RIP to a legendary human being.
Very sad to hear, Ernie WAS Detroit Tigers baseball for a lot of people for many years. But here's a guy who lived a remarkable life and will be sorely missed. RIP
Respect.
Very sad. One of the great men in the history of the state of Michigan.
this is sad for me since I can remember I would listen to tiger games and hear Ernie Harwell call the game. He was a major reason that me and probadly others became tiger fans. My best wishes go out to his wife Lulu and his family.
Probably almost all of us grew up learning baseball listening to Ernie Harwell. I remember asking my dad how he knew where everyone in the crowd was from, and my dad would answer he asks them before the game! :) "A man from Mount Pleasant grabbed that foul ball."
My dad gave me the same answer when I asked him that same question a "looonnngg gone" time ago.
greatest tiger ever
RIP
I grew up in the state of Michigan and I absolutely loved listening to Ernie call a Tigers game. He had such passion for the game and he was a Tiger though and through. I realize that this may sound cliche but it almost feels as if a small part of my childhood has died. Ernie you will be missed.
I know exactly what your saying, a very special man has passed away today. He's in a better place now though, have to look at the positive, no matter how hard it is to think there is one. He had a long difficult battle, and is much better now. Very sad day.
He'll be greatly missed. Grew up listening to him call Tigers games like everyone else in this state.
Stupid human mortality.
Sorry to hear this. Condolences and respect from Yankee land.
I am really, genuinely sorry to hear of Harwell's passing. I know he had been fighting and struggling for a long time, but it's always sad when such an icon is snuffed out.
I still remember listening to him with my great grandmother as a little boy as she listened to him every night until her passing. She thought he was the best.
Thanks for the amazing memories Ernie, baseball will surely stand there like the house by the side of road to honor you...
His voice always reminded me of summer.
Ernie was a great, great man because he was a good man. The best ever.
I know we knew this was coming, but it doesn't make it any easier.
We were lucky to have him around as long as we did. RIP.
What an awesome dude. Detroit and the whole state of Michigan will miss you Ernie. RIP.
I was saddened to hear this. I'm not a baseball fan by any stretch of the imagination, but anybody can respect what he did for Tigers baseball. An absolute legend and a pure class act. He will be missed by many, many people. Let's go wings, win one for Ernie.
It's like a piece of everything good and pure has passed...
The first Tigers game I ever heard was with Ernie calling it. Over the years he was like a best friend. Always calling the game with balance and class. It was all about the game first and the Tigers second with Ernie.
It is a passing of an era the likes of which we will probably not see again.
My deepest respect to the Harwell family. As much as he meant to us, he was so much more to them.
(A footnote - he passed before Tiger Stadium was leveled. That would have pained him more.)
(A footnote - he passed before Tiger Stadium was leveled. That would have pained him more.)
Unfortunately, he didn't. Tiger Stadium beat him to the great diamond in the sky by a few months.
But I am very happy he made it to Opening Day and got to see some of the season.
Ironically enough, Bo fired him once...
Proof that even Michigan Men make mistakes every once in awhile.
For the record, it was not Bo's call to fire Harwell. The Tiger organization unjustly made him take the fall for it. To his credit, he held his tongue about it for a long time.
Ernie's heaven will be reliving the '84 season while Haray Caray's hell will be reliving the '84 season.
Ernie, you're in a better place now...there has to be baseball in heaven!
Ernie is now LOOOOOOOOOOONG GONE! He moves on to call the Tigers games in heaven. I can hear him calling a Ty Cobb triple in the back of my brain already. Thanks for letting me listen to your voice each and every night. Ernie, we love you. RIP, friend.
...baseball radio man of all time. Hall of Famer in Cooperstown, Hall of Fame in the hearts of Tigers fans everywhere. Rest in peace, Ernie. There's a fan from Mount Clemens catching a foul ball right now and Ernie's not here to call it. But I'll always think of him when I imagine myself catching that ball.
Baseball lost a god today.
I will miss his voice, his love for the game, and his community impact.
See you in Heaven, Ernie.
Thanks for everything Mr. Harwell.
One of the best announcers for any sport ever. He's a class act.
Ernie will always be the voice of Summer.
Rest In Peace to the best baseball voice I ever heard. I am 21 years old now and can remember listening to him in the summertime because my dad would rather listen to him than the TV announcers. He was simply the best and will be missed by all. Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.
He may be long gone, but he will always be the voice of the Tigers. RIP Ernie
His voice will always remind of warm summer nights in the D w/ his voice echoing in our garage....hanging out w/ my Dad just being a kid. Ernie thank you.
"I'm not leaving, folks. I'll still be with you, living my life in Michigan, my home state, surrounded by family and friends. And rather than goodbye, please allow me to say thank you. Thank you for letting me become part of your family. Thank you for taking me with you to that cottage up north, to the beach, the picnic, your work place, or your backyard. Thank you for sneaking your transistor radio under the pillow as you grew up loving the Tigers. I might have been a small part of your life. But you have been a very large part of mine."
Best color comentator of all time. the first year i started watching the tigers when i was 8 was his last year
Older folk (and not that much older) will tell you Ernie was decidedly not a color commentator.
But he was colorful. "Two for the price of one" on double plays is classic.
That always sounded like such a natural thing to say for a double play, it took me a while to realize that was an Ernie thing. Seems like that was always Ernie's way - never ostentatious.
"He stood there like the house by the side of the road" was always my personal favorite. I liked that a lot better than "excessive window shopping."
I am proud to have graduated with him
Ya i know, but i only heard him on tv in those few years. i know he was a great radio broadcaster
A couple of my favorite Ernie related items:
- Only announcer to be traded for a player. Brooklyn Dodgers traded a catcher to bring him in.
- "Stood there like a house by the side of the road"
- "Foul ball caught by a man from Ann Arbor" (or some other random town that changed for every foul)
- "That one was right down Woodward"
You'll be missed Ernie. You were the best.
As a kid, it always amazed me that Ernie knew where everybody who caught foul balls was from. As an adult, it still amazed me. How the heck did he know so many people?
As a Yooper kid, I grew up listening to both Ernie and Bob Ueker on AM radio. I thought they were both great. RIP Ernie. You will be missed.
The passing of a great. Really the end of an era for the Tigers and Detroit sports.
I grew up a Yankee fan but always liked the Tigers, especially from my time at UM and Ernie was The Man.