You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
I bought this set over the long cold winter to get me through until the new season started. These are definitely great Detroit Tigers games from over the years. This has been a great way to introduce my son to my beloved Tigers and pass down the love of the Tigers my father and grandfather passed down to me.
- 1968 World Series Game 5
- 1984 World Series Game 5
- Final Game at Tiger Stadium
- 2006 ALCS Game 4
Bonus Highlights include 1976 Fidrych Complete Game, 1987 Clinch AL East Division, 1991 Cecil Fielder HR, 1995 Trammell and Whitaker, 2006 ALDS Game 4, 2007 Verlander No-Hitter, and many more.
I've enjoyed watching all of the old highlights and games. I would highly recommend this collection to any Detroit Tigers' fan.
One last thought. You (well, I can't anyway) can't have a Detroit Tigers Opening Day without thinking of and remembering Ernie Harwell.
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has declared the first day of summer, June 21, 2010, to be Ernie Harwell Day. What better day to honor the "voice of the summer" than on the first day of summer?
Enjoy this audio sample from the "Year of the Tiger '68" LP with Ernie Harwell and Ray Lane.
One last post about the late Ernie Harwell. As a youth, Ernie had a speech impediment and one of his exercises was to recite this poem by Sam Walter Foss.
As a baseball announcer, Ernie kept a piece of this poem as a catch-phrase for when someone struck out looking, "He stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched it go by." Here is the complete text of "The House by the Side of the Road."
There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the place of their self-content;
There are souls like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze the paths
Where highways never ran-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by-
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner's seat
Nor hurl the cynic's ban-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I see from my house by the side of the road
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife,
But I turn not away from their smiles and tears,
Both parts of an infinite plan-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead,
And mountains of wearisome height;
That the road passes on through the long afternoon
And stretches away to the night.
And still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice
And weep with the strangers that moan,
Nor live in my house by the side of the road
Like a man who dwells alone.
Let me live in my house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by-
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish - so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat,
Or hurl the cynic's ban?
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I can't help but post this in honor of Ernie Harwell today for the Friday photo. The Corner.
Losing Ernie and seeing Tiger Stadium demolished reminds me of this line from Field of Dreams -
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.
There are a number of great tributes around the blogosphere for Ernie Harwell. I spent quite a bit of time reading rememberances from not only Tigers fans, but baseball fans in general.
Here are some of my favorites:
William Ernest Harwell - 1918 - 2010
For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
One of my strongest memories of listening to Ernie Harwell call a Tigers game was as a kid. I was supposed to be sleeping, but I turned on my transistor radio and caught the end of a Tigers game. I don't know who they were playing, but the Tigers were down going into their last bat in the bottom of the 9th and Sweet Lou Whitaker hit a walk-off home run to win it and Ernie Harwell belted out, "It's Loonng Gone, Tigers Win!"
Two things that I think need to be done to honor such a Tigers and Major League Baseball legend:
The Tigers need to have one game each year designated as Ernie Harwell Day.
Buy out the Comerica corporate sponsorship and rename it Harwell Field or Harwell Park.
The Comerica Park sponsorship is a $66 million deal over 30 years which began with the stadium's opening in 2000. Small price in order to pay tribute to a broadcasting and Tigers legend. That is, if there isn't a clause in the contract that prohibits a buyout.
Information and other links about Ernie Harwell
A public viewing will be held at Comerica Park beginning at 7am Thursday, May 6th. Free parking is available at lots 1, 2, and 3.
The Detroit Tigers will wear patches on their uniforms as tribute to Ernie Harwell for the remainder of this season.
I strongly urge you to get a copy of the Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook. You will be able to listen to the Voice of the Tigers any time you wish. Here is a non-affiliate link to purchase a copy - Ernie Harwell's Audio Scrapbook.
As long as we have our memories, Ernie Harwell will never truly be gone. We'll remember Lonnng Gone!, Called out for excessive window shopping, Foul ball caught by a man from Kalamazoo, Two for the price of one, and many others he delivered in that smooth cadence with a hint of the south where he was born and raised.
Once again, the video of Ernie Harwell thanking the fans on September 16, 2009 -
I think Ernie said it best in his September 30, 2002 final sign-off as a Detroit Tigers radio broadcaster -
"And rather than good-bye, please allow me to say thank you.
"Thank you for letting me be part of your family. Thank you for taking me with you to that cottage up north, to the beach, the picnic, your work place and your backyard.
"Thank you for sneaking your transistor under the pillow as you grew up loving the Tigers.
"Now I might have been a small part of your life. But you have been a very large part of mine. And it's my privilege and honor to share with you the greatest game of all.
"Now God has a new adventure for me. And I'm ready to move on. So I leave you with a deep sense of appreciation for your longtime loyalty and support.
"I thank you very much, and God bless all of you."