It isn't very often that I choose to make some kind of eulogy for people, but since I have had some practice as recently as the Peter Steele tribute a few weeks ago, I figure that I have enough of an idea on how to do this kind of thing. Even then, it's not something that I would like to put into practice very often, for there just simply aren't enough words to do justice for the subject.This is particularly true for today because the eulogy is for the man who was not only the voice of the Detroit Tigers, but also the voice of the state of Michigan. Longtime Detroit Tigers baseball announcer Ernie Harwell passed away last night at the age of 92. And just like the way he was accepted by the Tigers fans for his calm demeanor and friendly attitude, he accepted death with dignity, even as he found that the cancer he had was inoperable back in September 2009. Tigers fans, and baseball fans in general, should not mourn the passing of a legend, but celebrate the life of a man who brought the game to life for the people of Michigan in a time when announcers were part of the baseball team as much as the players themselves.
As a bonus, here is an audio sample of Harwell's Hall of Fame induction speech in 1981, when he received the Ford C. Frick award:
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