Hawk signs for 4 more years.

[philliesfiend55]

Ken Harrelson has played in and broadcast thousands of games. What might seem like a dream job to many is just routine to him. That's why I don't find his Southern Good Ole' Boy remarks or Countryisms to be annoying at all. He's just trying to spice things up a little with the personal background he brings to games. I like him as a broadcaster. Behind that Deep South accent (that some Chicagoans find distracting) you'll find a lot of astute observations of the game from Ken - as it is currently played. Harrelson has adopted as the game has changed and is not stuck in the past. I find some of the anti-Harrelson remarks posted on this forum to be overly critical. The White sox could have eased him out of his job, forcing him to accept a shorter length contract. Instead, at age 70, he was given a four-year contract. Apparently his employer thinks he's doing a very good job and that long contract, extending to an age that far excceds the age when most broadcasters have retired, was the White Sox' seal of approval of Harrelson's efforts.

PS: Tim McCarver brought his mild 'Tennessee Twang' to Mets' broadcasts for a few years in the late 1980s - early '90s and some New Yorkers couldn't stand him because he didn't sound like a "Nuu Yawka". I never undertstood that bias either He never faced that level of unacceptance from Philadelphians when he began his broadcast career for the Phillies in 1980 after retiring as a player.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Ken Harrelson has played in and broadcast thousands of games. What might seem like a dream job to many is just routine to him. That's why I don't find his Southern Good Ole' Boy remarks or Countryisms to be annoying at all. He's just trying to spice things up a little with the personal background he brings to games. I like him as a broadcaster. Behind that Deep South accent (that some Chicagoans find distracting) you'll find a lot of astute observations of the game from Ken - as it is currently played. Harrelson has adopted as the game has changed and is not stuck in the past. I find some of the anti-Harrelson remarks posted on this forum to be overly critical. The White sox could have eased him out of his job, forcing him to accept a shorter length contract. Instead, at age 70, he was given a four-year contract. Apparently his employer thinks he's doing a very good job and that long contract, extending to an age that far excceds the age when most broadcasters have retired, was the White Sox' seal of approval of Harrelson's efforts.

PS: Tim McCarver brought his mild 'Tennessee Twang' to Mets' broadcasts for a few years in the late 1980s - early '90s and some New Yorkers couldn't stand him because he didn't sound like a "Nuu Yawka". I never undertstood that bias either He never faced that level of unacceptance from Philadelphians when he began his broadcast career for the Phillies in 1980 after retiring as a player.

I would say there's a huge difference between Harrelson and McCarver. It's hard for me to believe that you wouldn't get tired of his style after awhile.

I don't really mind him going after umps or some of his catch phrases but everything out of his mouth is a Hawkism. Of course last night he brings up Carl Yastrzemski again. Why would anyone in Chicago care how good Yaz was in 1967. He should be announcing for Nascar.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

I don't understand why Hawk sometimes gets mentioned for the Hall Of Fame while Steve Stone never gets mentioned. Maybe because Hawk is a play by play announcer and Stone is the color commentator?

[9&10]

Could be the worst announcer I've ever had the displeasure of hearing. I can somewhat tolerate his canned phrases for a few minutes, but his homerism is downright horrendous! He makes no attempt whatsoever to call the game objectively. Yes, it's natural for the team's announcers to want the team they're announcing to win, but he takes it to an entirely different level.

For a good laugh, check out this website: www.heavethehawk.com

Maybe some of you who enjoy him have become numb to it, but as an outsider, I don't see how anyone can tolerate him.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Could be the worst announcer I've ever had the displeasure of hearing. I can somewhat tolerate his canned phrases for a few minutes, but his homerism is downright horrendous! He makes no attempt whatsoever to call the game objectively. Yes, it's natural for the team's announcers to want the team they're announcing to win, but he takes it to an entirely different level.

For a good laugh, check out this website: www.heavethehawk.com

Maybe some of you who enjoy him have become numb to it, but as an outsider, I don't see how anyone can tolerate him.

I don't really know anyone in Chicago who like him. It's usually outsiders or casual fans who like him.

Interesting site by the way too.

[ol' aches and pains]

For a good laugh, check out this website: www.heavethehawk.com

Oh my God, I love those "Hawkism" sound samples, that's hilarious! Thank you, now this transplanted Chicagoan can hear Hawk's cliches on demand.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Hawk was kinda funny tonight. When the Sox were losing and somebody made a bad play he said he's gonna need a 5th of vodka to get through this one. When the Sox won he sure was happy though. Sometimes I really like the Hawk.

[ol' aches and pains]

I wouldn't be surprised if he trots out "Sometimes I wish I could cuss" before the season's over.

[philliesfiend55]

Substitute host on Intentional Talk and former ballplayer, Eric Byrnes yesterday mentioned that Harrelson ranked as #1 in a survey of Most" Homer-Type" of bASEBALL ANNOUNCERS. Harrelson supposedly commented on the survey, "I'll take that as an honor". Byrnes then may have surprised a lot of his audience by stating words to the effect that (paraphrase) - "Hawk is my top candidate for that annual announcer's award the Hall Of Fame gIVES out neXt year". (Correctly identified by his co-host as The 2013 Ford Frick Award).

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Substitute host on Intentional Talk and former ballplayer, Eric Byrnes yesterday mentioned that Harrelson ranked as #1 in a survey of Most" Homer-Type" of bASEBALL ANNOUNCERS. Harrelson supposedly commented on the survey, "I'll take that as an honor". Byrnes then may have surprised a lot of his audience by stating words to the effect that (paraphrase) - "Hawk is my top candidate for that annual announcer's award the Hall Of Fame gIVES out neXt year". (Correctly identified by his co-host as The 2013 Ford Frick Award).

Yeah I saw that he was named the biggest homer and that is kinda funny that he takes pride in that. I hope he does get in the HOF but I think Steve Stone should go in as well.

[Michael Green]

My sympathies to White Sox fans.

About McCarver, I don't think not sounding like a Noo Yawkuh hurt him. If that had been a deal-breaker, Red Barber, Mel Allen, and Russ Hodges wouldn't have been so popular with their fans (Willie vs. Mickey vs. The Duke wasn't the only debate about the three teams), and the Mets' 17-year troika of Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy didn't exactly sound like they hailed from Canarsie or even the East Side.

[philliesfiend55]

Yeah I saw that he was named the biggest homer and that is kinda funny that he takes pride in that. I hope he does get in the HOF but I think Steve Stone should go in as well.

It's too bad that they don't put in broadcasting partners or teams. Maybe about once every five years the HOF ought to elect a broadcasting duo instead of an individual.

[philliesfiend55]

My sympathies to White Sox fans.

About McCarver, I don't think not sounding like a Noo Yawkuh hurt him. If that had been a deal-breaker, Red Barber, Mel Allen, and Russ Hodges wouldn't have been so popular with their fans (Willie vs. Mickey vs. The Duke wasn't the only debate about the three teams), and the Mets' 17-year troika of Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy didn't exactly sound like they hailed from Canarsie or even the East Side.

I have seen a few comments from Mets' fans expressing an "Anti-Southerner/ he ain't one of us" mentality back when the Mets used to put out a weekly or monthly Mets magazine, that was available at newstands all over the NY-NJ- CT metro area, but perhaps these were isolated cases.That magazine was on the order of Phillies Report or NY Rangers Blue Line - put out by journalists but not officially affiliated with the team. As independents these publications were able to print negative letters from fans that a PR-oriented publ. that was officially aligned to the team would have avoided. This type of magazine started to die off about eight to ten years ago due to the growth of fan websites devoted to one particular team on the internet.