RIP Ernie Harwell

[Starman]

Just breaking.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I shouldn't be so sad that a man who lived a full and wonderful life bringing pleasure to so many people died at 92. But I am.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Ugh. We knew it was coming, but this case is more proof that no matter how well prepared any of think we are, we're not.

RIP Mr. Harwell. Keep Pounding and keep announcing wherever you're going next.

 

[Chef2]

I shouldn't be so sad that a man who lived a full and wonderful life bringing pleasure to so many people died at 92. But I am.

Well said.

RIP to an all-time great.

 

[imjustagirl]

Well, ****all.

Even when I didn't care about baseball, I cared about Ernie. RIP, good man.

 

[Football_Bat]

I've always dreaded this day.

RIP.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Guess God needed someone to tell it straight with good humor. We all knew this was going to hurt. It didn't help. RIP.

 

[YankeeFan]

They just mentioned it on YES.

They're talking about his career. He started with the Atlanta Crackers.

The Crackers? Really?

That's pretty funny.

Didn't listen to him enough.

I need to remind myself to to use my MLB app & extra innings package to listen to Scully while I have the chance.

With the current generation of blow hards and "signature calls", will there ever be another generation of announcers who earn the love and respect of the fans like Harwell?

 

[Chef2]

I bet Harwell and the Carays are sitting around having a couple cold beers together right now.

 

[MileHigh]

RIP to a great one.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Detroit Free Press obit, which obviously was prepared ahead of time, but contains a lot of good background nonetheless:

http://www.freep.com/article/20100504/SPORTS02/100504087/1321/Voice-of-Detroit-Ernie-Harwell-dies-at-92

I'm like Michael --- it's hard to feel too sad for someone who lived so long. I'm sure he had no regrets.

But as a history buff, it's a huge loss for us all any time you lose someone who lived through so many great moments in American culture.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

They're talking about his career. He started with the Atlanta Crackers.

The Crackers? Really?

That's pretty funny.

I need to remind myself to to use my MLB app & extra innings package to listen to Scully while I have the chance.

With the current generation of blow hards and "signature calls", will there ever be another generation of announcers who earn the love and respect of the fans like Harwell?

The Negro Leagues team in Atlanta was the Atlanta Black Crackers ...

As for the other announcers, I think Scully is the last of the breed now. I can't think of anyone else still announcing who matches Harwell's presence.

 

[Brian]

Growing up in Northwest Ohio, even as an Indians fan, he was staple listening on the front porch while playing catch in the front yard if the Indians weren't playing. He would fit a story you'd never forget in between the pitches of a half inning. He'd cut through any delicate issue with just a few words. He made horribly monotonous games into something you stayed with, just to hear him call it.

And despite his seniority, he never seemed aged or out of the loop. He was always fresh, which made the Tigers' plan to phase him out in the early 1990s all the more head-scratching.

I never felt like I was listening to a relic when he announced a game.

 

[YankeeFan]

They're talking about his career. He started with the Atlanta Crackers.

The Crackers? Really?

That's pretty funny.

I need to remind myself to to use my MLB app & extra innings package to listen to Scully while I have the chance.

With the current generation of blow hards and "signature calls", will there ever be another generation of announcers who earn the love and respect of the fans like Harwell?

The Negro Leagues team in Atlanta was the Atlanta Black Crackers ...

As for the other announcers, I think Scully is the last of the breed now. I can't think of anyone else still announcing who matches Harwell's presence.

Black Crackers? Thats an oxymoron for you.

 

[lantaur]

They're talking about his career. He started with the Atlanta Crackers.

The Crackers? Really?

That's pretty funny.

I need to remind myself to to use my MLB app & extra innings package to listen to Scully while I have the chance.

With the current generation of blow hards and "signature calls", will there ever be another generation of announcers who earn the love and respect of the fans like Harwell?

The Negro Leagues team in Atlanta was the Atlanta Black Crackers ...

As for the other announcers, I think Scully is the last of the breed now. I can't think of anyone else still announcing who matches Harwell's presence.

Marty Brennaman is also an old-time classic; not as old as Scully or Harwell, but he has that radio presence. The rest - especially the TV guys - are much like the stadiums which sprouted up in the early '70s ... cookie cutters.

RIP Ernie. He just exhibited class. If you haven't seen his interview with Bob Costas on MLB Network do yourself a favor and check it out (I'm sure they will re-run it).

 

[Brian]

Brenneman is an all-time great, but now when I hear him, he has a crabby, get-off-my-lawn old man feel to him that Scully and Harwell never seemed to exhibit.

 

[93Devil]

RIP

 

[Steak Snabler]

They're talking about his career. He started with the Atlanta Crackers.

The Crackers? Really?

That's pretty funny.

I need to remind myself to to use my MLB app & extra innings package to listen to Scully while I have the chance.

With the current generation of blow hards and "signature calls", will there ever be another generation of announcers who earn the love and respect of the fans like Harwell?

The Negro Leagues team in Atlanta was the Atlanta Black Crackers ...

As for the other announcers, I think Scully is the last of the breed now. I can't think of anyone else still announcing who matches Harwell's presence.

Marty Brennaman is also an old-time classic; not as old as Scully or Harwell, but he has that radio presence. The rest - especially the TV guys - are much like the stadiums which sprouted up in the early '70s ... cookie cutters.

RIP Ernie. He just exhibited class. If you haven't seen his interview with Bob Costas on MLB Network do yourself a favor and check it out (I'm sure they will re-run it).

There's also a radio interview conducted one year at the Hall of Fame (maybe by George Grand?) --- and replayed on the XM MLB channel quite often during the offseason --- where Harwell talks about his career going all the way back. Tells a great story about going up to see Ty Cobb in Augusta on an off day when he was working with the Crackers.

And yeah, I'm going to be tuning in to Dodgers vs. Brewers over the computer in about an hour to hear what Scully has to say.

And novelist, I'd put Bob Uecker in the same category with Scully in terms of old-school announcers. He's not quite as old (Scully is 82, Uecker is 75) and didn't get started quite as young --- because he was playing --- but has been calling the Brewers since 1971.

 

[playthrough]

What a marvelous human being. His announcing was a bonus.

 

[slappy4428]

Knew it was coming, but still sucks...

rip.