Is Hawk one of the all time greats?

[iamshack]

In fact, when the White Sox hired him in 1982, pairing him with the pitching great Don Drysdale, he was given express orders from owner Jerry Reinsdorf to play it straight. “I told them, ‘I do not want you rooting on the air for the home team. I want this to be a network-quality broadcast,’ ” Reinsdorf says. “So that’s what they gave me.”

 

The response? “Our fans were up in arms,” Reinsdorf answers with a laugh. “The Chicago market wants a homer. That’s why he does the homer routine. I personally don’t like it, but that’s what our fans want.”

Edited August 28, 2012 by iamshack

[The Ultimate Champion]

Hawk is THE greatest of all time.

[BigEdWalsh]

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.

You said it, Greg.

Oh, and f*** GQ magazine.

[iamshack]

And yet anyone who sees how agitated Hawk still can get when working a ball game can tell that he hasn’t fundamentally changed and likely never will. “To me, baseball is an emotional game,” he says. “It’s a game of passion. There’s not one person in this stadium tonight or one person who has a White Sox uniform on that hurts more than I do when we lose a game or is happier if we win. That’s just the way I’m built. That’s just the way I was built by my mom.

 

“I am proud to be known as the biggest homer in baseball,” Harrelson continues, a broad smile spreading under the big beak. “Proud to be. I wear that as a badge of honor.”

 

Absolutely love this about Hawk.

Edited August 28, 2012 by iamshack

[southsider2k5]

Absolutely love this about Hawk.

 

I think it was makes him such a good announcer. When I first started broadcasting I tried to be neutral, and it was boring as hell, and it didn't sound good. Once I started pulling for the home team on the air, I felt like the broadcast sounded more like a hometown broadcast, and people responded to it better.

[iamshack]

I have to go out and get his book...

[2nd_city_saint787]

I love his predictability as well, as silly as that may sound...I love watching a game and saying what he's about to say before he says it, it's rather enjoyable to me, never gets old. When he's gone I'm gonna really miss that.

[sunofgold]

You don't have to be great to be dangerous. However the double H is dangerously great.

[Jake]

Don't stop now boys!

[Princess Dye]

I too cannot imagine the Sox without Hawk one day. But that says nothing about his quality, just his longevity.

 

It has to be said -- his inability to be open to new developments in baseball just absolutely hurt how seriously we can take him. His allergy to statistics (of almost any sort) and the fact he almost never acknowledges PED's influence on the game, under any context EVER, indicates that he'd rather live in his own fantasy world forever than get with the times and provide the information we need as viewers.

 

He should want to be a better announcer, instead of settling for being The Hawk, year-in, year-out.

 

I actually do like his sayings and HR call, which are what more people probably dislike than anything I listed

Edited August 28, 2012 by Jose Paniagua

[Jake]

I think Hawk is a huge fan of instant replay and in general likes things like the expansion of the playoffs, etc. It would be wildly unprofessional for a broadcaster that travels with the team to say much of anything about PEDs. You can't really say anything about it without feeling compelled to talk about WHO and since he actually goes face to face with pro baseball players, he probably would rather ignore the subject until it affects our own team.

 

He also rocks that iPad

[2nd_city_saint787]

I too cannot imagine the Sox without Hawk one day. But that says nothing about his quality, just his longevity.

 

It has to be said -- his inability to be open to new developments in baseball just absolutely hurt how seriously we can take him. His allergy to statistics (of almost any sort) and the fact he almost never acknowledges PED's influence on the game, under any context EVER, indicates that he'd rather live in his own fantasy world forever than get with the times and provide the information we need as viewers.

 

He should want to be a better announcer, instead of settling for being The Hawk, year-in, year-out.

 

I actually do like his sayings and HR call, which are what more people probably dislike than anything I listed

 

 

What sort of statistics do you want to hear him talk about??

 

And why should we care about PEDs if none of our players are using them....Thats for ESPN to overkill. I'm glad he doesn't bring it up.

 

What does he he need to do to be a better announcer?

 

[NorthSideSox72]

What does he he need to do to be a better announcer?

 

He could start by getting rid of the tons of dead air he leaves. And getting rid of some of the irritating, drawl-laden catch phrases. A few of those are OK, but he does it to a cartoonish level. He also gets way the heck off game topic far too often. And frankly, he is almost incapable of doing PBP, which is a problem when he's in the booth with another analyst type like Stone (except Stone actually analyzes the game at hand, not games that happened decades ago).

 

Part of the problem with the current team isn't either of their faults - they are both analysts, not PBP guys, and you really need one of each to make it work well.

 

[Dick Allen]

I wish I could cuss.

[Jake]

I like Stone, but he's put on a God level just because he's even-keeled and speaks in absolutes. He kills me by frequently calling pitches incorrectly. The best thing he does is hit you with some dry humor when you're not ready for it and the next best thing he does is narrate some of the things that Hawk would be too pissed to say. Gimme some Darrin Jackson, he ended up being a great match for Hawk by the end of his run. Now DJ is stinking up our radio broadcast, the only redeeming quality of which is the frequent awkward back and forth between Farmer and DJ

[Jake]

I wish I could cuss.

 

Does anyone here remember the near-revolution when Soxtalk added swearing filters?

[NorthSideSox72]

I like Stone, but he's put on a God level just because he's even-keeled and speaks in absolutes. He kills me by frequently calling pitches incorrectly. The best thing he does is hit you with some dry humor when you're not ready for it and the next best thing he does is narrate some of the things that Hawk would be too pissed to say. Gimme some Darrin Jackson, he ended up being a great match for Hawk by the end of his run. Now DJ is stinking up our radio broadcast, the only redeeming quality of which is the frequent awkward back and forth between Farmer and DJ

 

Anyone I've ever talked to about Stone, the reason they like him is because he is very knowledgeable, and shows it with his in-game analysis. No one likes him because he is "even-keeled", they like him because he is a good analyst.

 

[2nd_city_saint787]

Play by play in baseball is overrated. If youre watching the game you don't need play by play, baseballs a simple game.

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Play by play in baseball is overrated. If youre watching the game you don't need play by play, baseballs a simple game.

Then I think you are missing the point of play-by-play. But that's obviously subjective, it is just my view that PBP is an essential part of making it work. Not because you can't tell what is going on, but because when done well, it adds color and emphasis - almost like the soundtrack to a movie, but more direct.

 

That said, I'd be happy if Hawk was just good at one or the other - PBP or analysis. I don't find him to be good at either. Stone is at least good at one of them.

 

[iamshack]

He could start by getting rid of the tons of dead air he leaves. And getting rid of some of the irritating, drawl-laden catch phrases. A few of those are OK, but he does it to a cartoonish level. He also gets way the heck off game topic far too often. And frankly, he is almost incapable of doing PBP, which is a problem when he's in the booth with another analyst type like Stone (except Stone actually analyzes the game at hand, not games that happened decades ago).

 

Part of the problem with the current team isn't either of their faults - they are both analysts, not PBP guys, and you really need one of each to make it work well.

Honestly, you are watching the game on television. You can see exactly what is happening in HD, down to the blades of grass on the field. I don't feel like we really need play-by-play in depth as what you might once have needed. I actually enjoy hearing more background stuff or philosophical discussions about the game rather than the guy repeating the same things over and over in describing something that I can see with my very own eyes quite well.

 

As described in the article, however, he certainly is polarizing, and you are obviously one of those who feels he has overstayed his welcome. That's your opinion and you have your right to that.

 

But that's where it ends...it is your opinion, not fact...so quit stating it as such.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Then I think you are missing the point of play-by-play. But that's obviously subjective, it is just my view that PBP is an essential part of making it work. Not because you can't tell what is going on, but because when done well, it adds color and emphasis - almost like the soundtrack to a movie, but more direct.

 

That said, I'd be happy if Hawk was just good at one or the other - PBP or analysis. I don't find him to be good at either. Stone is at least good at one of them.

 

I'd rather be entertained then hear what I'm seeing.

 

 

[southsider2k5]

Honestly, you are watching the game on television. You can see exactly what is happening in HD, down to the blades of grass on the field. I don't feel like we really need play-by-play in depth as what you might once have needed. I actually enjoy hearing more background stuff or philosophical discussions about the game rather than the guy repeating the same things over and over in describing something that I can see with my very own eyes quite well.

 

As described in the article, however, he certainly is polarizing, and you are obviously one of those who feels he has overstayed his welcome. That's your opinion and you have your right to that.

 

But that's where it ends...it is your opinion, not fact...so quit stating it as such.

Everyone is stating opinions in this thread. The whole idea of "good" and "bad" broadcasting is 100% subjective.

[iamshack]

Everyone is stating opinions in this thread. The whole idea of "good" and "bad" broadcasting is 100% subjective.

They should be stated as such then.

 

Obviously it would be quite foolish of me to criticize someone for stating their opinion as fact if I was then stating my opinion as fact.

 

Thus, I state what it is that I enjoy about his broadcasting.

 

However, I suppose someone did ask NSS what he thought, so he was merely responding to a question that was asked of him.

 

My mistake.

[NorthSideSox72]

What does he he need to do to be a better announcer?

 

 

He could start by getting rid of the tons of dead air he leaves. And getting rid of some of the irritating, drawl-laden catch phrases. A few of those are OK, but he does it to a cartoonish level. He also gets way the heck off game topic far too often. And frankly, he is almost incapable of doing PBP, which is a problem when he's in the booth with another analyst type like Stone (except Stone actually analyzes the game at hand, not games that happened decades ago).

 

Part of the problem with the current team isn't either of their faults - they are both analysts, not PBP guys, and you really need one of each to make it work well.

 

 

But that's where it ends...it is your opinion, not fact...so quit stating it as such.

 

What are you talking about? A poster asked what he could do to be better, and I answered. Where did I state anything in your quoted post as "fact"? I was stating my opinions.

 

[lasttriptotulsa]

I'd rather be entertained then hear what I'm seeing.

 

I agree. I don't think Hawk could ever be a radio PBP guy, but on TV I think he's fine. You can see whats happening on TV so you don't need to be told what's happening every second like you do on the radio. As a matter of fact, I sometimes like a little "dead air" because it helps me pick up a little of the sounds and atmosphere around the ballpark without somebody talking over all the sounds all the time.