Give or Take: 'Hawk' Harrelson

[Goodsox]

Originally Posted by The Chase Davis

I guess I don't see that. You'd have to give me an example of something specific he does that is sophomoric. I listen to him all year long and he conducts himself well.

You make it sound as if he's Howard Stern out there.

Do you think the example I linked to is out of line?

Totally agree Chase. I've been listening to him for most of my life and I love the enthusiasm he shows for the team. There is nothing more enjoyable for me watching a game then watching a strikeout or home run and hearing my boys yell "He Gone" or "You can put it on the board, YES!". I honestly think fans of other teams get so annoyed because these Hawkisms are used against their team and it rubs them the wrong way. I'm sure that if I was watching a game against my team and had to listen to similar things, it would get under my skin.

Outside of his goofy calls, he really does share some wonderful stories while announcing the game. Does he piss and moan sometimes when things don't go his team's way? Sure, but so do the fans and that is why I enjoy listening to him. He is truly a fan of the game and not some moron like Joe Buck that IMO is the worst announcer I have ever listened to.

[CONN CHRIS]

Really, someone needs to do one of these for Waldman & Sterling. :-)

[bear]

Originally Posted by The Game

No. That would be Jon Miller or Joe Morgan. I love Hawk's catchphrases & nicknames but overall I find him boring. I am sick and tired of hearing about Ted Williams, golf and what he did in Boston. Steve Stone I like a lot and wish Hawk would finally retire and let DJ move back to tv or bring Chris Singleton to replace Hawk.

Morgan gets my vote

[David Watts]

I don't mind homers as long as they don't spend all game running down the opposing team and the city and state the team plays in. Josh Lewin used to do Ranger games on television and everytime I watched the Rangers play Detroit it was like an Anti Pure Michigan ad. Josh actually announced for the Tigers, so maybe he had an agenda, but it drove me nuts.

[David Watts]

Anyone else miss listening to the old Braves television crew. The ones that did games for years on WTBS or TBS? I was a big fan of Skip Carey. Great dry sense of humor.

Living in Louisiana, I have grown to really like the Astros announcers, Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies. They make me laugh quite often and they do a great job of calling a game. I won't even turn on a Rangers game unless they are playing the Tigers. Even with Lewin gone, Tom Grieve is horrible.

[CD1083]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Anyone else miss listening to the old Braves television crew. The ones that did games for years on WTBS or TBS? I was a big fan of Skip Carey. Great dry sense of humor.

Living in Louisiana, I have grown to really like the Astros announcers, Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies. They make me laugh quite often and they do a great job of calling a game. I won't even turn on a Rangers game unless they are playing the Tigers. Even with Lewin gone, Tom Grieve is horrible.

I had a love hate relationship with the Braves broadcast crew on TBS. I hated the Braves but was thoroughly entertained by them.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by The Chase Davis

I had a love hate relationship with the Braves broadcast crew on TBS. I hated the Braves but was thoroughly entertained by them.

I agree.

[pstrickert]

wrt "Hawk" Harrelson: I don't mind him. But I wonder if he has anger management issues.

Because I have an MLB.TV subscription, I watch a lot of different games. In most cases, I don't care who wins or loses; I just want to see a good ballgame. Last night, I was watching the Phillies-Marlins game. The Phils were leading 6-4 in the eighth. The Marlins had the bases loaded with 2 out. Papelbon was pitching, Hanley Ramirez was hitting. The count was either 2-2 or 3-2. Papelbon threw a pitch that clearly missed inside. Not even close, really. Kirwin Danley, the HPU, called it a strike. Ramirez vehemently objected. He even threw his helmet down. Now, I couldn't even tell you who was calling the game for the Phils. But as they went to the break, they watched a replay of the last pitch. "Good pitch," one of them said. The other concurred, "Yeah, that was a good pitch."

During the commercial break, I decided to switch to the Marlins broadcast. When they came back from the break, the Marlins announcers (again, I have no idea who they were) watched a replay of that last pitch (using Pitch Trax). The pitch, as I thought the first time, missed inside. It wasn't even close to the strike zone. The Marlins broadcasters agreed that the HPU missed the call. One of them said, "You know how you can tell the umpire knew he blew the call? Because he didn't throw Ramirez out of the game, even though he slammed his helmet to the ground." One of them added that the HPU had missed a lot of pitches for both teams. And he said that the Marlins had nobody else to blame but themselves. They had not taken advantage of numerous opportunities to score more runs.

Quite a difference.

[The Game]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Anyone else miss listening to the old Braves television crew. The ones that did games for years on WTBS or TBS? I was a big fan of Skip Carey. Great dry sense of humor.

I would rather listen to nails on a chalkboard then listen to Skip or Harry Caray. Skip was like listening to a golf match without Feherty. Chip I liked to a degree.

[Kobie]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Anyone else miss listening to the old Braves television crew. The ones that did games for years on WTBS or TBS? I was a big fan of Skip Carey. Great dry sense of humor.

Living in Louisiana, I have grown to really like the Astros announcers, Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies. They make me laugh quite often and they do a great job of calling a game. I won't even turn on a Rangers game unless they are playing the Tigers. Even with Lewin gone, Tom Grieve is horrible.

I loved the old SuperStation Braves crew. Homers to a degree, but still professional.

BTW, Josh Lewin is from my hometown. #randomfact

[Kobie]

Originally Posted by bear

Morgan gets my vote

Morgan had a Morgasm every time the conversation (inevitably) turned to the Big Red Machine. Hated him for that. I'm sorry, but Dave Concepcion is not a ****ing Hall of Famer.

[Kobie]

Originally Posted by The Game

I would rather listen to nails on a chalkboard then listen to Skip or Harry Caray. Skip was like listening to a golf match without Feherty. Chip I liked to a degree.

dola

The Carays have progressively gotten better. Skip wasn't boring to me, just a little dry. Chip is good, except for his overuse of the verb "fisted," which has many connotations that are unacceptable on a family forum.

[The Professor]

I really enjoyed the old Braves TBS crew when Skip, the Professor (Pete van Wieren), Sutton and occasionally Ernie Johnson were together. And then even when Joe Simpson joined the crew. They made following an awful team tolerable.

As for the Caray broadcasting dynasty, I'd say it has progressively gotten worse. Harry was a homer, but also a fantastic broadcaster (particularly pre-stroke.) Everyone knows him from the "Cub Fan, Bud Man" days alongside Stone. His time in St. Louis '46-'69 and then again on the South Side ('71-'81) exhibited Harry at his iconic best.

Skip lacked his father's charisma, bombast, and legendary pipes. He countered with some of the most delightful dry wit ever displayed by a baseball play-by-play man. Skip Caray was hilarious in a brilliantly subtle way. I didn't find him boring at all. I just think his style demanded more from the listener because everything was so understated and salty.

I find Chip to be largely forgettable. Good enough voice, but less commanding than his grandfather, and not half as funny as his dad (except in ways he'd rather not be funny. "FISTED!")

[Groucho Marx]

Originally Posted by Kobie

Because it's extremely unprofessional.

And before you ask, when Harry Caray used to openly root for the Cubs, that was unprofessional too. I'm certainly not insisting that these guys be mindless automatons; however, there are rules for working media that some of these guys simply choose not to follow.

My favorite "Carayism".

"Hey! Six friends on mine just came into the booth, and they're all named Bud!"



You know, he lost his broadcast job in St. Louis because he was caught cheating with Gussie Busch's wife.

[Cooleyvol]

Originally Posted by Kobie

If you are actively rooting for either team, even in a college or minor-league press box, you will be asked to leave. I have seen it happen, and yes, I have covered hundreds and hundreds of sporting events, high school, college, amateur and professional.

Blatant homerism in broadcast media is kinda like Justice Potter Stewart's take on pornography.

IF you're working for an entity that is not employed by either team. College broadcasters openly root for their team. Groups like CBS announcers, I understand, have to be neutral.


Harry worked for the Cubs and broadcast on a Cubs network. Not ESPN, CBS, etc. I watched a lot of Cub games as a teenager and never had a problem with Harry's rooting for the Cubs. That was part of his job, IMO. He wanted to transform himself into your sole buddy watching the game with you on the couch drinking beer together.

[CD1083]

Originally Posted by Cooleyvol

IF you're working for an entity that is not employed by either team. College broadcasters openly root for their team. Groups like CBS announcers, I understand, have to be neutral.


Harry worked for the Cubs and broadcast on a Cubs network. Not ESPN, CBS, etc. I watched a lot of Cub games as a teenager and never had a problem with Harry's rooting for the Cubs. That was part of his job, IMO. He wanted to transform himself into your sole buddy watching the game with you on the couch drinking beer together.

This is how I feel. Being a Sox fan means I'm more tolerable of Harrelson's schtick than others.

I grew up in the midwest and listened to Carrey all the time and part of his charm was the love he had for the Cubs.

[RchW]

I heard someone report yesterday that he heard the White Sox radio guys calling for Brett Lawrie to be hit in the head during pick off throws. As in "don't try to pick him off, hit him, get him out of the game".

If true these people should be hauled on the carpet and fired. There is a line and calling for an opposing player to be injured is crossing it.

Anybody know who these clowns are?

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by RchW

I heard someone report yesterday that he heard the White Sox radio guys calling for Brett Lawrie to be hit in the head during pick off throws. As in "don't try to pick him off, hit him, get him out of the game".

If true these people should be hauled on the carpet and fired. There is a line and calling for an opposing player to be injured is crossing it.

Anybody know who these clowns are?

Does Ed Farmer still do radio for the Sox?

[CONN CHRIS]

This is pretty funny from heavethehawk.com The funniest bit is that he should have been a Sox fan when he was GM - Ha!

10 Reasons Why “The Hawk” Must Go:
1. Repetitive nature. See Hawkisms. The Hawk has "described" the events in a ballgame with the same lame catch phrases for over 20 seasons.

2. Homer. The Hawk is more cheerleader than broadcaster. He calls the Sox the “good guys,” and the opponents, “bad guys.” Why is Harrelson such a rabid Sox fan anyway? It's weird. He should have been a fan when he was General Manager.

3. Hillbilly. The fair city of Chicago is the third largest media market in the country. So why must we listen to a South Carolinian carnival barker with NO White Sox connection? But wait, he was GM, you say? Yes, read on.

4. GM Schmee-Em. Harrelson's .239 career batting average looks good compared to his run as Sox GM in 1986. He fired Tony LaRussa, the most successful manager in the game today, over personal differences. He traded Bobby Bonilla for a pitching machine (Jose DeLeon). He almost single-handedly sent the team to Florida. How can any self-respecting Sox fan support The Hawk?

5. "The Best at this/that." You can count on The Hawk to tell you who the best player in any particular situation is- no matter how specific. “Nobody can draw a walk in a day game like Carl Yastrzemski, DJ. Nobody. He's the best I've ever seen at that.'”

6. Playing Daze. The Hawk yaps incessantly about what it was like when he played. "We used to play with cow patties...we had cow patty bases...cow patty balls..."

7.Yastrzemski man-crush. When he's extra fired up, Harrelson shows evidence of a disturbing Carl Yastrzemski man-crush, gushing about the BoSox slugger for innings at a time.

8. Dead Air. The Hawk often says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for minutes at a time, especially when the Sox are losing.

9. Jay Mariotti obsession. The Hawk regularly wastes valuble air time confronting his arch nemesis, Jay Mariotti. Just call the game, Harrelson. Don't be such a baby.

10. Because he sounds like that Boomhauer guy from "King of the Hill."