I knew I had made it in the radio business about 9 years ago. I was sitting in the press box at Comerica Park, and a man came over to grab a chair and sit next to me; it was Ernie Harwell. We had met briefly a couple of times before that, but this time he wanted to talk and take some time to get to know me. He was a listener of the station at that time and just a regular guy wanting to talk about baseball and he even knew of my passion for the Cleveland Indians. I called my dad after he went back to the radio booth after our chat and told him about maybe thee coolest experience I had ever had. Ernie Harwell was now my friend. Pretty neat.
This was the type of guy Ernie was. And even though his passing was expected, it still hits you like a ton of bricks. Harwell’s style, class, and just passion for life is unmatched, it really is. Plus, this dude never said a bad word about anybody, at least publicly. I used to take my normal whiny pot-shots at Jim Price back at my old shop, and when I’d see Ernie he would say to me: “Hey Diesel.. Go easy on my buddy will ya”. Just a classic and oh by the way, called a game like it is supposed to be called.
I can remember growing up in Ohio and listening to former Indians voice Herb Score on the radio. While a semi-legend in Cleveland, Score did not have the great ability to call play-by-play at a high level, he just didn’t. Whenever the Indians played the Tigers, my dad would turn on the game in the car and he would switch the dial to AM 760. My brother and I would ask why and he always said it was because we were going to listen to a real baseball broadcast. Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey will never, in my opinion, ever be matched. That duo was incredible to listen to, and even across state lines as a young kid, I knew what Detroiters knew.
One more thing that fans should know about Ernie. He always was available. Pat Caputo, Jamie Samuelsen, Jason Hillman and I used to host “In The Dugout” at my old station and after Pat left and JB was hosting mornings and Jason moved on, I had the opportunity to do many a solo show. Every summer, we had Ernie on. He always was willing to come on and never disappointed. Pat used to joke with me and say “wow.. Deez.. you got Ernie on? Tough get!”. Ernie gave everyone his number and told them to call anytime.
God bless you Ernie. Thanks for coming by to talk to me.
