Ernie Harwell was a gem of a man. An accomplished poet, inventor, musician, devoted family man, Christian, mentor…..and yes, a pretty good baseball broadcaster as well. 4 years after he passed away, we miss him today as much as ever.
I covered a lot of ballgames in the mid-90’s, as a
20-year-old college broadcaster at WFUV Radio at New York’s Fordham
University. I’d take the D Train from
Fordham Road down to Yankee Stadium, catch a pre-game meal, take in batting
practice on the field, watch the game and then collect interviews for use on
air. For a college-aged sports fan,
there was nothing better.
During one of my first assignments, I sat in the Press
Lounge, preparing to eat my breakfast before the Yankees’ 1:00 game a few hours
later. As I jabbed my fork into my
scrambled eggs, a hand tapped my table and a gentle voice asked,
“Would it be okay if I sit and eat with you?” It was Ernie Harwell.
I contained my shock and excitement long enough to invite
him to sit and join me.
Over the next half hour he shared a lot – tales, advice,
insight and perspective on the sports broadcasting industry. Much like the great Marty Glickman, he
seemed intent on learning my story and sharing his willingness to help. We had a great breakfast and he even passed
me his phone number, in case I needed a tape critiqued in the future. Did I?
You bet I did.
Later that season, while broadcasting in the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays farm system, I sent Ernie a tape and asked for his thoughts. Soon thereafter we spoke at length on the
phone, and he laid out some concrete, real-world ways I could improve. He ended the call by saying, “Rick, just keep
on keeping on!”
Today I counsel young sportscasters, and one main theme I
constantly try to drill into their head is to take every opportunity to learn
from a successful mentor. Ask for
insight and most of the time they will provide it to you.
In a day where much of our sportscasting culture is wrapped
up around ego-boosting soundbytes, catch-phrases and clichés, its refreshing to
think back to a man who was never too big to give back.
We all miss Ernie Harwell much more than we realize.
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