After a nearly yearlong battle with cancer, Hall of Fame Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell passed away on Tuesday night at the age of 92.
From the Detroit Free Press:
Harwell had one of the longest runs by a broadcaster with one major league club, calling Tigers games for 42 seasons. For the first 32 of those seasons, he made and cemented his legacy by doing play-by-play on the radio. His Southern voice — rich and authoritative but not overbearing — became as distinctive to Michigan listeners as baseball itself.
Unlike some announcers in recent decades, Harwell didn’t litter his broadcasts with shouting, excessive talking or all-knowing pronouncements about players and managers. Listening to him was as pleasant as being at Tiger Stadium in the summertime. As he fell silent between pitches, listeners got to hear the sounds of the ballpark — the crowd’s buzz, the vendor’s cry — and absorb the rhythm of the game. Harwell thus became an ideal companion for a listener anywhere: the couch, the yard, the car or the boat.
I worked in Detroit sports radio for three years and had the opportunity to sit in on an interview with Harwell one time. It was a pleasure just to listen to him talk about the Tigers, baseball and life in general. He is a legend in broadcasting and one of the most beloved figures in the city of Detroit.
Broadcasters nationwide would be doing themselves a service to model their careers after Ernie Harwell. He will be missed.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
