Ernie Harwell

For many fans, their lifetime of experience with the Detroit Tigers ensured them that when their team roared, it would be Ernie Harwell's smooth southern voice that would be heard above the din. After 42 years as the "Voice of the Detroit Tigers," the 2002 retirement of Harwell signaled the end of an era. This profile on the famed broadcaster provides the lesser-known details on the background of a Detroit institution. Known for his voice and talent for calling games, fans will be able to know the man himself and what brought him to—and kept him in—the Motor City. The only play-by-play broadcaster to cover games across seven decades, Harwell saw (and accumulated accompanying stories about) everyone from Babe Ruth to Ichiro Suzuki, many of which are shared in this entertaining biography.

Tom Keegan is the baseball columnist for the New York Post. He has worked previously in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and has been covering major league baseball since 1985. He lives in Norwalk, Connecticut. Al Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, and current front office official with the same team. He is a 18-time All-Star selection and a 10-time Gold Glove Award recipient. He was part of the team that won the 1968 World Series, a game which was broadcast by Ernie Harwell. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He lives in the Detroit area.