Ernie Harwell Final Tribute

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

It was 36 years and 51 weeks ago on May 11, 1973., that my Grandfather Sidney Morganroth passed away due to a valiant battle with lung cancer at age 55.

Now another close person has fallen to this devastating disease.

On May 4, 2010, former legendary Detroit Tigers Play-By-Play Radio Announcer Ernie Harwell, 92, lost a courageous battle with incurable bile duct cancer.

When Ernie announced that he had this disease on September 3, 2009, I knew this day would eventually come. As many prayers as I would say, I knew the day of mourning would cause me a gut wrenching feeling internally.

This was a man that I had so many memories with.

Ernie was a "Father Figure" to me.

When the Detroit Tigers visited Bank One Ballpark for a weekend series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, we spent Fathers Day together eating lunch while I drove him back to his Phoenix hotel the entire trip. We talked about life and baseball.

At 9:15 PM on May 4, my ex-girlfriend Michelle Milgrom Lebowitz Cinelli was the first to notify me of Ernie's death leaving a very touching voice mail message offering her condolences. Michelle, a native from Detroit, knew that Ernie was a mentor in my life and her class making this call, showed what respect and deep fondness that I still have for her!

The next call came from my closest friend and adopted older brother George Eichorn at 9:34 PM. For years, George, Ernie and I enjoyed many awesome times together with Ernie at Tigers games, at Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DSBA) meetings, plus we met at various places together for lunch.

That doesn't count the numerous times I spent with Ernie alone.

When I wrote my first tribute on Ernie Harwell on December 29, 2009, I had the opportunity to express my feelings hoping he would see the story and know how I felt about him. Eichorn made sure Ernie did see it by posting it on the DSBA website.

The best birthday present that I received was an e-mail that Ernie wrote me at 8:16 PM that night. It read, "dear scott--that for that beautiful tribute. you were much too good to me. love you--ernie harwell="

It took me two days to digest this e-mail. Ernie was always the most even keeled person that I've ever been associated with. He always taught me to do my best to stay as calm as possible despite the tons of adversity that we get hit with in life.

I've worked hard to get better with this and I'm still trying real hard to improve in this area.

Here is the e-mail that I wrote back to Ernie on December 31, 2009 at 7:44 AM.

"You're very welcome Ernie!

I wish I could have written more but I wanted to use the best memories I had, realizing that it wasn't quantity but quality!

You mean more to me than you'll ever know! And we did have a lot of fun together! You're in my thoughts and prayers every day! I don't think about you passing away, just that you continue to live life the way I've always believed it should and that's "I Live Everyday As If It Were My Last" but you've done a Much Better Job than the Majority of us out here. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH & Happy New Year to You and Your Family. Your e-mail on this date was the best birthday present I could have received on No. 47.

Thanks again and I'll continue to stay in touch and hope to hear from you when you get a chance.

Love,

Scott Morganroth"

I did proceed to write Ernie a couple more times but I knew with the tremendous amount of letters he was getting that there was a strong possibility he wouldn't write back. That proved to be the case but I was fine by that. At least he knew that I cared.

When I wrote my tribute to him on December 29, 2009, there wouldn't have been enough space on my hard drive to explain the volumes of memories I had with Ernie. So I had to limit it to the best memories.

You can find that original story in the archives on my blog.

As I was sitting at Denny's Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale eating breakfast with my housekeeper Doris Burks, I received a phone call from my adopted younger brother & college buddy Stuart Bloom at 7:55 AM.

Stuart also offered his condolences to me but what made Bloom's call more emotional was on April 29, 2010, his older brother Howard Bloom passed away at the age of 58. For Stuart to call me at undoubtedly one of the most difficult times of his life, is one of the classiest gestures I've ever experienced in my life! Here is a guy who was unselfish and put his pain aside to make sure I was OK!

I told Stuart when he came to Delray Beach for his brothers memorial that weekend that I would be there to offer him support under the following condition. It was that we'd give each other the "Biggest Hugs" we could and aside from telling each other that we loved one another, not many words would be exchanged since our "Actions Would Speak Louder Than Words." He easily accepted this condition! To this day, I'm grateful for the honor that he bestowed upon me for allowing me to stand-up at his wedding to his lovely wife Marilyn!

As she was for my back surgery, Burks was here for me during this tough time. She held my hand across the table as I was talking to Stuart and when the conversation with Bloom was over, Doris asked me if I was OK? My answer was, "No I'm not OK! I don't care how old Ernie was, his death kills me inside. A part of me died when he passed away, but I know one day, we'll be reunited one day hanging out for lunch or attending Regular Season or Spring Training games again."

When I got back to my house before the carpet cleaning guy was set to arrive, I showed her the autographs in my Sports Showcase. Doris gave me the sweetest smile and gave me timely hugs and kisses to show her support. When I asked this 75-year old woman who her favorite announcer was, the Chicago native said Harry Caray. I told her that Harwell and Caray are iconic Hall of Fame Broadcasters whose legacies will be unmatched in the eyes of baseball fans.

Although I didn't shed a tear and had the perfect shoulders to do so, at least I had Burks shoulder to lean on when I needed her.

At 1:29 PM, my Aunt Judy Strohl called me and she was always as supportive as she's always been. Judy told me that the Detroit area is obviously taking this passing as expected, extremely hard!

Finally, at 5:20 PM, another college friend of mine Bob Schultz, a Chicago native, expressed his condolences. He was quick to point out that I shouldn't take this loss too hard because of Ernie's age.

Schultz, an auto mechanics teacher in the Dallas suburb of Hurst, Texas., told me that he was mourning the loss of his 17-year old student that died four days prior to Harwell's death in a drowning accident. He talked about how nice the kid was, but being a sports fan, Schultz always enjoyed listening to Harwell's broadcasts on CBS Radio during the post-season as well as on WJR when the signal was strong enough. What a difference between the ages of 17 and 92.

I've always known that Detroit has been one of the best sports towns in the country. To see over 10,000 fans go to Comerica Park and pay their final respects to Harwell is just another major reason to feel how a city connects with it's heroes. I know that Tigers Owner Mike Illitch and President and General Manager were classy enough to interact with the fans.

Comerica Park was a great venue to say a Final Good-Bye to Harwell and as I found out, that's where he wanted to be seen in public last. However, I still wish there would have been a way to have that pubic viewing at the "Old Tiger Stadium Site." It's a place where Harwell worked so diligently to preserve and called the Final Game at Tiger Stadium. I know the City of Detroit is financially strapped but I'm sure Illitch would have found a way to pull this off. What better way to celebrate Ernie's life than at the Corner of Michigan & Trumbull?

Since his death can be viewed as a celebration, I'm glad that he lived to see his 92 birthday on January 25 and the New York Yankees won their 27 championship. It's only fitting that one of the greatest people and announcers see the most storied franchise win his last title while he was alive.

I always thought that if there was a man that would 100, Ernie was it.

But God was kind to Ernie and ESPN's story on December 29, 2009 written by Elizabeth Merrill that was titled, "For Harwell, there is still much to do" remains in my favorites on my computer. I've read it tons of times for various reasons! Now I've saved his other stories from the day he died.

I know that somewhere in heaven, Ernie has to be proud of all the people that he's touched with all of the tributes that he's received from fans, media outlets, etc. At least that he knew that when he was going to die, he tied up all of his loose ends planning a gallant exit. But listening, reading and watching these tributes of my idol, mentor, best friend, uncle and extended part of my family, just made me that much more proud of our association together that began in 1982.

While I know I'll never forget Uncle Ernie for obvious reasons, seeing him die in May near my Grandfather Sidney Morganroth will enable me to think of these heroes even more.

Although I know that Uncle Ernie will never see this story physically, I'm grateful that he was alive to see the last one. I'm glad that he was able to enjoy his family even more since learning of his declining health.

Even though I have travel restrictions due to my back surgery and would have loved to have been at Comerica Park to pay my final respects, my heart and mind were there as it has been so many times over the years.

When I completed this story at Hooters in Boca Raton, on May 5, 2010, my waitress Samantha, who was born in 1989, wanted to read this after I occupied her booth for 2 1/2 hours on a quiet day. Although Samantha hates sports, it didn't take her long for her to become a fan of Harwell's after reading this latest tribute. She told me she is spiritual and believes Ernie will read it one day in heaven. Just knowing what Harwell meant to me was all it took for her to realize what a tremendous person he was.

If Harwell is reading this, Good Bye, I LOVE YOU UNCLE ERNIE! I HOPE YOU REST IN PEACE!

Please send my best to all the baseball greats you'll be reunited with like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and many others. While Al Kaline may have accepted the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award for You on May 5, 2010, your legacy was etched in stone long before this honor. This was just icing on the cake.

The reason why I waited 11 days to post this is I wanted to make sure that all of my thoughts were in order so that I could express myself properly.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

December 29 Great Memories

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As I celebrate my 47 birthday, what makes December 29 so unique?

I've never failed a test or exam in any school because there were no classes to attend.

It's the last of 107 or 108 days in the 20's of every month depending on if it's a leap year.

There are 72 hours left in the year and there were 8,688 hours that have past to get to this date. In a leap year that number would increase to 8,712 hours.

As the temperature this year in Deerfield Beach, FL., hit 66 degrees and my Aunt Judy Strohl told me today that I was missing snow and 22 degree weather back in Michigan, I'll never forget my 16 birthday when I had to take a drivers test during a blizzard in 1978. Thanks to an assist from my late Grandmother Sophie Morganroth Jacobs, who drove my father's old Yellow Cadillac, I managed to pass the drivers test by using her vehicle despite the bad weather as I had an understanding nice looking dark blonde woman instructor who was very patient despite the slippery roads.

To date, I've driven 2.75 million miles in 31 years and taken several cross country trips despite the fact that I've never been a paid truck driver. There are too many restrictions in flying and I could make my own schedule and see more places.

What I've always enjoyed about this birthday is I haven't worked on it in 47 years and the streak remains intact. I have found that employers are just as relieved that the year is over and they seem to be enjoying the holiday season. The only way that I would put an end to this 47-year streak is if I became a Professional Public Speaker or had a Broadcasting/ Full Time Newspaper career. I have no problem going to work when it doesn't feel like I'm working but I'm having a lot fun writing my two Blogs today. The first was my Tribute to Ernie Harwell earlier this morning.

In this Blog, I'm going to list the top 10 Moments of "December 29" over the years.

1. While taking a 10,000 mile plus trip that lasted 35 days in a rental car across country, I stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah and not only did I have a chance to understand the Mormon Culture, visited Temple Square, and covered a couple Utah Jazz NBA Basketball Games, one of the local radio stations invited me to come back and left a ticket at will call at the Salt Palace to watch a minor league hockey game the day of my birthday to have me on as a guest during periods. They wanted me to talk about the route of my trip, how many games I was going to see in the different sports plus other tourist attractions, in how many days and how many states I was going to be in. Ironically, that hockey team would be sold to late Detroit Pistons Owner William Davidson which played at the Palace of Auburn Hills and became the Detroit Vipers.

2. On another Western Trip, I had a grilled cheese sandwich and hash browns with a trucker whose CB handle was "The Sting" at 4 am at a truck stop in New Mexico. We were talking for hours about the icy roads, where the cops were hanging out to give tickets, etc. Sand was the only way the tires on my Burgundy Buick Regal could grip the roads so I would have traction to avoid an accident. I relied heavily on my CB to communicate with truckers and my handle was "Scoop." But "The Sting" and I hung out for a couple hours to talk and as I grabbed his bill, he insisted on paying our checks insisting that it was my birthday present and thanked me for having a nice experience. I never had a cell phone on that trip, just a pre-paid phone card to use in pay phones & hotels to stay in order to stay in contact with family members and friends.

3. I had a chance to watch a Harlem Globetrotters Game at the Old Olympia Stadium in Detroit with my family featuring Meadowlark Lemon and Curley Neal.

4. I had lunch with one of my best friends Chip Namais when he worked with the Tampa Bay Bucs. I've known Chip since 1982 when he was the Director of Public Relations for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the defunct North American Soccer League. That night, another close friend Gus Pantelides, whom I've known for 31 years took me out for ribs at a restaurant at New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner's Hotel the Bay Harbor Inn in Tampa and bought me a Tampa Bay Lightning hooded sweat shirt.

5. When I was in Cancun, Mexico one year, I attended the bull fights during the day then I went to Pat O' Brien's at night where the manager bought me two of his famous Hurricane Drinks after I showed him the proper identification. I was real relaxed and enjoyed socializing with the crowd.

6. On my 30 birthday in 1992, I took the most beautiful drive of my life on California's Pacific Coast Highway 1 after watching the Detroit Lions lose to the San Francisco 49'ers the night before at Candlestick Park. I remember talking with former Lions QB Andre Ware on December 28, and not only did we have a good football discussion but I did mention the drive I was about to take for my birthday. He smiled, gave me birthday greetings and gave me a big hug and told me to be careful. The 16 hour drive from San Francisco to San Diego with all the mountains and water plus listening to great music was awesome. I can just imagine how much better the music would be today with satellite radio.

7. Birthday No. 40 saw me watch the Lions lose to the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field and after the game, I drove out to Eastern Tennessee., where I would hang out with a friend and we took six laps around the famed High Banked Bristol Motor Speedway. The $10 I spent for those laps was cheap and went to charity plus I had a huge adrenaline rush afterwards.

8. My ex wife Susan and I spent a great non sports day visiting the famous Casa Grande Ruins in Arizona in 2000.

9. While I can't count how many birthdays that I actually spent with my Grandmother Sophie, she was alive for 37 of them. To this day, she remains the most important person that has ever been in my life and will always be No.1. She is pictured with me at www.scottsports33.com.

10. Last but not least, No. 46 was spent with my best friend George Eichorn & Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame Broadcaster Ernie Harwell on Decemeber 29, 2008 at Ernie's residence in Novi, MI. We spent a couple hours together and it was truly special. Now that time becomes more magnified because Harwell was diagnosed with incurable Cancer of the Bile Duct. I also had the opportunity to visit many close friends in Detroit, received an abundance of phone calls and text messages. To cap things off, I enjoyed dinner at Apple Bees with My Aunt Judy Strohl and Uncle Bob Strohl.

The only thing I can say about this birthday is I'm glad that I made it to No. 47 since this was a brutal year which started out on a positive note as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. This was one of the greatest Super Bowls ever.

But major back surgery with a grueling recovery process in a tough economy made me feel like I was glad to make it to the finish line of a major marathon.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com

Ernie Harwell Tribute

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

A year ago today, I experienced the Greatest Birthday of My Lifetime!

My cell phone was ringing constantly as I received greetings from family and friends. I also received quite a few text messages.

The days leading up to No. 46 included watching the FAU Owls win their second consecutive bowl game with a 24-21 triumph over Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl on Friday December 26. This would turn out to be the last Motor City Bowl as the name would be changed to the Little Caesars Bowl in 2009.

Hours later, the morning of Dec 27, I had to deal with extremely intense fog but managed to make the nine hour drive down I-75 South in plenty of time to see the Owls basketball team lose a hard fought battle to the Kentucky Wildcats 76-69 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. If you're a sports fan then watching a basketball game in basketball country is a must see experience.

After using Sunday Dec 28 to relax, the fun would start with a "Lunch of a Lifetime."

My best friend & adopted older brother George Eichorn and I were going to Novi to visit with our colleague and dear friend Ernie Harwell. We spent a couple of hours together talking about life, baseball and anything else that came to mind. At the end, George, Ernie & myself took this photo on www.scottsports33.com.

By now, it's no secret that Ernie Harwell has Cancer. He'll turn 92 years old on Jan 25, 2010. I spoke with Ernie in September and a few times before that to offer my support. I do e-mail him periodically.

Nowadays, Ernie has disconnected his phone number and I'm sure that it's impossible for him to respond to all of his e-mails.

But I'm very grateful that I've known him since Spring Training of 1982 when we met in Clearwater, Florida (Philadelphia Phillies) and then I saw a second game in Dunedin (Toronto Blue Jays), where he had a second residence in Pinellas County.

We've shared so many great times at DSBA Meetings as well as regular season games, spring training, etc.

I wouldn't have enough space to list all the great times we've spent together!

But some that do standout have occurred in stadiums on the road.

I'll never forget in 1986 when the Tigers played the Cincinnati Reds at Tampa's Al Lopez Field during Spring Training. I did an inning of play-by-play on tape with Ernie. Tony Perez, Pete Rose and Dave Concepcion, Dave Parker, Nick Esasky, and Bo Diaz were just a few of the players on the roster.

During that inning, there was a Cincinnati player that had no number on the back of his jersey so I had to think of a name very quickly. That fictitious name was Wayne Jones and Ernie mentioned that in spring training there are extra players used that are not identifiable. We had a blast with this situation.

The entire experience of doing play-by-play was great since it was a lifelong dream of mine and even though I never had a chance to do it for a living, just having the privilege of sitting alongside of a Ford C. Frick Award Winner in the Baseball Hall of Fame, was extremely special.

When Harwell was fired by the Detroit Tigers after the 1991 season, our paths crossed again in Atlanta as we spent time together during Labor Day Weekend of 1992 while he was broadcasting a game for CBS Radio from Fulton County Stadium. Atlanta was a special place for Harwell as he began his broadcasting career as a member of the minor league Atlanta Crackers.

On the road, I'd take Harwell back to his hotel and we'd talk about everything. We had drives like this in Atlanta, Arizona and South Florida.

In 2001, the Tigers played the Arizona Diamondbacks at Bank One Ballpark during a June Fathers Day Weekend and we always ate lunch together before the game. Eating lunch with him on Fathers Day was awesome!

I'll never forget the time on this Fathers Day when Ernie gave me a "brown bag of chips" but I

declined to accept the gift. I told him they had no value to me. I told Ernie the only way I'd accept the chips is if he signed the bag. Ernie found a sharpie, signed them and the bag remains in my "Sports Showcase" at home.

What a weekend!

On September 11, 2001, the tragic events of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center dramatically changed the world we live in & the sports world.

At the time, I was a co-host of an Auto Racing Show called Weekly Wheels. My colleagues were Mark Allen, Gary Miller and Mary Beth. They counted on me to utilize my 22 years of experience at the time in Sports/Media to come up with timely material for our show since the Motor Sports Events of that weekend were cancelled.

I contacted Ernie a couple of days prior to tell him I was in a tough situation and needed advice on what to do. He told me that if there was any way he could help, he'd gladly do so. I asked him if he minded coming on the show as a guest to do a couple of segments and he quickly said he'd be happy to do so.

That Saturday Night, Allen, Miller and Mary Beth were in awe of Ernie. I surprised them by talking to Ernie and telling him to describe his greatest baseball play-by-play moment. Miller, who was was from New York, didn't know that Ernie called Bobby Thomson's "shot heard 'round the world" in the 1951 National League pennant playoff game on NBC Television in the New York Giants 3-1 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Thomson's winning homer came off Ralph Branca.

During the Weekly Wheels Broadcast, considering the tragic historical events of the week, Harwell enlightened us on how important it was to move forward. He mentioned examples of sports working its way though World War II, the Korean War as well as Vietnam. He understood the grieving period for us as a nation but also mentioned that during these conflicts that sports gave us all an escape from the conflicts we were experiencing as a nation.

The look on Allen's, Miller's and Mary Beth's faces were a pleasure to see as they experienced an opportunity of a lifetime to be on the air with My Hall of Fame Friend. For the fans of Arizona, it was their opportunity to enjoy this legend on their airwaves.

They didn't know that Harwell was the only announcer in baseball history to be traded for a player when the Brooklyn Dodgers' General Manager Branch Rickey, traded catcher Cliff Dapper to the Atlanta Crackers in exchange for breaking Harwell's broadcasting contract in 1948. Harwell would later substitute for Dodgers legendary Announcer Red Barber.

Out of respect, I'd always ask Harwell if he ever minded if I could call him "Uncle Ernie." He smiled and said that's fine. He seemed very happy to be a part of my extended family.

As much as I enjoyed our play-by-play experience together, having Ernie on that radio show during this crisis was the highlight of my radio career.

The next road trip for Ernie and I occurred in 2002 when the Tigers visited Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami to face the Florida Marlins. Approximately 30,000 fans showed up for the entire weekend series. As we went back to the car, there were Tigers transplanted fans who got Ernie's autograph and talked a little baseball.

The highlights of this weekend were taking Ernie back to the hotel every night plus having our pre-game meals where we would talk. I do admit that I was always nervous deep down inside taking this legend back to his hotel because I feared that I'd be responsible if he was seriously or fatally injured. My blood pressure was higher in South Florida because these drivers are horrible. But I kept quiet and composed and Ernie never knew it because I kept things buried inside.

But the thing that stands out about that weekend of 2002 was when I told Ernie that I wanted to write a story about his stormy departure from the Tigers in 1991. I told him that I would ask him some tough questions and asked him to kindly speak his mind. Throughout our friendship, when the Tigers terminated Harwell, I made a personal decision to never write or attend another game unless the team rectified this public relations fiasco so he had the opportunity to leave on his own terms.

He thanked me for my loyalty towards him. I said that he was welcome but some things in life are a no brainer and this was one of those situations.

Thankfully, Tigers Owner Mike Illitch squared up that mess in 1993. Harwell would work with the Tigers on television and radio until he officially retired in 2002.

But Ernie was totally cooperative and told me that the reason he opened up to me was that I had never done anything to betray his trust. That's the way a special relationship of any kind should be.

As I remember December 29, 2008, it now looks like that will be the last time that I'll ever have seen "This Tremendous Human Being." He's an icon to those who do and don't know him.

I hope the man upstairs gives Ernie the strength to live as long as he can. We know that he'll eventually pass away due to his incurable Cancer of the Bile Duct. But I can only hope and pray that he's enjoying all the precious moments he has with his family.

As I mentioned before, he'll always be a member of my extended part of my family and I'm very grateful that I've had the opportunity to tell him that in the past. But I've also told Ernie in the past that while I'm grateful of the interviews we've done on tape, the stories I've written on him and the photos & books along with the letter of recommendations he's signed, I'm glad that I've been able to tell him on occasion that "I Love Him."

It will be a sad day in the world when he does pass away. I can only imagine how much worse it will be in Detroit when that day does arrive. This event will be worse than some of the bad weather the area gets.

As I looked at the deaths of some of the notable broadcasters that were lost in 2009 such as Walter Cronkite (CBS News), Harry Kalas (Philadelphia Phillies), Paul Harvey (Syndicated Radio), Irving R. Levine (NBC News), Dave Diles (WXYZ Channel 7) and former Tigers legendary broadcaster and Hall of Fame player George Kell, it will be hard to potentially look at Ernie's name on a future list.

If there was ever a person that I thought would live to be 100, it was Ernie Harwell.

But to be with Uncle Ernie Harwell on December, 29, 2008, George Eichorn, and conclude the evening with my Uncle Bob Strohl & Aunt Judy made this a day worth sharing to all!

I know one day I'll be reunited with Ernie and we'll joke around about Wayne Jones. But there are not enough words in the dictionary to tell you what he's meant to me! Perhaps by now after reading this Blog, you probably figured it out.

But all I can say in closing is if Ernie sees this Blog, I just want to Thank-You for everything and being a BIG part of my life! If I'm unable to talk to you again, I hope you read this Tribute and realize that once again "I LOVE YOU UNCLE ERNIE" & God Bless & Peace to you Forever!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.