Harwell the voice of the Tigers passes away at 92

The voice behind Detroit Tigers baseball passed away Wednesday evening after a battle with bile duct cancer. The baseball community will mourn the loss of yet another iconic sports figure of the once great sport. The passing of Ernie Harwell a man best remembered for his voice for 42 years in service of the Detroit Tigers broadcasts.

Born in Washington, Georgia on January 25, 1918, Harwell was a fan of baseball and by the age of 5 became batboy for the visiting team at Atlanta Crackers games. After this he seemed to be hooked on the game that in his eyes was as pure as newly fallen snow. He had found his passion in life. How he went about working with baseball became the only question.

While working as a paperboy he came in contact with writer Margaret Mitchell as he delivered her papers. He had the interest in baseball and the interest in writing about the sport. Throughout his childhood he would attempt to hone his skills at both.

At the age of 16, he sent a letter to the Sporting News. With the letter sent they decided he was good enough to become a correspondent in Atlanta. At the same time he started working for the Atlanta Journal - Constitution doing many odd jobs around the office. He would continue to do this until he ultimately found his calling in the booth.

After graduating and floating around the office of the Atlanta Journal, he decided to try his hand at radio broadcasting. In 1943 he broke into radio broadcasting covering the Crackers games on WSB radio. And with this a legend in the game was born. Not out of pure athletic talent, but with a voice that was graced by god.

His aspirations of becoming the next Grantland Rice were put out to pasture and he found his niche in the booth and stuck with it until 2002. He developed his unique style of while working for the Crackers. Who ultimately, in a move that only built upon the mans legend, had his contract broken by the Crackers and he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Minor League catcher Cliff Dapper. He would be brought in to cover games while regular broadcaster Red Barber recovered from a stay in the hospital. He stayed with the Dodgers until 1949 and in 1950 joined the New York Giants broadcast booth.

While covering both radio and television he would alternate in and out of both booths with broadcaster Russ Hodges. And in 1951 as the Giants faced the Dodgers in an epic game for the National League pennant. He would cover the play that would be called, "the shot heard 'round the world." His voice was never recored as he was broadcasting television at the time and they did not record the play-by-play of the television announcers. It did not matter much as Hodges' voice and call would go down in history as well as one of the greatest plays ever in baseball. It is Hodges' radio recording, "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" That would continue to be played with the television recording to this day.

He would stay in New York until 1953, he then moved on to Baltimore and took the reigns of the booth from 1954-1959. Although he was well known by the time he joined the Tigers in 1960 replacing Van Patrick. He became much more than just a name and a voice. His conversation style broadcasting became and instant hit with the Detroit fans both in the booth and in the community.

Through the 42 years he covered the Tigers his voice became synonymous with Michigan summers and baseball. His calls such as "he stood there like a house by the side of the road as he watched it go by," after one was called out on strikes, and after a double play "two for the price of one."

It was his calling of foul balls that stuck with a lot of fans of the Tigers. After the fan catching a foul ball he would say, "A fan from Saginaw(or one of many Michigan towns) will take that souvenir home." Many children and adults would wonder how he knew the hometowns of some many people in the stands. It was one of those legends that a child could grow up with and not wonder how he did it and just accept it for what it was to them.

Ernie Harwell, the voice of the Tigers is no more. He leaves behind family, friends and the many fans who followed him throughout his 55 year career. Many current and former players that heard his play-by-play and loved the game because of this man.

His legacy behind the microphone was what he became known for outside of Michigan. It is what he did for the communities in the state that really made him a legend. Jack Morris put it best "This whole community loves Ernie Harwell and they should. He's lived a full life, a life of kindness, grace and honor and goodwill."

In this day and age of cookie-cutter broadcasters. It seems like a man such as Ernie Harwell will not be seen or heard of again. After his retirement in 2002 the booth lost an extraordinary man and talent, a legend. He brought fun to the game of baseball like many broadcasters of his generation. The fun that today is nowhere to be seen or heard. It seems more business than what it is a "game."

"I think I owe thanks to the people who have listened to me over the years, who tuned in on the radio. They have given me a warmth and loyalty that I've never been able to repay. The way they have reached out to me has certainly been the highlight of my life." No thank you Ernie we will miss you.