So long, Ernie

So tonight the Tigers said goodbye to Ernie Harwell and Ernie said goodbye to Baseball.

If you don't know the name Ernie Harwell, he was the radio voice for the Tigers for forty+ years. Prior to that he was with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He is an icon in baseball, and was famous for many baseball one liner's like, "loooooong gone" or "the house by the side of the road". At any rate growing up in Michigan I had the pleasure of listening to Ernie call ball games for the Tigers. He always made the game fun to listen to and really made the game what it was for many loyal Tiger's fans.

Samantha has only shortly been a Tiger's fan but even she understands the meaning of Harwell to Tiger's fans.

Harwell is famous for having covered baseball over 7 decades. He is currently the only person to have done so. Special!

Recently it was discovered that he has inoperable cancer and has little time left on earth. He will surely be missed.

Aundrea stands in front of Ernie's statue at Comerica this past summer!

Overall, Ernie's address to the crowd was short, simple, and clear. He thanked baseball, the Tigers, and the fans in Michigan. Ernie has long been a proponent of the State of Michigan... not just Detroit! I believe that he grew up in Georgia or somewhere in the south but he discovered the great state when he took over in the booth for the Tigers. I even learned tonight that the Brooklyn Dodgers actually acquired Harwell via a trade. That's nuts! They traded a player for the broadcast talent of Harwell. You won't hear about that happening any time soon!

Anyways, as the Tiger's make their drive into the post season, I hope Ernie is with us to witness the Tigers take the 2009 World Series! Go TIGERS!