Comments on: Hawk Harrelson: Total Homer, a Little Crazy, and the Best White Sox Announcer Ever

By: ReneeH

ReneeH — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:25:08 +0000

Hawk is the best Sox announcer evah! It’s a sin the networks and MLB won’t let fans listen to their hometown announcers during the playoffs and World Series. The homers earned the right to call those games. Games on FOX and ESPN are torture, especially when they use ex-Cubs as announcers. Why can’t a network announcer get through a White Sox game without mentioned “the Cubbies” or “the north side”? Harry was a useless, slobbering drunk. (The best Harry is a comedian doing Harry. Example: Harry on LSD, “Steve, your face is melting!”) Alex, so happy to hear someone else complain about Ed Farmer. Talk backward, he does. Annoying, it is. Huge ego, Ed has.

By: Gordon Palmer

Gordon Palmer — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:11:37 +0000

Hawk is one of the few great promoters of the game of baseball today. He gives his honest opinion about players, coaches, and owners. Hawk has showmanship that is a trait usually missing from most of todays announcers. He does not try to act flashy or talk about topics he knows nothing about. His love for the game is sincere, as well as his passion. Trying to compare him to a Harry, Steve, or Jack does them all a disservice. We should just sit back and enjoy listening to him and his unique perspective on the game.

By: JRod

JRod — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:12:54 +0000

@laura sands,

I am not sure. I wish I could help you. Anyone else know?

By: laura sands

laura sands — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:14:30 +0000

Does anyone know how to e-mail Hawk and Stone to submit an on-air birthday request? I called the White Sox PR number and they had no idea! I cannot find the e-mail address anywhere . . . help?!!

By: Chip Ramsey

Chip Ramsey — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:17:21 +0000

@lightning36, Harry and Bob Waller were AWESOME! One time in KC, Harry kept promising Bob that he would take him out after the game for ribs. The Sox were up 5-0 going into the bottom of the eighth, but the Sox pitching and defense had a melt down and gave up eight runs. Going into the break, they didn’t cut Harry’s microphone right away. He said we’ll be back with the score, Kansas City 8, White Sox 5. (SLAM) You can forget about those God damned ribs!

There was also the Rod Carew bit.”Bob, can you imagine it? The old west, a crowded saloon, then suddenly the shutters burst open and a man in a big black hat says ‘MY NAME IS ROD CAREW!’.”

By: Chip Ramsey

Chip Ramsey — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:09:17 +0000

Harry had a great line about getting fired from the Cardinals. “I was there 25 years. I thought I was going to get a gold watch and they gave me a pink slip!”

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:00:13 +0000

@Chip Ramsey,

Harry was let go from the Cards because he was screwing around with the wife of the owner. Harry and Jimmy were the best on the Southside. I do love Hawk because he is a homer. That is what I expect the hometown announcers to be…just like me.

By: KVB

KVB — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:14:22 +0000

@KVB, PS In 2005 the whole city had zero power because of a bad bad hurricane (Wilma i think).

By: KVB

KVB — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:11:41 +0000

@Alex, Funny you say that about Kay since I am in NY right now and had some time to listen (not watch) the finale of the Yanks and Sox on Sunday. I noticed he had just as much excitement in his voice on the Dye and Thome HR calls as the Melky HR just with a few added catch phrases like “The Melk Man!” and “Doin it the melky way!” I was honored to hear the female color commentator because I was giggling since I couldn’t get her ridiculous “oh my gaaad Roga Clemens is in the owna’s box!…” sound bite out of my head that everyone made fun of.

Either way I don’t mind Farmer and I’ve always felt I have to wait until the end of the inning to get the score update no matter who is announcing radio. Jon Miller included, like during the 2005 world series since I was stranded with no power in Miami and just my car radio to listen. Digressing, its always been that way and that won’t change especially in the age of the internet and access on cell phones now.

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:35:10 +0000

I agreed with everything you said until you got to Farmer. Farmer and DJ both have the obscenely annoying habit of constant Yoda-speak that just drives me up a wall, and now that the two of them are on the radio together, I can hardly listen to games anymore. Surely you’ve heard… “Swung on that pitch, AJ did,” “crushed that ball, did Dye,” etc. Not to mention that they won’t stop having guests on. You would hardly have known Buehrle was even throwing a good game through the first 6 innings of his perfect game because all they do is talk to random people. (Charlie Weis? This isn’t a football game, who gives a sh*t?) And perhaps the most basic gripe of all, Farmer almost never bothers to tell us the score! That’s the main reason people turn the game on 90% of the time, is just to get a score update, and you’ll be lucky if you listen to less than an inning before you hear one.

Farmer gripes aside however, I’m with you all the way on Hawk. I saw a Hawk-hater use Kay of the Yankees as an example, saying “You’d hardly even know Kay was a Yankees fan.” Considering he’s being paid by the Yankees to broadcast Yankee games for Yankee fans, that seems a d*mn shame to me. I don’t get why it’s “unprofessional” to be partial to a team when you are broadcasting for that team to their fan base. Joe Buck and Lou Pienella shamelessly rooting against the Sox in the playoffs in 05 on Fox? Now that unprofessional.

By: KVB

KVB — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:47:00 +0000

@russ,

Russ you are a clown, probably have an email address like Dodgerfan17 or LARussDodge@KirkGibsonlimp.com (only acceptable if you are 15 years or younger), and you should be able to appreciate a homer announcer if you are in fact a die hard fan. Vin Scully is one the greatest of all-time and I love hearing his voice. But why do all announcers have to be exactly like him to be good for the game? I guess you either love hawk or hate hawk and it is obvious you hate. But why do you want him off the air when you arent even a Sox fan? My suggestion is stop watching Sox games.

Lets put it into perspective as a fan. Beurhle has a perfecto through 8 innings before the break as a fan you want to hear what:

A) “Mark Buerhle has a perfect game through eight. We’ll be back.”
Boring. Doesn’t get you excited for the final 6 outs. Info given is just stating the obvious: perfect game, commercial break.

B) “Call your sons, call your daughters! Call your friends, call your neighbors! Mark Buerhle has a perfect game going to the ninth!”

C) Vin Scully announce the last out of a any big game victory.

Answers:
A is probably Joe Buck. 2005 monotone call, “And the White Sox have won the world series.” Thanks Joe I didn’t realize that while watching the dugout clear and mob bobby jenks in the infield. Also Joe, Don’t raise your voice you might wake the kids since the World Series starts at 9:30 eastern and ends after midnight.

B is Hawk and the more exciting one for the circumstance. Even if that is not his job, do you sit in silence during exciting moments and judge the announcers ability to emulate Vin Scully? Do you sit in silence, close your eyes, and let Vinny give you the only sensory sensation in a big moment? I hope not. I usually have to hear the call after the game because I am cheering at the top of my lungs with friends and family. Do you cringe every time WGN plays that country song about the Cubs winning “Go Cubs Go”? I do and I will take Hawk any day of the week over that with his YES! calls and THIS BALL GAME IS OVAAA! calls.

C is okay to say correct since you are a Dodgers fan. Geez homers are so annoying aren’t they? Sorry but thats your right as a fan and Hawk’s right as the announcer. He is the announcer and always will be. There aren’t many White Sox fans under the age 50 that don’t like Hawk. That is the future of the fans so expect Hawk to die in the broadcast booth. Then come back to the message boards and slam him after his death and we can debate classiness in baseball again.

If you actually listen to Hawk and Steve Stone discuss the game of baseball, you hear real baseball experience/stories, huge respect for the other teams they are playing, and great historical perspective from a guy who invented the batting glove and a guy who won a Cy Young.

By: russ

russ — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:54:12 +0000

im a dodger fan from california…but i too agree with heavethehawk.com..this fool is the biggest homer ive ever heard…i get wgn sports thru directv.com so i see a lot of cubs and sox games…im a huge baseball fan for life…if chicago wants a taste of broadcasting delight they should take a listen to “vinny”..or vin scully…now that man is the true definition of a classy broadcaster..he calls the game like he sees it, never ever does he refer to the dodgers as “we” or “the good guys”..thats the biggest pieve i have with hawk…he says “we” when he talk about the team..first off this guy never played for the sox EVER!..and second…im pretty sure hes not the one out there on the mound throwing 100mph fastballs and diving after line drives and ripping hr’s over the wall so why is it WE? “You dont do shit HAWK”! accept make a disaster of every game you broadcast…i hate this man and hope he gets shipped off the (BFE) with his bird nose……pecker!!!!!!put that on the board!!!!!lol

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:54:04 +0000

@JRod,

I agree…I don’t think Chip or Buck ever have thrown a baseball in their life

They not only suck the life out of the game…..but their lack of knowledge is very apparent….

By: lightning36

lightning36 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:21:39 +0000

1)Harry and Bob Waller
2)Harry and Jimmy

No one even close

Hawk battles Jack Drees for the worst of all time

By: JRod

JRod — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:31:52 +0000

@Rick, Amen! I cannot stand either Chip Caray or Joe Buck. There is no joy, no excitement in listening to them call a game. And believe me, when I call Hawk a homer I say it with the utmost appreciation. I love listening to the local guys call games. Most of the national announcers suck the life right out of the game.