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!
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Dave Diles, Sports Director of WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) from 1961-1972 and 1979-1982, has passed away on Dec. 27, 2009 in Florida. Dave was also an ABC-TV Sports announcer covering the Olympics, College Football, Indianapolis 500 racing, NBA Basketball, Pro Bowlers Tour and Wide World of Sports programming. He was inducted in 2006 into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and was named an Honorary Lifetime Member of the DSBA in 2007. Diles served as president of the DSBA from 1964-1966. During his storied career in broadcasting, he spent more than two decades at ABC. He hosted the Prudential College Football Scoreboard Show on ABC for more than 10 years. He hosted one of the first radio call-in sports shows at Detroit’s WXYZ-AM, ‘Dial Dave Diles.’ He also spent time writing — as an Associated Press sports editor and as an author of several books including ones on Terry Bradshaw, Denny McLain, Archie Griffin and ABC Sports. Dave’s son, Dave Diles, Jr., was athletics director at Eastern Michigan University for several years in the 2000′s. The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association joins thousands of Dave’s fans in mourning his passing. Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
- DSBA Executive Director George Eichorn
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BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
As we approach 2010, it will be the first time that we enter a new decade with a vacant lot with plenty of questions but no answers, as to what the future holds where Tiger Stadium was a landmark at the Corner of Michigan & Trumbull.
But another anniversary passed that most baby boomers don’t know about and many of us old school traditionalists find hard to believe that time does indeed fly.
On December 15, 1979, the Detroit Red Wings played their final game at Olympia Stadium.
It’s been 30-years since legendary Red Wings Play-By-Play Announcer Bruce Martyn called this venue his home while his voice could be heard on radios in Southeastern Michigan.
The "Old Red Barn" which was located at 5920 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI, 48208, and is now the home of the Michigan National Guard Armory. The photo is on www.scottsports33.com.
Martyn was the voice behind the Red Wings 4-4 tie to the Quebec Nordiques on December 15, 1979 as a crowd of 15,609 watched for the last time.
I’d be curious to find out how many baby boomers actually know much about Martyn. I do know that the baby boomers are spoiled by the success that the modern Red Wings have had winning four Stanley Cups in the past 15 years.
But unless these kids study Red Wings history and look up at the rafters to see the numbers retired, then they should run a Google search so they’ll be able to appreciate the building that "Mr Hockey" Gordie Howe made famous.
The link to Olympia Stadium to Joe Louis Arena does have an interesting historical significance. As I just mentioned, they closed the building playing Quebec which is the same franchise that relocated to Denver, Colorado and became the Avalanche.
The greatest goaltender in Red Wings history is a player who wore No.1 very proudly and had his number retired. In fantasy land, it would have been great to see Terry Sawchuk face the Avalanche’s greatest goaltender No.33 Patrick Roy. Both are in the Hall of Fame.
Have to wonder if Sawchuk and Roy would have exchanged punches at center ice as the Wings tandem of Mike Vernon and Chris Osgood did when the Wings and Avalanche rivalry was at its peak.
The only thing that Red Wings Hall of Famer, "The Captain" Steve Yzerman didn’t accomplish in his storied NHL career was wear his No.19 jersey in a regular season game at Olympia.
But when I think of Olympia Stadium 30 years later, it’s hard to believe that using an old Ernie Harwell phrase, the building is "Long Gone."
Yet, the 15,000 seat building was the home to Stanley Cup Championships, NHL All-Star Games along with many other events.
During the lean years of the 1970′s, the Red Wings were known as the "Dead Wings." All Detroit fans had to cheer about was when Bryan "Bugsy" Watson and Dennis Polonich would antagonize opponents.
The playoffs were a rarity. How many youngsters remember when the Detroit Red Wings swept the Atlanta Flames 2-0 in the 1978 playoffs and Bill Lochead was the star of that series?
I’ll never forget when former Red Wings Center Marcel Dionne left an Original Six team to play in the sunshine for the Los Angeles Kings. When Dionne returned to the Olympia, a protected cover was created to protect him as well as the opponents.
But indeed the ironies in sports. The Nordiques/Avalanche were the ones that officially closed down Olympia and became their most hated rival in the Red Wings road to the recent championships in the modern NHL. I find that to be truly unbelievable to this day.
So the next time you watch the NHL on NBC, Versus, ESPN, etc. and they feature the Red Wings & Colorado Avalanche, it’s amazing that the history of these franchises are connected by two stadiums with a championship connection.
The Red Wings won championships in the "Old Red Barn" & Joe Louis Arena. Louis was a proud heavyweight champion and this champion (Louis) has an arena named after him.
And it all ended in one venue 30 years ago and began in a new one on Dec 27, 1979, the same birthday as the first 50-goal scorer in Red Wings history & current broadcaster Mickey Redmond.
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Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com. Buy his book, "Detroit Sports Broadcasters On the Air" at www.amazon.com.
BY GEORGE B. EICHORN of THE DETROIT MONITOR
Thank goodness for Pizza Pizza! As the struggling Detroit Three of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors cut their marketing budgets and support for the Motor City Bowl – to the rescue came hometown owners Mike and Marian Ilitch of Little Caesars Pizza to rescue the Midwest’s only post-season college football bowl game certified by the the NCAA.
The Motor City Bowl has given way to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, an annual Christmas week tradition here since 1997. The first five games (1997–2001) were played at the Pontiac Silverdome. Starting in 2002 the game was moved to 65,000-seat Ford Field in downtown Detroit. The bowl features a bowl-eligible team from the Mid-American Conference playing a bowl-eligible team from the Big Ten Conference – well, sometimes. As it has happened most often, if the Big Ten does not have an eligible team, the game features a team from the Big East or another conference that meets the NCAA requirement of at least six wins.– Marshall, in the bowl that we most wanted to play in," said Jim Schaus, athletic director at Ohio University. "It’s very close to our base, with more than 120,000 Ohio alumni within a five-hour drive of Detroit. Our fans have missed this rivalry, which is why we have a six-year run of games scheduled with them beginning next year. I can’t think of a better way to kick it off than in Ford Field at the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl."–21, before 41,399 fans.
Ohio University, runners up for the Mid-American Conference championship, play Marshall University on Saturday, December 26, at 1 p.m. (ESPN national telecast). The announcement was made on December 6 by bowl executives Ken Hoffman, George Perles and Lloyd Carr. It’s not one of three teams they wanted – preferring MAC Champion Central Michigan, Big Ten contender Michigan State and major independent Notre Dame – yet it’s what bowl organizers will have to work with. CMU and MSU went to southern bowls and Notre Dame declined to send their 6-6 team anywhere.
The Bobcats of Ohio University are familiar with Ford Field, having lost the MAC championship game to Central Michigan on December 4, 20-7. This marks their first appearance in the Detroit bowl. The Thundering Herd of Marshall is making their record fifth appearance here,the first four as a member of the MAC.
"We’re excited to host the first meeting in four years between these two traditional rivals," said Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Chairman & Executive Director Hoffman. "The schools’ campuses are less than 90 minutes apart, and from what we have already heard, the teams, fans and alumni are enthusiastic about renewing their rivalry in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl."
Credit goes to Hoffman and Perles especially for marking the bowl’s thirteenth consecutive year as a Detroit holiday sporting tradition. Little Caesars Pizza is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and was a natural to pick up the majority sponsorship, what with the Ilitch family enthusiasm for sports as owners of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings and lifetime promoters of amateur sports teams in this area. Both Mike and Marian are enshrined in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and he’s also in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"We are eager to watch these talented players compete in the first Little Caesars Pizza Bowl," said David Scrivano, president of Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. "Little Caesars looks forward to enhancing the bowl game experience for the players and the fans with special events and national promotions. Pizza and football make a great combination!"
The MAC East Champion Bobcats bring a 9-4 record, the Mid-American Conference’s number three pass defense, and the conference’s top positive turnover margin, into the game. The Thundering Herd have a 6-6 record and bring Conference USA’s fourth-rated defense into the game. The Herd played seven bowl-eligible football teams in 2009, including the nationally-ranked Virginia Tech and West Virginia. The Bobcats played six bowl-bound football teams in 2009, including narrow fourth-quarter losses to traditional SEC power Tennessee and Connecticut, from the Big East.
"We’re could not be more ecstatic about coming back to Detroit, and getting to play a longtime rival
The Bobcats are led by wide receiver Taylor Price, the university’s all-time leader in career catches; LaVon Brazill, the MAC’s top punt returner; and running back Chris Garrett, who led the MAC in kickoff return yardage. Ohio is coached by former Nebraska head coach Frank Solich. The Bobcats will have their hands full against Marshall on Dec. 26.
"We’re excited to play in a bowl that we participated in many times, during its years at the Pontiac Silverdome," said Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick. "Our team and our fans have had a great experience in the past. And this year, getting to compete against one of our traditional rivals in Ford Field, one of the premier sports facilities in the country on national TV; it is a great Christmas gift for our program."
The Thundering Herd is led by tight end and Mackey Award finalist Cody Slate and running back Darius Marshall, Conference USA’s number two player in all-purpose yardage. Marshall will be coached by interim head coach Rick Minter, who led Cincinnati against Marshall in the 2000 bowl. Last year, Florida Atlantic beat Central Michigan 24
The $500 million Ford Field complex is a beautiful setting for the bowl. Home of the Detroit Lions and opened in 2002, Ford Field has hosted an impressive array of signature sporting events including the NFL’s Super Bowl XL in 2006 and the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four which set an NCAA record for total Final Four and Championship game attendance. In April of 2010, Ford Field will host the NCAA Frozen Four. Other sporting events hosted at Ford Field include the 2003 AAU Junior Olympic Games and the 2003 "Basketbowl" game between Kentucky and Michigan State University that drew a single-game record crowd of 78,129.
The adjacent Comerica Park, home of Mike Ilitch’s Detroit Tigers, will be part of this year’s big game."We will have the largest Pizza-Party next door with all kinds of entertainment and reduced prices on refreshments," said Scrivano. Both Marshall and Ohio marching bands will be performing at Comerica.
Bowl gates will open at 11:30 a.m. on game day. Pre-game festivities start at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are now on sale at TicketMaster outlets by calling (800) 745-3000 and at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also on sale at the Ford Field Box Office and at the Ohio and Marshall University athletic ticket offices. In addition to ESPN cable, the game is broadcast nationally by MSU broadcaster Will Tieman on the Pizza Bowl radio network.
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BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
When a fan on Facebook suggested that the Miami Dolphins current home of Land Shark Stadium return to its old name "Joe Robbie Stadium," I quickly posted my comments and definitely agreed. I accepted two friend requests for taking such a stance.
The former late owner of the Dolphins privately financed the stadium on what was called the Lake LuCerne site by using a lot of his own money to get his team out of the aging Orange Bowl.
When I was working for the now defunct Hallandale Digest, Robbie and I talked about the subject regularly when he owned the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. He was so shrewd that at the time, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle prohibited cross sports ownership therefore he put the North American Soccer League’s team in his wife Elizabeth’s name, but Mr. Robbie was calling the shots.
Robbie told me that he didn’t care if he went in debt because in life we’re always going to be in debt. In this current economy, he’s totally correct.
But more importantly, Robbie told me that he despised the Orange Bowl and called it a "Museum" and even had offers to move the team to Orlando where it would play in the Tangerine Bowl. He turned them down because he was determined to keep the team in South Florida.
He chose not to take the Art Modell route and move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, or Tennessee Titans Owner Bud Adams, who relocated the Houston Oilers to Nashville. Holding a city hostage like other owners have to build a new stadium and threatening to move the team was not Robbie’s style.
The stadium Robbie built has had different names.
It’s been called Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro-Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium and now Land Shark Stadium. I didn’t mind the Pro-Player Stadium because it had an athletic identity. Dolphin Stadium was a natural fit.
In this day where commercialism does pay revenue for sponsorships and enhance a team’s revenue, it’s still gratifying to see some teams pass on that additional revenue and maintain the integrity of attending the venue.
I’d find it hard to watch a baseball game in Los Angeles with Dodger Stadium being called something else. Dodger Stadium was one of the first stadiums to ever be privately financed.
I’m glad that when I attend a Detroit Red Wings game that this facility remains Joe Louis Arena.
Louis was a proud sports hero in Detroit and the former heavyweight champion made this city proud with his success by giving Americans a reason to watch Boxing during his era.
The Red Wings four recent Stanley Cup championships have only added to the luster of a proud "Original Six Franchise" playing under the roof of Louis, giving this a major championship feeling.
A few years ago, I had a chance to pay tribute to Louis when I visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Approximately 45 minutes north depending on traffic and weather on I-75, late Detroit Pistons Owner Bill Davidson probably had many offers to rename "The Palace of Auburn Hills." But his privately financed venue’s name remains the same.
Ironically, Davidson once told me at a Pistons game that he used Joe Robbie’s model with luxury suites and amenities as a guideline to build his own arena. Now all new sports stadiums around the country have followed the lead of these two shrewd pioneers who were way ahead of their time.
Could you imagine Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Lambeau Field, Arrowhead Stadium, The Rose Bowl, Rupp Arena, Michigan Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo and the New Orleans Superdome being named anything else?
The Detroit Lions find themselves in an unusual situation because Ford Motor Company is commercial, yet the name of the corporation is still a family name with the venue being called Ford Field.
So as a tribute to my friends at Facebook and to a pair of owners that I enjoyed working with, referring to Robbie and Davidson, I won’t use a commercial reference to promote these corporations and refer to these traditional private stadiums with their original given names in all my media outlets from this moment on.
Scott Morganroth’s blog can be seen on www.scottsports33.com and can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com
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