Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwellwas an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 seasons, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television. In January 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Harwell 16th on its list of Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSportscaster
Date of Birth25 January 1918
CityWashington, GA
CountryUnited States of America
Baseball just a came as simple as a ball and bat. Yet, as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.
It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.
If you heard Harry Caray, he was best. If you heard Vin Scully, he was the best. If you heard Jack Buck, he was the best. That's the way it went. When I started, you were the only game in town, whether the listener liked it or not. They had to listen. Good or bad, you had to be in their ear.
We had a dog in those days named Blue Grass and the players used to give us their Wheaties for him. Blue Grass loved Wheaties and so did I.
I get out there once in a while. I don't want to be the old guy who sits in the corner, and everyone wonders what he's doing there.
I always played it down the middle myself. I had my own rule. If anything affects the game, if it would be in the paper or people were going to talk about it, I had to mention it. If a player missed the cutoff man or threw to the wrong base, you have to report it. If he made three errors, it's a matter of fact. Nobody that I ever worked for a ballclub or sponsor told me to do this or do that. I never had to contend with that. I feel sorry for the guys who get in that situation. It's not their fault.
I know that Jesus is in charge; he's walking with me.
In my almost 92 years on this earth, the good Lord has blessed me with a great journey.
The best thing anyone can do is be himself. Everyone was made different by God, and that's the way it should be. And if I were a writer or an announcer starting out, I don't think I'd imitate anybody. I'd try to be whatever I am.
It isn't me that people love. It's baseball.
Everybody we meet has an influence on us and an impact - good or bad. And I think that's why we have to be careful with the way we handle people because what we're doing is making an impact.
What happens with any announcer when he comes into an area, if he stays four or five years and does a fairly decent job, people accept him and he becomes part of the family.
I knew that everybody could be replaced. Nobody lasts forever. And if you work for somebody, he's certainly got the privilege and the right to fire you.
The game's the thing. That's why people tune in. They don't tune in to hear an announcer.