William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell (born January 25, 1918 in Washington, Georgia) is a former American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called balls, strikes, and home runs on radio and television. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Washington is a city located in Wilkes County, Georgia. ... American Sportscasters A sportscaster, sports announcer, or sports commentator is a type of journalist on radio or television who specializes in reporting or commenting on sports events. ... Play-by-play, in broadcasting, is a North American term and means the reporting of a sporting event with a voiceover describing the details of the action of the game in progress. ... Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 5, 6, 16, 23, 42 Name Detroit Tigers (1901–present) Other nicknames The Bless You Boys Ballpark Comerica Park (2000–present) Tiger Stadium (1912-1999) Briggs Stadium (1938-1960) Navin Field (1912-1938) Bennett...

Biography

After graduating from Emory University (where he helped edit The Emory Wheel), Ernie Harwell began his career as a copy editor and sportswriter for the Atlanta Constitution and as a regional correspondent for The Sporting News. In 1943, he began announcing games for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, after which he served four years in the Marines. In 1948, Harwell became the only announcer in baseball history to be traded for a player when the Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager, Branch Rickey, traded catcher Cliff Dapper to the Crackers in exchange for breaking Harwell's broadcasting contract. (Harwell was brought to Brooklyn to substitute for regular Dodger announcer Red Barber, who was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer.) Emory University is a private university located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. ... The Emory Wheel is the student-administered newspaper of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and has been serving the Emory community since 1919. ... Copy editing is the process of an editor making formatting changes and other improvements to text. ... Sportswriting (also sports writing) is a form of journalism that reports on sports topics and events. ... The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper of Atlanta and metro Atlanta. ... The Sporting News (TSN) is an American-based sports newspaper. ... The Atlanta Crackers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Southern League for several decades until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee in 1966 and became the first major league baseball team based in the Southeastern United States. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... Major league affiliations National League (1890–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 2, 4, 19, 20, 24, 32, 39, 42, 53 Name Los Angeles Dodgers (1958–present) Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1957) Brooklyn Robins (1914-1931) Brooklyn Dodgers (1911-1912) Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1910), (1913) Brooklyn Grooms... 1914 E145 Crackerjack Branch Rickey; as a member of the St. ... Clifford Roland Dapper (born January 2, 1920 in Los Angeles, California) is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942. ... Walter Lanier Red Barber (February 17, 1908 - October 22, 1992) was an American sportscaster. ...

Harwell broadcast for the Dodgers through 1949, the New York Giants from 1950-53 (including his call of Bobby Thomson's "shot heard 'round the world" in the 1951 National League pennant playoff game on NBC television), and the Baltimore Orioles from 1954-59. Early in his career, he also broadcast pro and college football and The Masters golf tournament. Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers NY, NY, 3, 4, 11, 24, 27, 30, 36, 42, 44 Name San Francisco Giants (1958–present) New York Giants (1885-1957) New York Gothams (1883-1885) Ballpark AT&T Park (2000–present) a. ... Robert Brown Bobby Thomson (born October 25, 1923 in Glasgow, Scotland), nicknamed The Staten Island Scot, is a Scottish-American former Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the New York Giants (1946-53, 1957), Milwaukee Braves (1954-57), Chicago Cubs (1958-59), Boston Red Sox... The Shot Heard Round the World In baseball, the Shot Heard Round the World is the term given to the home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:47 PM... The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada and the worlds oldest extant professional team sports league. ... A Pennant playoff is distinguished from the conventional use of the term Playoff which indicates a post-season tournament. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 4, 5, 8, 20, 22, 33, 42 Name Baltimore Orioles (1954–present) St. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... This article is about the golf tournament. ... Golf is a sport in which individual players or teams of players strike a ball into a hole using several types of clubs. ...

In 1960, Harwell became the "voice" of the Tigers, replacing veteran broadcaster Van Patrick. In a controversial move, Harwell's contract was "non-renewed" by the Tigers and then-flagship station WJR in 1991. After working a part-time schedule for the California Angels in 1992, popular outcry and a new team owner in Mike Ilitch led to his partial reinstatement in 1993 (Harwell called innings 3-5 that year on WJR). From 1994 to 1998 Harwell called television broadcasts for the Tigers, and in 1999 he resumed full-time radio duties with the team, continuing in that role through 2002. During spring training of that year, Harwell announced that he would retire at the end of the season; his final broadcast came on September 29, 2002. Van Patrick, Sports Broadcaster (1916–1974) Detroit Tigers baseball team play-by-play announcer 1953–1959. ... WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. ... Major league affiliations American League (1961–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 11, 26, 29, 30, 42, 50 Name Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005–present) Anaheim Angels (1997-2004) California Angels (1965-1996) Los Angeles Angels (1961-1965) Other nicknames The Halos Ballpark Angel Stadium of... Mike and Marian Ilitch founded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Nationally, Harwell broadcast two All-Star Games (1958, 1961) and two World Series (1963, 1968) for NBC Radio, numerous ALCS and ALDS series for CBS Radio, and the CBS Radio Game of the Week from 1992 to 1997. He also called the 1984 World Series for the Tigers and WJR. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the Midsummer Classic, is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by fan vote for the starting position players and by the manager (the managers from the previous years... For other events named World Series, see World Series (disambiguation). ... The 1963 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers sweeping the Series in four games to capture their second title in five years. ... The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... In Major League Baseball, the American League Championship Series (ALCS), played in October, is a playoff round that determines the winner of the American League pennant. ... In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. ... CBS Radio Inc. ... The Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the defacto title for over-the-air, nationally televised, coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games. ... The 1984 World Series began on October 9, 1984 and ended October 14. ...

Following his retirement, Harwell came back briefly in 2003 to call a Wednesday Night Baseball telecast on ESPN, as part of that network's "Living Legends" series of guest announcers. In 2005, Harwell guested for an inning on the FOX network's coverage of the All-Star Game (which was held in Detroit that year). For Game 3 of the 2006 American League Division Series between the Tigers and New York Yankees, he provided guest commentary on ESPN's telecast for two innings, did an inning of play-by-play on the Tigers' radio flagship WXYT, and guested for an inning on ESPN Radio's broadcast. Harwell also called one inning of Game 1 of the 2006 World Series for WXYT. It has been suggested that Wednesday Night Baseball Doubleheader be merged into this article or section. ... ESPN, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... For Fox Sports in Australia see Fox Sports (Australia). ... The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the Midsummer Classic, is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by fan vote for the starting position players and by the manager (the managers from the previous years... The 2006 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2006 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Saturday, October 7, with the champions of the three AL divisions – along with a wild card team – participating in two best-of-five series. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49 Name New York Yankees (1913–present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as... It has been suggested that WXYZ-AM be merged into this article or section. ... ESPN Radio is a national sports radio network based in the United States. ... Dates October 21, 2006–October 27, 2006 MVP David Eckstein Television network FOX Announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver[1] Umpires Randy Marsh, Alfonso Marquez, Wally Bell, Mike Winters, John Hirschbeck, Tim McClelland The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseballs championship series, began on October...

Harwell served as a guest color commentator for two Tiger games on FSN Detroit on May 24 and 25, 2007. Harwell worked the telecasts (alongside play-by-play man Mario Impemba) as a substitute for regular analyst Rod Allen, who took the games off to attend his son's high school graduation. (Harwell had filled in for Allen once before, on a 2003 telecast.) He also appeared as a guest on an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast in Detroit on July 1, 2007. A color commentator (colour commentator in Canada and Britain), sometimes known as a color analyst, is a member of the broadcasting team for a sporting event who assists the play-by-play announcer by filling in any time when play is not in progress. ... FSN Detroit (formerly known as Fox Sports Net Detroit) is a regional sports network that covers local sports teams in the state of Michigan. ... Mario Impemba (born March 18, 1963) is the Emmy Award Winning play-by-play voice of the Detroit Tigers on FSN Detroit and FOX 2 Detroit. ... Roderick Bernet Rod Allen (born October 5, 1959 in Los Angeles, California) is a television broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers. ... Sunday Night Baseball is the Major League Baseball game of the week that is televised Sunday nights at 8 p. ...

Harwell currently does occasional vignettes (small video clips) on the history of baseball for FSN Detroit's highlight program Detroit Tigers Weekly.

Broadcasting Style

He was known for his low-key delivery, southern accent, and conversational style, which included:

• Pausing periodically to allow the sounds of the ballpark to be heard.
• Frequently referring to the location of Tiger Stadium: "the corner of Michigan and Trumbull," or simply "the corner".
• Following up foul balls into the crowd with, "That one was caught by a fan from _____," and inserting the name of a nearby town or city. Before ticketing was computerized, blocks of tickets were shipped to retailers in certain cities. Harwell reportedly knew in some cases which city a particular ticket was originally sold in. As the tickets were available electronically, Harwell would simply choose whatever city struck his fancy. (Unless listeners realized that this was a jocular invention by Harwell, the catch-phrase could leave them wondering how Harwell "knew" where particular fans hailed from.)
• After a double play, "It's two for the price of one for the Tigers."
• Exclaiming on a called third strike, "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by." (This was an allusion to a poem by Sam Walter Foss.)
• Also exclaiming on a called third strike, "He's out for excessive window shopping; looked at one too many."
• Describing a home run, "That ball is looooong gone!"
• Using the phrase "And the bases are loaded with Tigers" when Detroit had runners on all bases.
• Exclaiming "The Tigers need instant runs" when Detroit had fallen behind by more than two or three runs.
• Describing a controversial ball/strike call, "And there's a strike on the outside edge, umpire ___ said so."
• Beginning the first spring training broadcast of each season with a reading from Song of Solomon 2:12: "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(dove) is heard in our land."
• Describing a swinging strikeout, "He took his cut, and now he takes his seat."
• On a Tiger manager's decision to allow the pitcher to work himself out of a jam: "He has decided to ride the rapids with the incumbent."

Tiger Stadium with football configuration. ... Sam Walter Foss Sam Walter Foss, June 19, 1858 - February 26, 1911, was a full time librarian and poet whose most famous works included The House by the Side of the Road and The Coming American. ... A Grapefruit League game at the LA Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Florida In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of exhibition games which precedes the regular season. ... For other uses, see Song of Solomon (disambiguation). ...

Notable calls

Lyndall Dale McDaniel (born December 13, 1935 in Hollis, Oklahoma) is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who had a 21-year career from 1955 to 1975. ... Jake Gibbs (born November 7, 1938 in Grenada, Mississippi), is a former professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees as a platoon catcher from 1962-1971. ... Albert William Kaline (born December 19, 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a former Major League Baseball player. ... Don Wert (born July 29, 1938 in Strasburg, PA ) was a Major League Baseball player for the Detroit Tigers from 1963 to 1970. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Pack Robert Bob Gibson (born November 9, 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a former right-handed baseball pitcher for the St. ... Sanford Koufax (IPA pronunciation: /kofæks/) (born Sanford Braun, on December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, from 1955 to 1966. ... Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1934 - October 12, 1986) was a Major League Baseball first baseman and left-handed batter who played for the Chicago White Sox (1958-1959) and Detroit Tigers (1960-1974). ... Major league affiliations National League (1892–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 2, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 42, 42, 45, 85 Name St. ... Pack Robert Bob Gibson (born November 9, 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a former right-handed baseball pitcher for the St. ... The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. ... Larry Darnell Herndon (born November 3, 1953 in Sunflower, Mississippi) is an American former Major League Baseball player for the St. ... The 1984 World Series began on October 9, 1984 and ended October 14. ... Carlos Peña (born May 17, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a first baseman in Major League Baseball who was released by the Detroit Tigers on March 26, 2006 and currently is without a team. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Awards and non-broadcast activities

Harwell was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981 as the fifth broadcaster to receive its Ford C. Frick Award. He was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998, among many other honors. In 2001, Harwell was the recipient of the prestigious Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting, awarded by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 62 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... The Ford C. Frick Award is an award bestowed annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for major contributions to baseball. ... // History The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA) was formed in 1959 by a local restaurant owner, Pete DiMizio, to honor regional sportscasters and sportswriters whom he had met at the Greensboro Open Golf Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina. ... // The National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum, located in the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, Illinois, is a museum dedicated to recognizing those who have contributed to the development of the radio medium throughout its history in the United States. ...

Harwell's 1955 essay "The Game for All America", originally published in The Sporting News and reprinted numerous times, is considered a classic of baseball literature. He has also authored several books, and pens an occasional column for the Detroit Free Press. Along with The Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press is one of the two major metro Detroit newspapers. ...

Harwell also wrote popular music. His first recorded song was "Upside Down" on the Something Stupid album by Homer and Jethro in the mid-1960s. In the liner notes of the album, it says: "Detroit Tiger baseball announcer wrote this one, and we think it's a fine observation of the world today, as seen from the press box at Tiger Stadium. We were up there with Ernie one day and from there the world looks upside down. In fact, the Mets were on top in the National League." All told, 66 songs written by Ernie Harwell have been recorded by various artists. "Needless to say, I have more no-hitters than Nolan Ryan." --Ernie Harwell in article published May 31, 2005 in the Detroit Free Press Homer and Jethro were an American country music team with a long career from the 1940s through the 1960s, sometimes known as the thinking mans hillbillies, specializing in comedy records and satirical versions of popular songs. ...

Harwell appeared as himself in the 1983 Disney film Tiger Town, and made a cameo appearance in the 1994 film Cobb. His voice can be briefly heard in the films Paper Lion (1968) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and in the TV movie The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2004). The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... 2002 Lincoln cent, obverse, proof with cameo Cameo is a method of carving, or an item of jewelry made in this manner. ... Cobb is a 1994 baseball movie starring Tommy Lee Jones as the legendary baseball player Ty Cobb. ... Paper Lion is a famous non-fiction book by prominent American writer George Plimpton. ... One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a 1975 film directed by Miloš Forman. ... “Telefilm” redirects here. ... The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by Mitch Albom, published in 2003. ...

Harwell currently serves as a spokesman for Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Michigan. His contract with the organization, which began in 2003, runs for ten years with an option for another ten. If Harwell fulfills the entire contract (by which time he will be 95 years old), Blue Cross has pledged to extend it for yet another decade. It has been suggested that Blue Shield of California be merged into this article or section. ...

A devout Christian, Harwell has long been involved with the Baseball Chapel, an evangelistic organization for professional ballplayers. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A Christian () is a... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 2004, the Detroit Public Library dedicated a room to Ernie Harwell and his wife, Lulu, which will house Harwell's collection of baseball memorabilia valued at over two million dollars.

Books by Ernie Harwell

• (1985). Tuned to Baseball. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0912083107
• (1993). Ernie Harwell's Diamond Gems, edited by Geoff Upward. Ann Arbor, MI: Momentum Books. ISBN 0961872675
• (1995). The Babe Signed My Shoe: Baseball As It Was – And Will Always Be, edited by Geoff Upward. South Bend, IN: Diamond Communications. ISBN 0912083727
• (2001). Stories from My Life in Baseball. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0937247359
• (2002). Ernie Harwell: My 60 Years in Baseball, with Tom Keegan. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books. ISBN 1572434511
• (2004). Life After Baseball. Detroit, MI: Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0937247456
• (2006). Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook. Grosse Pointe, MI: AudioBook Publishing. ISBN 0979212006

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• Baseball Hall of Fame - Frick Award recipient
• Ernie Harwell at the Radio Hall of Fame
• Baseball Bids Farewell to Voice of the Tigers
• Harwells to receive honor from library
• Detroit News career article
• Salon.com tribute
• NPR Feature
• Ernie Harwell Online Exhibit from Detroit Public Library.
• Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook
• Forever young