Ernie Harwell (He’s My Tiger)

 

      "The voice of Detroit" or Ernie Harwell is sometimes proclaimed as one of the best broadcasters baseball has ever seen.  But I think he should be remembered for what he has done for Detroit.  He has done so much for this city and is not only one of the greatest broadcasters but one of the greatest Tigers fans.

-"Ernie is probably the most beloved person who has ever been in Detroit with the Detroit Tigers." -Al Kaline 

      He broad casted for the Detroit Tigers for 42 years.  Heck, I’m not even that old.  But he is really my Tiger because he has heart.  He got fired by the Tigers in 1991 but he came back to Detroit when he was under contract with the Seattle Mariners in 1999. Ernie really loved Detroit and that’s why I love him.

     He was even the first and only (as of now) broadcaster to be traded.  His trade was kind of wacky but here it is…..Earl Mann, President of the Atlanta Crackers, agreed to let him go to Brooklyn if Branch Rickey would send Montreal catcher Cliff Dapper to Atlanta to manage the club.  Hahaha kind of long right.

     Ernie will probably be more remembered for his battle with the  incurable cancer of the bile duct.  But even through this illness he has managed to touch Detroit and always will.

     I could have just listed the pages and pages of awards Ernie won.  But I didn’t he means more to me than that and means more to the city of Detroit.

 

 

 

 

Ernie Harwell Farewell Address (via rfeldsch)