I heard Ernie as a kid growing up and playing little league. I got shot up pretty good in Vietnam. Three times. When I got back home finally, there was Ernie doing the Tiger games. Continuity...all was right with the world. Everything was going to be okay. What an insightful, class act he was. What a privilige it was to stand there like a house beside the road and watch that man go by.
In 1968 an Indiana 8 year old transplanted kid would lay in his bed listening to Tiger broadcasts through the word pictures painted by Ernie Harwell. Life was good.
Ernie felt like family. The warmest, friendliest voice of baseball. I started listening to the Tigers around '79 and from the beginning I felt like I was listening to a great-uncle or a grandparent calling the games. It didn't ultimately matter how good or bad the team was, even if we were frustrated from some of those bad seasons, hearing Ernie meant you were going to hear a story being told with gusto. Ahhh, memories.
I was born in Pontiac, Mi., raised in Rochester. Became a fan in '62 at the age of 8; Ernie's voice was the voice I grew up with on my transistor radio in the 60's and 70's. Heard him call Kaline scoring the pennant-winning run on a base hit by Wert in '68. Sat in the right field upper deck in '70 and listened to him introduce Kaline in between the games of a double header vs the Twins; it was Aug, 2nd and it was Al Kaline Day. I practically lived at Tiger Stadium and when I couldn't be there, Ernie's voice transported me there.
Ernie,Ray Lane, George Kell, Paul Carey, good old #6,how could you not love a Tigers broadcast,and a man from Toledo reached out and grabbed that one,sure miss those days!
In the early 90's I was hired to play background music at an event where Earnie was to be the keynote speaker. Beforehand, I purchased Earnie's book "Tuned to Baseball" with the goal of having Earnie sign it for my Dad. Earnie immediately got into asking really caring questions about Paw. When he signed "Wilson, thank you for your loyalty" it was apparent he meant it. When I told him of how often we waited at the dinner table as Paw sat in his car until an inning would end he laughed about how often he heard that from kids like me :-) He took a deep interest in me and my family - it finally got to where I had to regretfully excuse myself, "Earnie, I gotta get to work." :-) We were granted a great gift named Earnie Harwell.
I'd had ball sighed by him at early age I caught him in tigers stadium and asked to resign the ball the reply the old girl need resigned most wonderful a great men 😢
It was a very awkward moment when Ernie spoke of his life ending in Detroit - and people cheered. I know what they were cheering about - it was just awkward.
