RIP, Ernie Harwell

[SharonRB]

You'll be missed by all Tigers fans. I loved hearing his voice on the radio -- it always meant it was summer.

[Scout]

1. noooooooo! to me, HIS voice was baseball. he was the perfect announcer,

among other things, including a warm, wonderful human being.

[maddogesq]

2. I didn't matter...

what your politics were. It didn't matter what walk of life you came from. He was an icon to all of us that grew up hearing that voice. When I moved away in the late 70's, I would rig up antennas so I could listen to games on WJR down in Alabama.

[maddogesq]

3. I feal lucky I went to the farewell ceremony at the ball yard last year.

That day was also a WW2 tribute day connected with that movie about Detroit's Great Generation. Dad got to walk the red carpet between two lines of soldiers, and hear Ernie give his speech. Dad died on 10/11.

[MichiganVote]

4. Nobody did baseball like Ernie. Hope he gets to meet the big guys in Heaven. Wonderful man.

[MichiganVote]

5. Kicking for Ernie. Come on people rate him up to the Greatest Page.

[dmr]

6. "Hang on to your Strohs, we'll be right back ..."

Ernie Harwell is Baseball. My dad & I listened to him every night (or day) there was a Tiger game. I made my own score pad to keep score.

Loved how he would personalize the game:
"High flying ball along the left base line. Foul! That ball was caught by a fella from Petosky, who's enjoying today's Tiger game with his sons & brother who hails from East Detroit. Looks like they're having a good time, too!"

Rest in peace, Ernie. I'll never, ever forget your voice, nor the love you had and gave for the Tigers.
:cry:

[etherealtruth]

7. So sad

My childhood memories are filled with Ernie's voice .... with my dad. I've got to call my dad, life is fleeting.

[sufrommich]

8. Sad day for all us Michiganders. RIP Mr. Harwell. nt

[1gobluedem]

9. He lived a long and glorious life

And will be missed by all of us in Michigan and beyond. RIP, dear Ernie.

[bif]

10. Ernie...

One of my favorite memories is driving down the street on a hot summer evening with all the windows rolled down. Then a car would pull up next to you at a stop light and you'd hear Ernie's voice coming from the other car and you'd say, "Oh yea, the Tigers are on," and you'd switch on your radio and catch the rest of the game.

Ernie used to frustrate me at times. I'd turn on the radio in the middle of a game. His announcing was so professional and unbiased you couldn't tell who was winning. I'd say to myself, "Come on Ernie, what's the score?"

My only regret is I never met him. I did send him a letter of support after he was let go by the Tigers, and he sent me a nice letter back.

You will be missed Ernie!

[SharonRB]

11. That was a travesty when Monaghan let him go

Ilitch was a class act to hire him back as soon as he bought the team. It gave us more time to hear Ernie's voice.

Listening to Tigers baseball just hasn't been the same without him.

[LisaM]

13. Yes, or just walking down the street

You could keep track of the game on a hot night just out for a walk in the neighborhood.

I feel sorry for people who listen to their niche stations, with their headphones. They miss out on this shared experience we had with Ernie.

[JNelson6563]

12. Such a big part of my life as a kid.

So often the radio would be on and my dad would be at the kitchen table "doing the books" (he was an accountant). My dad loved baseball and the Tigers games were always on at my house. How I cherish those memories of my late, much beloved dad.

Thanks Mr. Harwell, your voice added a wonderful richness to every day life.

Julie

[dmr]

14. Carl Levin honors Ernie on Senate floor:

I'm sure many of you received this email, but I thought I'd add it here for those who haven't, and also to add it to this thread for history's sake.

Throughout Michigan, we are mourning the passing of Ernie Harwell, whose career broadcasting Detroit Tigers' games touched so many lives. Yesterday, I spoke on the Senate floor about this great man and his place in the hearts of Michiganians, and I wanted to share my comments with you. You can view my speech at <http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=324685>.

I also have included the text of my speech below.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin delivered the following statement on the Senate floor on May 5, 2010:

“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 is heard in our land.”

Mr. President, spring after spring, for four decades, a man named Ernie Harwell would recite those words. He would recite them at the beginning of the first baseball broadcast of spring training. And those are the words that would tell the people of Michigan that the long, cold winter was over.

Ernie was the radio voice of the Detroit Tigers for 42 years, and in that time, there may have been no Michiganian more universally beloved. Our state mourns today at his passing, yesterday evening, after a battle with cancer. He fought that battle with the grace, the good humor, and the wisdom that Michigan had come to expect, and even depend on, from a man we came to know and love.

This gentlemanly Georgian adopted our team, and our state, as his own. And his career would have been worthy had he done nothing more than bring us the sound of summer over the radio, recounting the Tigers' ups and downs with professionalism and wit, as he did.

But without making a show of it, Ernie Harwell taught us. In his work and his life, he taught us the value of kindness and respect. He taught us that, in a city and a world too often divided, we could be united in joy at a great Al Kaline catch, or a Lou Whitaker home run, or a Mark Fidrych strikeout. He taught us not to let life pass us by “like the house by the side of the road.”

In 1981, when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Ernie told the assembled fans what baseball meant to him. “In baseball democracy shines its clearest,” he said. “The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team's uniform from another.” That was a lesson he taught us so well.

Mr. President, I will miss Ernie Harwell. All of Michigan will miss the sound of his voice telling us that the winter is past, that the Tigers had won a big game, or that they'd get another chance to win one tomorrow. We will miss his Georgia drawl, his humor, his humility, his quiet faith in God and in the goodness of the people he encountered. But we will carry in our hearts always our love for him, our appreciation for his work, and the lessons he gave us and left us and that we will pass on to our children and grandchildren.

Sincerely,
Carl Levin

:cry: