Happy Baseball Birthday... Hawk Harrelson

Today's Happy Baseball Birthday is former big league first baseman and outfielder Ken "Hawk" Harrelson.

Kenneth Smith Harrelson was born on September 4, 1941, in Woodruff,  South Carolina.

Hawk went to high school at the Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia,  where he played golf, baseball, football,  and basketball.

Harrelson was signed as a amateur free agent by the Kansas City Athletics in 1959.

Hawk made his big league debut on June 9, 1963, at the age of 21.

Hawk played first base and right field for 9 big league seasons,  1963-71, for the Athletics,  Washington Senators,  Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians. 

In 1968, playing for the BoSox,  Harrelson led the American League in RBI, with 109, playing in the All-Star Game for the only time in his big league career. 

Hawk played in 900 games, scored 374 runs, collecting 703 base hits, 94 of them doubles,  along with 13 triples, 134 home runs, and 421 RBI in 2,841 at bats.

In the field Harrelson was a terrific defensive player, making only 41 errors in 4,101 chances, a .990 lifetime fielding percentage. 

Hawk played his final big league baseball game as a member of the Indians,  on June 9, 1971, at the age of 29.

After baseball Harrelson played proffessional golf, missing the cut in the 1972 British Open by one stroke (+11).

Hawk started broadcasting baseball games in 1975,  staring as a analyst on Red Sox games with Dick Stockton. 

Harrelson waa fired by the BoSox for his criticism of the teams players, and Hawk moved on to broadcasting ChiSox games in 1981, the left the booth in 1985, becoming the White Sox General Manager.

Harrelson was a less than successful GM, firing a young manager named Tony LaRussa, and his assistant GM, a guy named Dave Dombrowski.

In 1990 Hawk became the White Sox #1 TV announcer,  a job he is still doing today.

I love Hawk Harrelson...there, I said it.

There is no radio or TV play by play announcer with more love of the game of baseball and passion for his team quite like Hawk Harrelson and his beloved South Siders.

From his signature "...you can put it on the board...YES!"  home run calls for the White Sox,  to the "...he gone!"  call when an opposition player strikes out, Hawk Harrelson broadcast ChiSox games with unbridled baseball knowledge and passion. 

One of the reasons I love Hawk is that he loves the game, and will praise any player, on any team, for their good play, and criticize any player,  including ChiSox players,  for their poor play.

Hawk is also fantastic when he recalls the history of the game, including his playing days, and his tales of playing against the great American League players and teams of the 1960s.

Hawk was a member of the 1967 American League Champion Boston Red Sox, playing alongside guys like Carl Yaztremski and Jim Longborg, and facing down big league pitchers named Luis Tiant, Sam McDowell,  Mickey Lolich, and Bob Gibson.

There seems to be no gray are when it comes to Hawk Harrelson, its either pro Hawk, or anti Hawk.

Hawk has certainly done and said controversial things, but that's Hawk Harrelson,  and I think you have to give him credit for his consistency in the way he calls ball games.

Hawk is a 5 time Emmy Winner broadcasting baseball games, two time Illinois Sportscaster of the Year recipient,  2010 Ring Lardner Award winner, and a 2007 Ford Frick Award finalist.

To me, quite simply,  Ken "Hawk" Harrelson deserves to be in the broadcasting wing of the Hall of Fame.

Happy Baseball Birthday Hawk... "Mercy!"

PLAY BALL!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Rocky Colovito

Happy Baseball Birthday! to former big league slugger Rocky Colovito.

Rocco Domenico Colovito was born on August 10, 1933 in New York, New York.

Rocky attended Roosevelt High School in NYC, and signed as a amateur free agent with the Cleveland Indians in 1951.

Rocky made his big league debut with Cleveland on September 10, 1955, and came up to stay in 1956, hitting .276 in 101 games, scoring 55 runs,  slugging 21 home runs, with 65 RBI,  in 322 at bats.

Those 21 home runs started a streak of 11 consecutive 20+ home run seasons, 1956-66,  including three 40+ HR years, '58, '59, '61.

With the Tribe in '58 Rocky smashed 41 home runs, with 113 RBI, batting .303, and leading the American League in slugging percentage at .620.

In '59 the Indians slugger smacked a American League leading 42 HR, driving in 111 Tribe runners, making his first American League All-Star team.

Just before the start of the 1960 season the Cleveland Indians shocked the baseball world by trading Colovito to the Detroit Tigers for 1959 American League batting champion Harvey Kuenn.

Indians fans loved the slugging Colovito, and Tigers fans loved Kuenn, and neither set of fans were very happy.

Colivito and the Tigers would prove to be the winners of the trade.



One of my favorite baseball cards in my collection is the 1962 Topps card of him in his classic Tigers road uniform.

In 4 years alongside future Hall of Fame RF Al Kaline, Colivito smashed 139 home runs, 45 of them coming in 1961, along with 140 RBI, a .296 average and his first All Star Game as a Tigers player.

Following the 1963 season the Tigers traded Rocky to the Kansas City Athletics,  after a 22 HR, 91 RBI season.

Rocky hit 34 HR, with 102 RBI for the '64 A's, who then traded Colovito back to his original team, the Indians.

Colovito promptly smacked 26 homers and drove in an American League leading 108 base runners in 1965.

In '66 Rocky slugged 30 homers and had 72 RBI, making his final All-Star Game.

In the middle of the '67 season, on July 29th, the Tribe sent Colovito to the Chicago White Sox, who  then sold Rocky to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On July 7, 1968, the Dodgers released Rocky, who signed with the New York Yankees on July 15th.

The Yankees then released Rocky at the end of the 1968 season, Rocky's final year in the big leagues.

In his 14 years in the big leagues,  Rocky Colivito played in 1,841 ball games, collecting 1,730 base hits, 282 doubles,  21 triples, 374 home runs, 1.159 RBI, and 971 runs scored.

In the field Rocky made just 70 errors in 3, 516 chances, finishing with a .980 fielding percentage.

Colovito coached in the big leagues after his playing days, with the Indians in the 1970s and the Kansas City Royals in the 1980s.

Rocky Colovito was named to the Indians All Century Team in 2001, and was Inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame.

 Happy Baseball Birthday! wishes to the Rock, Rocky Colovito!

PLAY BALL!

Happy Baseball Birthday... Gordy Coleman

Today's Happy Baseball Birthday is former big league first baseman Gordy Coleman.

Gordon Calvin Coleman was born on July 5, 1934, in Rockville, Maryland.

Gordy went to Richard Montgomery High School, were he lettered in baseball, basketball, and football.

Gordy went on to play baseball and football at Duke University, and was signed by the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in 1953.

Gordy played minor league baseball in the Indians system before serving in the United States Army in 1957-58.

In 1959 Coleman returned to the minors, playing for the Indians affiliate in Mobile, Alabama.

With the Bears in '59 Coleman won the Southern Association Triple Crown, batting .353, with 30 home runs and 110 RBI.

Gordy Coleman made his big league debut for the Tribe on September 18, 1959, smacking a triple off the Kansas City Athletics Bob Grimm for his first big league hit.

Before the 1960 season Coleman was traded, along with Billy Martin, to the Cincinnati Reds.

Coleman would play the next 767 games of his big league career with the Reds.

The 6'3'' first baseman was a mainstay with Cincinnati from 1960-67, compiling a terrific .990 fielding percentage, handling 5,393 chances.

Coleman hit .271 with the Reds, collecting 642 base hits, with 102 doubles and 98 home runs, with 385 RBI, scoring 277 runs.

Gordy played his final game in the big leagues, for the Reds, on May 3, 1967.

After his playing career Gordy worked in the Reds front office, and on Reds TV broadcasts from 1990 until his death in 1994, from a heart attack, at age 59.

Gordy Coleman is in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

It's a honor to wish a Happy Baseball Birthday to Gordy Coleman.

PLAY BALL!

The Detroit Tigers...Baseball's Best

Yes, I know it's only May 19th...the clock just passed midnight as I began to write about my beloved Detroit Tigers, who just finished off a three game sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

The Tigers have won 6 straight games on their current road trip, and 11 consecutive road games overall.

With a 27-12 record, the Detroiter's have big league baseball's best record.

The sweep over the BoSox was the first time the Tigers swept a three game series at Fenway Park since 1983.

I tend not to get excited about my favorite baseball team before June, but the Tigers are becoming a fun team to follow.

The Tigers head to Cleveland to take on the Tribe tomorrow, taking a 7 game American League Central Division lead with them.

First year skipper Brad Ausmus, a former big league catcher with the Tigers, seems to be making all the right moves so far in his rookie debut.

It's a pretty good thing to be able to pencil in Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter, Raji Davis, Austin Jackson, and Alex Avila in the lineup every day.

Oh, and Ausmus just so happens to have a starting pitching staff of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello, and Drew Smyly.

I'm really enjoying Dan Dickerson's play by play of the Tigers games through MLB.TV on my phone.

Dickerson and former Tigers catcher Jim Price do a terrific job calling the action every game.

Well, that's all for now, just wanted to do a quick post about how well my Tigers are playing so far this year.

Go Tigers!

Today in Baseball...May 15, 1976.

Few pitchers with a 29-19 career record are remembered in baseball.

In Detroit, a rare bird took flight on this day in 1976, sending Tigers fans in a frenzy every day he pitched.

Mark Fidrych is revered by all us Tigers fans who grew up in the 1970s.

Fidrych was just a kid, not much older than we teenagers were.

I was 16 years old in '76, and the Tigers were everything to me.

Mark Fidrych was just 22 years old when he made his big league debut on May 15th, and what a debut it was.

9 innings, just 2 hits and 1 run allowed to the Cleveland Indians.

That amazing debut by the curly haired rookie was the first of 19 wins, a American League best 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games.

The A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1976, Mark Fidrych was the starting pitcher for the Junior Circuit at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Fidrych hurt himself running around in the outfield grass in Lakeland during the spring if 1977, and he really never recovered.

Mark Fidrych was the big baseball show in 1976, and we can only imagine what a healthy career would've been for him and the Tigers.

Fidrych was beloved by Tigers fans long after his big league career was over, right up to his passing in 2009, and continuing to this day, 38 years after he took the ball at Tiger Stadium for his first start.

To me, the Tigers need to honor Mark Fidrych, with a nice statue of him talking to the baseball.

We miss Mark Fidrych and that great big smile.

A special thanks to the DetroAthletic Company for the Fidrych box score on their Facebook page today.