Growing up listening to Harry Caray call Cubs games, I thought that he was the ultimate “homer,” openly rooting for the home team with almost no attempt at impartiality. But then WGN started broadcasting White Sox games with Hawk Harrelson doing the play-by-play ... goodness gracious. The Hawk made Harry sound like an uninterested observer.
I hear the Hawk do the Cubs-White Sox game on Saturday, and he was thanking all of the members of the crew. I had no idea that it was his penultimate broadcast. I wish him well in his new career as an “ambassador” for the White Sox (he wants to do it at least until 2020 in order to be involved in organized baseball in eight different decades, something accomplished only by Connie Mack and a handful of others), and hope that he returns to the booth from time to time.
But, for the record, Harrelson is only the third greatest Hawk in Chicago, after (i) the Wind and (ii) Andre Dawson from 1987-1992.
Believe it or not I never heard that the Chi wind was referred to as “The Hawk” or “Hawkins”.
Anyway, being a stanch partisan I greatly appreciated Hawk’s style, I was glum when the other team scored so why shouldn’t the announcer be too! And his stories were just the best. He may not have been a great player and as General Manager he fired Tony LaRussa but as a broadcaster? Aces.
Needless to say *I* think he belongs in Cooperstown. He invented the batting glove! Whether that’s true or not the story alone is hall-worthy. ;d