RIP:
I grew up listening to Ernie call games—sometimes in bed, having smuggled a portable radio between the sheets; sometimes with my grandfather, on summer nights at a house in northern Michigan that had no television. Harwell’s distinctive voice—nasally, with the hint of a southern twang—was unforgettable. The sound of my mother’s voice will stay with me always; so will Harwell’s. Like all great radio men, he had a few special phrases. Home runs were “looong gone!” A batter who took a called third strike “stood there like a house by the side of the road.”
The habit that amazed me in my early years occurred after foul balls at Tiger Stadium. A ball would fly into the stands and Harwell would announce that a lucky fan from Owosso or Wyandotte or wherever was going to take it home. For years it puzzled me: How does he know that?
Those are my summer memories, too. And I wondered the same thing. I hate to say that he was making it up, but I’d like to see another explanation. All I know is that I’d like to think that he did know it. Who did it hurt?
RIP, Ernie. I can still remember listening to Ernie during the Bengals’ pennant drive in 1968. (But what was the radio station? Was it WJR back then?)
And really, even as a kid, I knew Ernie was joking about the foul balls. But he never, at least while I was listening, mentioned my home town (Windsor) – something of a disappointment.
And I have to admit, part of my nostalgia is based on the fact that I liked it better when sportscasters had a little less hairgel and a little less ego.
It was WJR. WJR isn’t what it used to be. I remember the good old days, with J. P. McCarthy.
There’s a good chance he did know for certain sections. For instance, at Minute Maid, if a ball is hit to right central over the fence; there is likely a group sale sitting in the area. The type of group that will get a “shout out” during the broadcast for attending that day’s game.
I started listening to Ernie on the radio as a child in The Bird’s rookie year, and for years I thought he had a seating chart that showed where everyone was from. I never heard him say my hometown (Saginaw) either until this morning when they were playing his old radio footage on ESPN.
I had the priveledge of meeting Ernie at a pair of book signings and he was one of the nicest men I ever met. He had such a smooth voice and such a talent for storytelling that made something as simple as listening to a baseball game on the radio the most interesting thing in the world.
First the Bird, then George Kell, Now Ernie, this has been a very rough year for Tiger Baseball even before the games started.
We’ll miss you, Ernie. 🙁
MarkD, my granny was a big Tigers fan and lived in Florida during the winters. She once followed The Bird after a spring training game into the locker room. “Ma’am,” he said, “I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here.” What a nice guy.
I grew up listening to Ernie also. He was the voice of summer. His passing was so hard on many of us in the Detroit area. You can see the sadness on the faces of many citizens as well as those in the Tigers’ organization. I was at the viewing for Ernie at Comerica Park last week with my son. It was a gift bestowed on the city of Detroit by his family and we are grateful to them. The Tigers organization put on a great tribute to Ernie then and at last night’s game. Detroit will never forget you Ernie, you live on in our hearts and our radios of past forever.