Longtime umpire Joe West paid tribute to legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell in the most heartfelt way he knows how: The "Cowboy" wrote Ernie a song.
West, known as Cowboy Joe for his love of country music and the fact that he's released several albums, co-wrote "A Tribute to Ernie Harwell" with Bill Slayback and Fred Rodgers and sang the song, which tracks the life and times of Harwell, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 92, while tracing his own upbringing in North Carolina with parents who fell in love with baseball through Harwell's broadcasts.
"When the Dodgers were in Brooklyn and the little boys dreamed," West sings, "Ernie Harwell told their story long before the TV screens. Mom and Dad watched the radio as if they could see a ballpark in their minds where the grass was always green."
Ernie Harwell died Tuesday night, ending his battle with cancer at the age of 92, but his voice and spirit will live on forever in the ears and minds of many.
Tears were shed in the press box at Joe Louis Arena while the Red Wings were playing the San Jose Sharks when the news spread. As cynical and callous as reporters can be, this story was tough to treat as it was just another death because Harwell treated anyone he ever met like a friend.
Yours truly was one of the lucky ones.
I'll miss Harwell's greeting "HELLO! Larry!" on the phone and in person and hearing him say "Phi Alpha!" in a nod to our brotherhood in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
My first vivid memory of Harwell other than listening to him call Detroit Tigers games on the radio growing up in Ann Arbor, Mich. was during the mid-1990s at Tiger Stadium.
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