Okay, there was one particular moment that stood out for me. A few years ago, Harwell visited the ESPN press box with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan for a couple innings of a Tigers game they were broadcasting. Even while reminiscing and helping out with the call on the field, the legendary broadcaster was also keeping score. Miller noted something to the effect of how they have people who do that now, and Harwell said (quoting loosely), "Back then we didn't have that luxury."
Back then, baseball games weren't picked apart by two-, sometimes three-men crew. They didn't have a truckload of alert statisticians and producers assisting them with trivia and injury updates. There weren't field reporters and cameramen spotting every managerial emotion and wacky fan. They did, however, have pen and paper. The glory days!
(It may be too late in the season to plan for this, but I would love to see a game called in this fashion before the end of the year. Two men, two mikes. Why not? The team always struts out those impeccable Detroit Stars jerseys once a year, so let's not half-ass the retro days. Throw a sepia filter on the camera lens. Play the piano in the background. Give the production crew a day off, and turn off the text messaging poll questions for a day. See how much of the game is lost.)
By the time I came into existence and started listening to baseball, keeping track of the game was probably a tad easier for the veteran announcer, because it was the '90s. Scoreboards were digital, and they invented these phones that didn't even have a cord! Instead, the difficulty at the time lay with the Tigers starting pitchers making it to the sixth inning. Life may be easier for us today, or with impending nuclear winter and computerized refrigerators, it may be more complicated. But the challenge remains the same for every individual; show up, work, and do it all again tomorrow.
Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
Awww, Suss... it's not that we don't get the references. It's that they're not funny. Okay, some of them are. Fine, you win, most. Most is my final offer, though. You're going to have to live with that.
2 - Brian
Well put, Suss. Great job.
3 - R.P.M.
I guess you're known as Suss in these parts, I can live with that, but really I just wanted to say thanks for this. This is a great look at the man and the game, ESPN should be jealous.
- R.P.M
4 - Tony
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Harwell after his retirement. He lived in the same retirement community as my grandmother. One day, he was just passing through the lobby and I figured I would say hello, shake his hand, and be on with it. But Mr. Harwell was one of the nicest, most gracious men I ever met. He talked baseball with me, never seemed impatient, and was incredibly personalble. Even though he's not technically gone yet, Detroit has been missing Ernie for a long time.
And to all you U of M fans, don't forget it was Bo who fired him when he was....ha ha ha....GM of the Tigers.
5 - Tony
Oh, and I totally got a Brian's Song, Ray Consella playing catch with his dad, lump in my throat during his speach. I'll admit it.
6 - twentypawspub
For those of you who were unable to attend Mitch Albom's book release (Have a Little Faith) event at the Fox, here is a great video of Mitch's interview with Ernie Harwell. I swear, that voice is one-of-a-kind. If we were playing "Name That Tune" I think most of us could name Ernie Harwell's voice in one note!
Harwell fans, you'll love this!
Enjoy!