The end of the Hawk Harrelson Era approaches. The White Sox mapped it out for everybody with a media release on Tuesday, and here’s what the home stretch includes:
Sunday, Aug. 19: Paul Konerko guest-stars
The famously introspective first baseman will ride shotgun with Harrelson for the game against the Royals.
Sunday, Sept. 2: Hawk Day at Guaranteed Rate Field
The White Sox will give away Hawk Harrelson Nesting Dolls (see above) to the first 10,000 fans. A.J. Pierzynski will join him in the broadcast booth, perhaps giving Sox fans somebody who can tell stories about Hawk for once.
Thursday, Sept. 13: The “Hawk” documentary airs
Every attempt at telling Harrelson’s life story is a single-sourced escapade with no attempts to verify the information or provide any additional context. That sounds like me being Fact Cop During Story Time, but it’s more being curious about how much the Hawk persona alluded to in the trailer distorts the information.
One of the most colorful and influential personalities in baseball HISTORY!
The @whitesox and @NBCSChicago announce a joint production of a brand new documentary that chronicles the life and career of Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. Learn more about #HawkDoc: https://t.co/Y9ua9iQKVi pic.twitter.com/fQBJ6szVzq
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) August 13, 2018
I’m guessing this will be a hagiography than a truly honest accounting, but at least we’ll have other people weighing in on the Hawk/Ken dichotomy. It airs 7 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago.
Sunday, Sept. 23: The final broadcast
Harrelson will call his last regularly scheduled game for the Sox against the Cubs before slipping into a team ambassador role in 2019. (The Sox are saying that 2019 marks the start of Harrelson’s sorely desired eighth decade in baseball, even though Hawk in the past has said he needed to get to 2020.)
The Sox offer no additional information, although since warm, easy banter with Steve Stone won’t be the draw, I’m guessing the booth will be a carousel of well-wishers, or maybe everybody at the same time.
I’d love to see AJ in the booth more often. I’m not sure what he does now or where he lives, but I’d much prefer him in there instead of Wimpy when Stone is out. Wimpy is just bad lately. Of course, I’m not sure AJ would make it through a whole game of Benetti jokes before trying to choke him out.
Pierzynski is an analyst for Fox.
And a funny one. During the Nationals-Cubs broadcast last week, significant time went to his fight with Michael Barrett at Wrigley. When called upon to endorse sponsor Swiffer, he discussed its merits for his not-entirely-housebroken dog.
I have a feeling Pierzynski will be Stone’s permanent replacement whenever that day comes.
Wimpy is a national treasure. You watch your mouth.
I’m convinced that Hawk and Stone had a severe falling out a couple months ago. Hawk left the game in the 7th inning with no explanation. Then he missed his next broadcast. Next game, Wimpy randomly joined the booth in the 2nd inning, stayed the whole game, and acted like a buffer between Hawk and Stone. Then Hawk missed his next broadcast. Now comes the part of his schedule with the guest analysts.
The one thing I noticed is that there’s no reference on the schedule to the Sept. 9 game against the Angels, which is also a home date.
Good call, I missed that date. Will be interesting to see who does/doesn’t show up for it.
One hole in your theory: Sept. 9 is Rosh Hashanah, which is a day Stone might take off regardless, as he usually observes the holidays. It’d be easy enough for them to be in separate places if they wanted to justify a different pairing.
Occam’s razor suggests something less fun, along the lines of health issues.
Wasn’t that the game when Hawk was upset about his grandson’s friend dying in that horrible basketball accident?
Really think the Sox have dropped the ball on this whole Hawk last tour. Feels like an afterthought in a season where they desperately need diversions like this.
College Baseball rule changes:
Jack McDowell weeps now that he cannot pass his signature defensive move onto his Queens University players.
Speaking of Jack McDowell, if you like your broadcasters to hate how the game is being played in their commentary, Black Jack is right up your alley.
I had to mute the game last night after the second inning.
That’s the kind of broadcast I like. Give me an opinion whether I agree or not. Hernandez on the Mets broadcast is fun to listen too for that very same reason.
Sorry, but if someone’s opinion is to jeopardize the health of other players just because, fuck that person’s opinion. That’s not entertaining, it’s giving license to ignorance.
I love the fake to third throw to first pick off move. Why is everyone outlawing it?
Bill James didn’t invent it.
Hopefully three more days is enough seperation to spare us all from listening to Hawk defend Acuna getting hit on the first pitch of the game because of some unwritten rule that he probably made up.
Jim , both Hawk’s playing and broadcasting career has been one big hagiography…. authored by himself.
HISTORY’S WRITTEN BY THE WINNERS.
Bob Gibson and the Metrodome?
Mercy.