Wert's game winning single to give the Tigers the American League pennant on September 17, 1968.

Gibson has tied the record of Sandy Koufax, 15 strikeouts in a single World Series game. Trying for number 16 right now against Cash to break the record. He takes his set position, he delivers, here's the pitch...Swing and a miss, he did it! - Calling St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson's record-setting 16th strikeout against the Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series.

Here comes Herndon, he's got it! And the Tigers are the champions of 1984! - Calling the last out in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series victory over the San Diego Padres.

Peña digging in, waiting, here's the set, the pitch...Swing and a miss! And the Toronto Blue Jays win it, the final game of 2002. The final score: the Blue Jays 1, and the Tigers nothing. - Harwell calling the last out in his final game broadcast on September 29, 2002.

Awards and non-broadcast activities

Harwell was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981 as the fifth broadcaster to receive its Ford C. Frick Award. He was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998, among many other honors. In 2001, Harwell was the recipient of the prestigious Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting, awarded by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame inducted Harwell in 2008.

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 has also authored several books, and pens an occasional column 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 has contributed to numerous other baseball-themed documentaries and retrospectives over the years.

Harwell currently serves as a spokesman for Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Michigan. His contract with the organization, which began in 2003, runs for ten years with an option for another ten. If Harwell fulfills the entire contract (by which time he will be 95 years old), Blue Cross has pledged to extend it for yet another decade.

A devout Christian, Harwell has long been involved with the Baseball Chapel, an evangelistic organization for professional ballplayers.

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.

Harwell currently lives at Fox Run, an Erickson Retirement Community in Novi, Michigan. Now age 90, he still exercises regularly, including sit-ups, using a treadmill, and lifting weights.

On April 26th, 2008 Harwell was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from The University of Michigan at their Spring Commencement ceremony.

One week later, on May 3rd 2008, he was presented with another Honorary Degree of Laws this time from Wayne State University.

Member of the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy Board trying to save portions of Tiger Stadium.

Books by Ernie Harwell

(1985). Tuned to Baseball. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0912083107
(1993). Ernie Harwell's Diamond Gems, edited by Geoff Upward. Ann Arbor, MI: Momentum Books. ISBN 0961872675
(1995). The Babe Signed My Shoe: Baseball As It Was – And Will Always Be, edited by Geoff Upward. South Bend, IN: Diamond Communications. ISBN 0912083727
(2001). Stories from My Life in Baseball. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0937247359
(2002). Ernie Harwell: My 60 Years in Baseball, with Tom Keegan. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books. ISBN 1572434511
(2004). Life After Baseball. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0937247456
(2006). Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook, by Ernie Harwell and Bob Harris. Grosse Pointe, MI: AudioBook Publishing. ISBN 0979212006
(2007). Breaking 90. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0937247774