Ernie Harwell

Legendary baseball broadcaster Ernie Harwell died in early May, 10 months after he was diagnosed with incurable cancer in September. Harwell’s spirit never faltered. His wife Lulu, of 68 years, was at his bedside when he died. While the team was on a road trip, the Detroit Tiger’s organization held a ceremony at Comerica Park to honor Harwell. When the team returned home, the team had another tribute to the Hall of Fame broadcaster. Musician Jose Feliciano sang the National Anthem as he had done in 1968 at the World Series. Harwell had chosen him to do so all those years ago, and the Tigers saw it fit to invite back Feliciano to give yet another rousing rendition of the song. Harwell is tremendously missed by both Detroiters and baseball fans in general. Ernie Harwell’s name is synonymous with the city of Detroit. He had, after all, worked here before well-known Detroiters such as Kid Rock and Eminem were even born. His phenomenal broadcasting career spanned 55 years, 42 of them in the Motor City. The Detroit Tiger’s radio broadcasts were never the same after Harwell retired in 2002. Of course, this was to be expected due the vacancy left behind by possibly the greatest sports broadcaster in the history of baseball, let alone any sport. But, beyond his stature in the game, Harwell’s authentic personality was what really shined. He was one of those people who knew everybody’s name and was genuine to everyone he ever met, talked with, or wrote to, including me. As I wrote in my October 2009 column entitled Earnestly, Ernie, I contacted Harwell via mail and he graciously wrote back, even as he dealt with his cancer. It was this graciousness that puts me in agreement with those who rave about his authenticity. Harwell is an inspiration to many, including myself. His outlook on life was outstanding: take what you’re given and make the best of it. He inspired me to possibly go into the field of broadcast journalism. His legendary voice alone would make any Detroiter want to emulate him; however, this feat will never be accomplished. Ernie was a small part of my life, as well as those of longtime Tigers fans who grew up listening to him. Baseball was more than hits and runs, as Ernie put it in his Hall of Fame speech, “Baseball is a tongue-tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown.” That’s baseball.