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Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: A lifelong Tigers fan, I ordered this book and when it arrived, I
intended on reading one or two chapters before going to see a movie with
friends. It hooked me so quickly I canceled my plans and didn't get to bed (2
a.m.) until I finished it. I got to work the next day and the woman who sits
three partitions down from me and had bags under her eyes told me she was up
all night reading it too! We talked about how neither one of us could put it
down and we shared a good laugh over that. I always knew Ernie Harwell was a great guy. What I didn't know much
about was his childhood and his years as an announcer before he joined the
Tigers. He's had such a fascinating life. He's touched so many lives and I found it most interesting to hear what
Denny McLain had to say about him. The author devoted a whole chapter to a
three-hour visit with McLain in prison and it was quite a fascinating chapter. His is an inspirational story of a man who conquered a speech impediment
as a youth and age discrimation so many decades later. I found this to be a very uplifting biography of a great man.
Rating:
Summary: A gift
Review: Ernie Harwell has the ability to articulate his thoughts and possesses a vast reservoir of anecdotes and observations based on his lengthy career. The combination made this into one of the more enjoyable baseball books I've read in recent years.
Rating: 
Summary: The Voice of Baseball
Review: Ernie Harwell popped up in a lot of unexpected places in the year 2001. On October 3rd, he broadcast the official recreation of the 1951 Miracle at Coogan's Bluff game for Major League Baseball's official website; later on, he broadcast the final game of a World Series for an all-time-greats fantasy league also run by MLB. Not bad, for a man who was fired by his longtime Detroit Tigers employees over a decade ago for being "too old". "My 60 Years in Baseball" has a very unusual title for an autobiography. That's because it's not an autobiography -- it's a standard bio, written by columnist Tom Keegan. Presumably this was done with Ernie Harwell's full cooperation, and reprints of several Harwell newspaper columns highlight the book. I'm just a little confused by the use of the word "My". I know Tom Keegan's columns from the New York Post, and "My 60 Years" reads very much like a 275-page human interest story. It's a puff piece, but in the best way possible. Keegan tracks down interviews with athletes, writers and friends who have known Harwell at various points along his 60-plus-year career, and the stories related are mostly heart-warming. The best chapter in the book is an interview with Denny McLain, one-time Tiger pitching ace, from his cell in federal prison. Even repeat convicts love the voice of Ernie Harwell. Don't read "Ernie Harwell" because it's the best sports bio of all time, but read it to become more familiar with one of the last of the original (and now "old school") announcers. I listened to Ernie for the brief time I lived in the Detroit metro area, and I'm glad I had the chance. It's a specific style of broadcast, heavy on imagery and game detail, that's no longer in vogue and will be dearly missed when the last of its practictioners hangs up their microphones. Read the stories Keegan finds, and read again the reprinted Harwell columns, which are a delight of word choice, firm opinion, and humor.
Rating:
Summary: The Voice of Baseball
Review: Ernie Harwell popped up in a lot of unexpected places in the year 2001. On October 3rd, he broadcast the official recreation of the 1951 Miracle at Coogan's Bluff game for Major League Baseball's official website; later on, he broadcast the final game of a World Series for an all-time-greats fantasy league also run by MLB. Not bad, for a man who was fired by his longtime Detroit Tigers employees over a decade ago for being "too old". "My 60 Years in Baseball" has a very unusual title for an autobiography. That's because it's not an autobiography -- it's a standard bio, written by columnist Tom Keegan. Presumably this was done with Ernie Harwell's full cooperation, and reprints of several Harwell newspaper columns highlight the book. I'm just a little confused by the use of the word "My". I know Tom Keegan's columns from the New York Post, and "My 60 Years" reads very much like a 275-page human interest story. It's a puff piece, but in the best way possible. Keegan tracks down interviews with athletes, writers and friends who have known Harwell at various points along his 60-plus-year career, and the stories related are mostly heart-warming. The best chapter in the book is an interview with Denny McLain, one-time Tiger pitching ace, from his cell in federal prison. Even repeat convicts love the voice of Ernie Harwell. Don't read "Ernie Harwell" because it's the best sports bio of all time, but read it to become more familiar with one of the last of the original (and now "old school") announcers. I listened to Ernie for the brief time I lived in the Detroit metro area, and I'm glad I had the chance. It's a specific style of broadcast, heavy on imagery and game detail, that's no longer in vogue and will be dearly missed when the last of its practictioners hangs up their microphones. Read the stories Keegan finds, and read again the reprinted Harwell columns, which are a delight of word choice, firm opinion, and humor.
Rating:
Summary: A gift
Review: Ernie Harwell's broadcasting career has covered an incredible amount of baseball history dating back to the days of Red Barber with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Bobby Thompson's home run on 10/3/'51, the birth of the Baltimore Orioles, and over four decades with the Detroit Tigers. Harwell came to the Tigers in 1960 as a replacement for Van Patrick who I grew up listening to as a Tigers' announcer. Author Tom Keegan begins the book with the controversial firing of Harwell and who was to blame for the fiasco. However, as Ernie says, "It doesn't matter. All that matters is everyone is forgiven." That comment is typical of the Christian Harwell. Ernie has the gift of making anyone he talks to feel as though they are important and his feelings are genuine. As Ernie says, God has blessed him with good health, and he has done what he can to take care of himself physically to show that age can be just a number. Ernie Harwell is not only a great ambassador for baseball, but also for everyone in how to treat their fellow human beings. The book is easy reading and is of value to those interested in baseball history and to those who want to meet a man we all can learn from regarding human relations.
Rating:
Summary: A joy to hear broadcasting - a real joy to learn from him.
Review: If we could only have more time to get to know people like Ernie Harwell, there would be a much greater appreciation for life in this world. Despite all of the many changes in his life, the opportunity to be around baseball for so many years, get paid to do it and enjoy it thoroughly...he has remained humble and human. He is quick to tell you that he is "just a turtle on fence post", noting that we all know that turtle didn't get there by himself. He credits so many people for the opportunities that he has experienced...yet he has spent so many years positively influencing our lives, about life as seen through the many stories he tells via baseball. Although I have only lived in the Detroit metro area for two years which limits my exposure to hearing Harwell call games all my life, I could immediately feel the respect and warmth of his broadcasts. Seeing him at several baseball and community events, I am always impressed with the attention that the sports stars give him when they are around him. Not only professional baseball players but professionals from other sports seem to delight in being around him and hearing the stories he tells with his charming southern drawl. Whether you have the opportunity to hear him or you value hearing baseball stories that have something interesting to learn from in each story, you will enjoy this book. If you are a person that enjoys learning from people that have shared their life with others and brought a positive influence to the world, you will enjoy this biography of a hall of famer. Thanks Ernie!
Rating:
Summary: A joy to hear broadcasting - a real joy to learn from him.
Review: If we could only have more time to get to know people like Ernie Harwell, there would be a much greater appreciation for life in this world. Despite all of the many changes in his life, the opportunity to be around baseball for so many years, get paid to do it and enjoy it thoroughly...he has remained humble and human. He is quick to tell you that he is "just a turtle on fence post", noting that we all know that turtle didn't get there by himself. He credits so many people for the opportunities that he has experienced...yet he has spent so many years positively influencing our lives, about life as seen through the many stories he tells via baseball. Although I have only lived in the Detroit metro area for two years which limits my exposure to hearing Harwell call games all my life, I could immediately feel the respect and warmth of his broadcasts. Seeing him at several baseball and community events, I am always impressed with the attention that the sports stars give him when they are around him. Not only professional baseball players but professionals from other sports seem to delight in being around him and hearing the stories he tells with his charming southern drawl. Whether you have the opportunity to hear him or you value hearing baseball stories that have something interesting to learn from in each story, you will enjoy this book. If you are a person that enjoys learning from people that have shared their life with others and brought a positive influence to the world, you will enjoy this biography of a hall of famer. Thanks Ernie!
Rating:
Summary: He'll Be Missed
Review: The first chapter takes the reader back to the unjustified firing of a beloved announcer. With each turn of the page, I grew angrier at the blatant age discrimination perpetrated by the morons who ousted Ernie Harwell. And then, in the ensuing chapters, I got to know the man through the eyes of others and grew even more livid that someone so universally respected
and loved would be kicked to the curb. Then as I read on and got to know the man's peaceful, positive attitude, my fury vanished. If he didn't let the shabby treatment eat him up, why should I get worked up over it? This man has a great life, he knows it, and relishes every second of it.
The book justifies the man. It's a revealing look into his
background, his soul, his mind, his spirit and it's written in beautiful, peaceful prose that matches the subject's spirit. I would recommend this book for children, moms and dads, and seniors alike. -- Debbie Ferrell, Rochester, N.Y.
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