On the recordMay 5, 2010
today I pay tribute to an extraordinary man who passed away yesterday at the age of 92 years old: Ernie Harwell. For 42 years, families throughout Michigan tuned into their radios and welcomed Ernie's signature voice into their homes as they listened to him call Detroit Tigers games. When he retired in 2002, Senator Levin and I submitted a resolution, which the Senate passed, celebrating his achievements and congratulating him on his many years of service. Today, I join with millions of people in Michigan and around the Nation in wishing Ernie a final farewell. His accomplishments were many, and he will always hold a special place in our hearts and in our memories. He was the first active broadcaster inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and for good reason. In 1948, when he was calling games for a Minor League team in Atlanta, they actually traded Ernie--their announcer!--for a backup catcher from the Brooklyn Dodgers. He joined the Detroit Tigers in 1960 and during his tenure, he missed only two games--one for the funeral of his brother and another when he was inducted to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame. His most memorable broadcasts include the broadcasting debut of Willie Mays in 1951, Bobby Thomson's ``shot heard 'round the world'' that same year, and Hoyt Wilhelm's no-hitter against the New York Yankees in 1958.
