Is Hawk one of the all time greats?

[southsider2k5]

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine...rticle=0#artanc

 

It’s 5:30 on a sweaty June afternoon. the Hawk swoops beak-first through the back halls of U.S. Cellular Field, where the Chicago White Sox are off to their best start in years. A little bit Johnny Cash, a little bit Leisure World with his silver hair and black polo shirt over black slacks, he rides the air-conditioned thermals like a bird of prey—if the bird were a Boca retiree on a fierce mall walk. His cream Izod loafers flap across the plush pile carpet as he wings his way toward his broadcast perch high above home plate. There he will alight and—as he has done for nearly three decades and some 6,000 broadcasts—spend the next three and a half hours cawing out the play-by-play for the 100,000 or so fans who typically tune in.

 

In a nasal South Carolina twang thick enough to pour on pancakes, he ladles out what to some is the broadcast equivalent of comfort food, dipped up from his bird feed sack full of stock phrases: “Can o’ corn!” “Duck snort!” “He gone!” “Mercy!” He makes others want to put on cowboy boots and kick in the television screen. Such is the power, the glory, and the preternatural gift to irk of Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, who turns 71 this month, the most wildly polarizing and arguably the most reviled sports broadcaster in Chicago (at least on the North Side) and, perhaps, in the country.

 

Consider: GQ magazine named Harrelson and partner Steve Stone the worst announcer team in all of baseball in 2010. And in February, FanGraphs, a website devoted to baseball statistics and analysis, also ranked the duo dead last. Both sources made it clear that the abysmal showing wasn’t the fault of Stone.

 

To his supporters, Hawk is an original: a folksy, funny, salty character in a flavorless porridge of broadcasting blandness. “He’s a beauty,” says longtime Chicago Tribune sports columnist Bob Verdi. “He’s entertaining. He’s show biz. Of course, if you’re a Cubs fan and you’re watching him, your blood’s probably boiling. But I don’t think Hawk cares about that.”

 

To his detractors—and they are legion—he’s an insufferable, cliché-spewing caricature: Harry Caray, minus the cuddly. He is prickly, petulant, and apt to go off on silly rambles, they say, chattering about glory-days esoterica, such as the best player he’s ever seen at breaking up a double play to extend an inning (Carlton Fisk).

 

Mostly, critics rip him for his “homerism”: his blatant, in-your-face rah-rahing for the “good guys”—always and only the White Sox. But it’s the accompanying operatic rants against umpires (who make boneheaded calls against “us”), along with bitter dustups against a handful of people close to the game, that have ruffled the most feathers.

 

There was the Joe West meltdown of 2010, in which Harrelson repeatedly called the home plate umpire a “joke” and a “disgrace to the umpiring profession.” There was his ugly feud with former Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti—a deeply controversial figure in his own right after several brushes with the law—with whom Hawk almost came to blows in a press box in 2004. Most often, such kerfuffles were met with amused chuckles, a segment or two of chat on the local sports talk shows, and maybe a brief dressing-down by Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the White Sox.

 

But earlier this season, the Hawkeroo (as he is known by both friends and foes) flew a little too close to the sun even for him. A rant against umpire Mark Wegner during a May 30 game against the Tampa Bay Rays, which became an instant YouTube classic, sparked debate among fans and the sports commentariat about when enough is enough. Wegner tossed out White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana for allegedly throwing at a batter, and Harrelson launched into a Hawkian harangue for the ages.

 

“What are you doing, Wegner?” he screamed, his voice quivering with rage. “You gotta be bleepin’ me. What in the hell are you doing? . . . Here’s an umpire in the American League that knows nothing about the game of baseball!” Harrelson not only criticized Wegner but called for his suspension.

 

In the aftermath, tail feathers tucked, Hawk had to explain himself to Reinsdorf—the explanation taking the form of an abject apology. He was also called to account by the commissioner of baseball, an almost unprecedented occurrence for a broadcaster. Even then, while sorry for the outburst, Hawk couldn’t promise it wouldn’t happen again.

 

For years there have been calls for Hawk to go. Tune in to any sports radio show, read the comment boxes on any online story about him, and for every passionate defense (“Love Hawk and I dread the day when he won’t be the voice of the Sox,” posted one commenter on the blog South Side Sox), there’s an equally passionate denunciation (“The fans of Chicago absolutely deserve better than this. There is no way I could ever endure a full season of listening to his bulls***,” a reader posted on Heave the Hawk, a site popular among Harrelson critics).

 

Yet Harrelson has won five Emmys and, two years ago, the Ring Lardner Award for excellence in sports journalism. The latter honor puts him in the company of such deeply respected broadcasters as Ernie Harwell, Bob Costas, Greg Gumbel, and Brent Musburger. After everything, and seemingly against all odds, not only has Hawk hung on—he’s soared. The obvious question is how.

[tonyho7476]

You gotta be bleeping me!

[My_Sox_Summer]

There are two ways to be a homer, Vin Scully's way and Hawk's way. Hawk being so hated means he's doing something right.

[Princess Dye]

at what

[LittleHurt05]

He's more of an all-time "legend" as opposed to an all-time "great".

[Reddy]

There are two ways to be a homer, Vin Scully's way and Hawk's way. Hawk being so hated means he's doing something right.

exactly. if you've lived your life and done your job such that people either love you or hate you, i think you've gone about it the right way. You've done things your way, and you've stood up for what you believed in. I doubt for one second that Hawk will have any regrets when he leaves this game. And that's all any of us can hope for in our respective professions.

[Princess Dye]

he is good at being a legend, that i'll grant him

 

[klaus kinski]

He is-innovative, copied, entertaining, and has opinionated insights about the way the game is played that actually create thought when you are watching.

 

"It's all good."

[CanOfCorn]

Hawk pours himself into every game. Not every broadcast, every game. Which is where the rants come from. Where the silence when the Sox are doing poorly comes from. Where the broken voice when there's a big hit or catch comes from. Where "JOOOOOOE CRRREEEEEE-DEEEEE!" and "C'mon Timo! C'mon Timo!" comes from. He may not be the best play-by-play man in the game, but I'd like to see you try to find another one that matches Hawk's enthusiasm for the game of baseball.

[IlliniKrush]

exactly. if you've lived your life and done your job such that people either love you or hate you, i think you've gone about it the right way. You've done things your way, and you've stood up for what you believed in. I doubt for one second that Hawk will have any regrets when he leaves this game. And that's all any of us can hope for in our respective professions.

No. This is about as slippery a slope as you can create.

[2nd_city_saint787]

I couldn't imagine a game without Hawk, I absolutely love his style of broadcasting. I'll never understand whats wrong with him being a homer, I mean he is a White Sox broadcaster isn't he? I believe a White Sox broadcaster should, you know, root for the White Sox....He's an all time great in my book, no questions asked.

[NorthSideSox72]

He isn't even one of the all time "goods", IMO. He's pretty awful.

 

[Dick Allen]

I couldn't imagine a game without Hawk, I absolutely love his style of broadcasting. I'll never understand whats wrong with him being a homer, I mean he is a White Sox broadcaster isn't he? I believe a White Sox broadcaster should, you know, root for the White Sox....He's an all time great in my book, no questions asked.

I agree, and if you watch MLB Network or Baseball Tonight, they are always using his lines. They even do picks to click. Mercy!

 

Its hard for me to believe a White Sox fan would despise Hawk. If you ever listen to other broadcasters, you get at most about 1/10th the baseball knowledge that you get when Hawk and Stone are doing the game. There are a lot of things about baseball even the haters mention daily that they would have no clue about if Len Kasper where the White Sox PBP voicee.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Dick Allen

[Jake]

Vin Scully has a great voice, but he is as boring as hell. Hawk lacks the vocal talent of many broadcasters (though his voice is more than adequate) but he can actually make a game interesting. For the casual fan, he is an absolute must. My girlfriend hates when the Sox play on national TV because she loves Hawk's broadcasting. He brings excitement to a boring sport, it's hard to do.

 

For many diehards, it'd be even harder to imagine Sox baseball without him. I can at least understand a little bit how someone who watches every Sox game could be bothered, even if I feel the exact opposite. For Sox fans, I think it is a case of familiarity breeds contempt. For non-Sox fans, I'd be a little confused if they did like him. It only makes sense if you feel as emotional as he does.

[NorthSideSox72]

I agree, and if you watch MLB Network or Baseball Tonight, they are always using his lines. They even do picks to click. Mercy!

 

Its hard for me to believe a White Sox fan would despise Hawk. If you ever listen to other broadcasters, you get at most about 1/10th the baseball knowledge that you get when Hawk and Stone are doing the game. There are a lot of things about baseball even the haters mention daily that they would have no clue about if Len Kasper where the White Sox PBP voicee.

To be clear, I didn't say I despise him. I just don't think he's very good, and he is definitely irritating. I am not doubting his baseball knowledge, or that he might be a good guy.

 

[Dick Allen]

To be clear, I didn't say I despise him. I just don't think he's very good, and he is definitely irritating. I am not doubting his baseball knowledge, or that he might be a good guy.

I got the depise from the article. I get irratated by him every so often, especially when he goes on and on about the umpires or sends yet another dig at Jerry Manuel, but I think he's great.

[TaylorStSox]

I liked him when I was 12, but I'm a grown man now.

[bmags]

I like him even more that I'm older. There are so many games to watch, but I really get a kick out of the s*** he says. He's so damn sincere all the time. He really MEANT it that andy gonzalez could be special! I love making fun of the guy. I love when a big play happens, I replay it over and over and laugh my ass off. It might not be what I'd say I'd want if I were to choose a broadcaster, but he's mine and i can't help but love the guy. Hatelove.

 

DROP THE BALL

[Harry Chappas]

I like Hawk.

[iamshack]

I like him even more that I'm older. There are so many games to watch, but I really get a kick out of the s*** he says. He's so damn sincere all the time. He really MEANT it that andy gonzalez could be special! I love making fun of the guy. I love when a big play happens, I replay it over and over and laugh my ass off. It might not be what I'd say I'd want if I were to choose a broadcaster, but he's mine and i can't help but love the guy. Hatelove.

 

DROP THE BALL

I agree. I've started recording the more memorable things he says on my phone from my dvr so I can replay them at a moment's notice

 

[iamshack]

Btw, folks...this is actually a much longer article than ss2k excerpted. Make sure you click on the link to read the rest.

Edited August 28, 2012 by iamshack

[iamshack]

“He knows baseball backward and forward,” Stone says. “He does get a little aggravated sometimes. When the team is winning and things are the way they should be, it can be a delightful broadcast. When the team is losing, he’s not really too happy about that, and then the broadcast is a little different. That’s just kind of the way it is in Hawkville.”

 

Link

[greg775]

He is-innovative, copied, entertaining, and has opinionated insights about the way the game is played that actually create thought when you are watching.

 

"It's all good."

Great post. I agree. Hawk is amazingly good.

 

No. This is about as slippery a slope as you can create.

I don't think it's a slippery slope to do it your way and be true to yourself. I'd like your take on corporate suck ups. Those who do not do it their way and suck up just to get promoted. I'd rather be true to myself and make a good living and do what I think is right than suck up and do things I don't believe in and make a few more dollars.

 

I liked him when I was 12, but I'm a grown man now.

Hawk Harrelson is so much better than other broadcast teams. People say he's a homer. You think the other broadcast teams aren't full of homers? They just do it in a much more boring way. Hawk will be missed when he quits.

[southsider2k5]

Another great set of quotes

 

Harrelson’s colorful personality, like it or not, is his greatest strength, Stone and others insist. “The worst thing you can say about any broadcaster is that you’re indifferent to him,” Stone says. “When you have a unique style, as [Hawk] does, you’ll find some people who really dislike it and other people who absolutely love it. For every person who does criticize him, you’ll find I don’t know how many Sox fans who absolutely adore him. There really is never going to be another Hawk, and that’s one of the reasons I believe he will make the Hall of Fame in the next two or three years.”

 

ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine, a longtime baseball reporter, agrees. “Whether you like him or not, you’re always paying attention to him. That’s 95 percent of the success ratio for a broadcaster. Has he become a caricature of himself in some ways? Maybe, but the only way people can become a caricature of themselves is if they’re iconic to begin with.”

[iamshack]

Though by now he was a married man with four children, Harrelson decorated his pad bachelor-style: orange walls, black ceiling, white rugs. A sculpture of a big hawk clutching a rat sat on the counter of the bar. The backyard featured a multicolored fountain. His wheels? A tricked-out lavender dune buggy with velvet trim, four-inch-thick white carpeting, a bar, a small refrigerator, and a record player in the back—decades before MTV would dream up Pimp My Ride. As he notes in his memoir, the word “Hawk” was embroidered on just about everything he owned: “my slacks, my sweaters, my shirts, my jackets, my underwear, my baseball gear, and my car.”