‘‘I’m not going to be scripted.’’

"He gone!"
"Stretch!"
"You can putitonthebooooooooard..... YES!!!!!"

Ken ‘‘Hawk’’ Harrelson once shared the booth with Don Drysdale, a tandem widely praised as one of the best in baseball broadcast history.

I have a lot of good memories of 1983, but is this true?

‘‘I’m not going to be scripted.’’

"He gone!"
"Stretch!"
"You can putitonthebooooooooard..... YES!!!!!"

This is what bothers me about Harrelson much more than the homerism. I don't really mind the homer stuff but I really don't like announcers worrying about catchphrases.

#3 Some catchphrases don't annoy me. Jim Hughson has, "Great save <insert last name of goalies>" -- always the same tone. There are worse things.

Slamma lamma ding dong!

When I was in high school, I would watch baseball on channel 55 out of Fort Wayne. They were part of the broadcast networks for the Tigers, White Sox, Reds, and Cubs. I remember Harrelson and Drysdale, and I thought they were just about the worst thing I'd ever heard. Harrelson was (and is) unbearably obnoxious; Drysdale was as dull as wooden as any announcer I've ever heard.

Ken ‘‘Hawk’’ Harrelson once shared the booth with Don Drysdale, a tandem widely praised as one of the best in baseball broadcast history.


I have a lot of good memories of 1983, but is this true?

Perhaps in the same way that the tandem of Bill Gates and myself is one of the richest in the world.

‘‘If they do win, he’s a very happy man. When they lose, he’s not such a happy man. And it all comes through the microphone. That’s one of the similarities he has with Harry: You could pick the game up at any time, and by listening to the inflection in Harry’s voice or listening to the inflection in Ken’s voice, you can tell if the team is winning or losing.’’

He has to be trolling, right?

I remember Harrelson and Drysdale, and I thought they were just about the worst thing I'd ever heard. Harrelson was (and is) unbearably obnoxious; Drysdale was as dull as wooden as any announcer I've ever heard.

From what little I recall of Drysdale's time in the Sox booth, he seemed like he was just marking time until he could take off and work for the Dodgers.

It's interesting to me that Stone refers to Harrelson as "Ken," which hardly anyone does. I don't have any idea what it means, though.

If these guys say it's all smoothed over enough times, maybe it will become true.

There was no hiding the tension anymore.

Now they'll be another boring TV couple that's already done it.

It's interesting to me that Stone refers to Harrelson as "Ken," which hardly anyone does. I don't have any idea what it means, though.

I think this was one of the more tangible signs of tension in the booth. Hawk would always say "Stone Pony" which I think annoyed Stone and so instead of saying "Hawk" Stone figured he'd needle Harrelson the same way.

Harrelson was pretty good from 1995-2005 but after they won the WS he should have put himself out to pasture. I grew up on him as the voice of Sox baseball and his nicknames and catch phrases added quite a bit of character to those 90' Sox teams but now he's almost like a soundboard caricature of himself -- every other word out of his mouth is some catchphrase. If he isn't talking about a "can of corn" or a "matt abatacola" he's fuming about the umps or some ####.

He needs to retire.

every other word out of his mouth is some catchphrase. If he isn't talking about a "can of corn" or a "matt abatacola" he's fuming about the umps or some ####.

I'm not sure if this is some Sox fan inside joke (I'm a northsider), but Matt Abbatacola is one of the producers for 670 AM, the white sox radio station. I don't think Hawks' trying to do anything when he says his name.

https://twitter.com/MattAbbatacola

Why am I defending Hawks? Ugh, I feel dirty.

I believe he refers to broken bat hits as Matt Abatacolas. I've yet to meet a person who knows why.

And Harrelson became insufferable long before they won the world series.

I believe he refers to broken bat hits as Matt Abatacolas. I've yet to meet a person who knows why.quote

Right, I watch 80% of the games, he's never explained it.

And Harrelson became insufferable long before they won the world series.

You can never go wrong trashing the Hawk but I'm one of his most ardent defenders. He's a crazy, arrogant #######, but he's this 80's child White Sox fan's crazy arrogant #######.

I have a lot of good memories of 1983, but is this true?

No. They were a boring team together. Harrelson-Paciorek was a much better team, yet vastly inferior to Durham-Paciorek.

The greatest White Sox announcing team was Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall, but they'd abuse the home team in ways ownership would never allow today.

I believe he refers to broken bat hits as Matt Abatacolas. I've yet to meet a person who knows why.

Gotcha, thanks.

The tape of Vin Scully announcing Don Drysdale's death brings tears and I hate the Dodgers. Vin waited until late in the game to bring the subject up and did it coming back from a commercial in the seventh inning.

Vin waited until late in the game to bring the subject up and did it coming back from a commercial in the seventh inning.

they couldn't find his wife (Ann Meyers), so they didn't want to announce it publicly until she had been informed