What started out as a little tribute to the late Ernie Harwell (MLB Hall of Fame announcer) turned out to be a very enjoyable trip down memory lane. It was 20 years ago ( not incredibly long ago, but long enough) that I decided I needed to tape (that's cassette tape!) the Detroit Tigers last game of the season. It was October 6, 1991 and this was to be Ernie Harwell's last game as a Tiger announcer before his (forced) retirement. Ernie was and still is a legend in Major League Baseball broadcasting and I would miss his voice dearly the following season. I taped it to preserve this memory.
Since Ernie's passing I have wanted to find the right time to sit down and listen to the broadcast again. Last night it hit me, it was a beautiful evening with the temperatures in the upper 60's a nice breeze and clear skies, a perfect night for baseball! Only problem was, no baseball, the Tigers had the night off. As I thought with all the rain we have had it as a shame to not have baseball tonight and that is when it hit me. I gathered up the several tapes it took to complete the game and sat down on the porch with my cassette player and started my journey down memory lane. I had taped the pre-game too and was surprised(I had forgot) and delighted when it started with the Sparky Anderson show, a few minutes spent with the Hall of Fame manager before each broadcast. With his recent passing it was that much more significant, what an interesting and insightful man. Paul Carey, Ernie's broadcast partner of 19 years was also retiring making this game even more special, they were the greatest sportscast team I have ever listened to. Paul did all the lead in stuff before the game and this one also had a special tribute on the opposing teams side too. You see the game was in Baltimore and it was the last game for the Orioles at Memorial Stadium. Did you know that Ernie broadcast the first game at Memorial Stadium for the Orioles in 1954! Only fitting that he should also broadcast the last. They had all kinds of special events, tributes to past players and so on. The one thing that struck me as the oddest is when they brought out Brooks Robinson to throw out the first pitch AND Johnny Unitas to throw out the first football? It was a tribute to the Colts that had played there until they moved in 1984. It was great to hear all the names of players, some forgotten, some still apart of the game today. I especially enjoyed a comment by Mr. Carey, as he gave the name of the new ballpark, Orioles Park at Camden Yards, he proclaimed that to be a mouthful and was sure that soon it would be referred to as O's Park. Well Paul, they went with Camden Yards for the shorter version( the better choice in my opinion).
Well the anthem has been sung and the game has gotten underway. In typical Ernie fashion the first foul ball into the seats was caught by a man from Reisterstown. You just gotta love Ernie! How does he know? It was a great night of baseball, lots of priceless sayings; "two for the price of one","he stood there like the house by the side of the road, and watched it go by", two of my favorites. It was a nostalgic night spent listening to one of the greatest voices in baseball.
* After new ownership took over the Tigers in 1993 Ernie was welcomed back, re-retiring on his own terms in 2002.
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