Ken Harrelson
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Kenneth Smith Harrelson (born September 4, 1941 in Woodruff, South Carolina), nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball who currently serves as a television broadcast announcer for the Chicago White Sox.
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[edit] Playing career
Throwing and batting right-handed, Harrelson played for four teams: the Kansas City Athletics (1963-66, 1967), Washington Senators (1966-67), Boston Red Sox (1967-69), and Cleveland Indians (1969-71). In his nine-season career, Harrelson was a .239 hitter with 131 home runs and 421 RBI in 900 games.
His time with the Athletics ended abruptly in 1967 when Harrelson angrily denounced team owner Charlie Finley following the dismissal of manager Alvin Dark. Saying that Finley was "a menace to baseball," Harrelson was released and ended up signing a lucrative deal with the Boston Red Sox, who were in contention to win their first pennant since 1946.
Brought in to replace the injured Tony Conigliaro, Harrelson helped the team win the pennant, but watched the team drop a close World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. However, in 1968, he had his finest season, making the American League All-Star team and leading the American League in runs batted in with 109.
On April 19, 1969, Harrelson was traded to the Indians, a move that shocked him and led him to briefly retire. Following conversations with commissioner Bowie Kuhn and a contract adjustment by Cleveland, Harrelson reported to the team, finishing the year with 30 home runs. He also used his local celebrity to briefly host a half-hour program entitled, "The Hawk's Nest" on local CBS affiliate, WJW-TV.
During spring training the following year, Harrelson suffered a broken leg while sliding into second base during a March 19 exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics. The injury kept him on the sidelines for much of the season. When Indian rookie Chris Chambliss took control of the first base position in 1971, Harrelson decided to retire to pursue a professional golf career.
[edit] General manager and broadcaster
After his time on the links brought minimal compensation over the next few years, Harrelson turned to a broadcasting career, beginning in 1975 with the Red Sox. He became highly popular, especially after being teamed with veteran play-by-play man Ned Martin, but, after being publicly critical of player personnel decisions made by Boston co-owner Haywood Sullivan (who had managed him on the A's and lured him to Boston in 1967), Harrelson was fired at the close of the 1981 season. He then worked for a number of teams, including the Chicago White Sox in two separate stints, and was hired as general manager for the White Sox for one season in 1986. During that one season, Harrelson fired field manager Tony LaRussa, who was soon hired by the Oakland Athletics and traded Bobby Bonilla to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where Bonilla became a perennial All-Star. [1]
Since 1990, he has served as one of the team's play-by-play announcers for their television broadcasts. As the announcer for the White Sox, Harrelson is known for catchphrases such as "You can put it on the board, yes!" after a White Sox home run, and "He gone!" after a strikeout of an opposing player. His nickname, "The Hawk" comes from his notorious propensity to cheer the White Sox on from the broadcasting booth.
Harrelson coined many nicknames for popular Sox players, including "Black Jack" McDowell, Carlos "El Caballo" Lee, Lance "One Dog" Johnson, Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas, Craig "Little Hurt" Grebeck, and Herbert "the Milkman" Perry.
[edit] Trivia
- While playing for the Athletics, Harrelson invented the batting glove by wearing a golf glove while batting, according to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, by Paul Dickson.
- He is not connected in any way to Ken Hawk, a popular western Pennsylvania radio personality.
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Baseball Library - profile and chronology
- WGN-TV writeup
- Full list of Catch Phrases
| Preceded by Carl Yastrzemski |
American League RBI Champion 1968 |
Succeeded by Harmon Killebrew |
| Preceded by Dean Chance |
AL Comeback Player of the Year 1968 |
Succeeded by Tony Conigliaro |
| Preceded by Roland Hemond |
Chicago White Sox General Manager 1985 |
Succeeded by Larry Himes |
Categories: 1941 births | Living people | Major league first basemen | Major league outfielders | Boston Red Sox players | Cleveland Indians players | Kansas City Athletics players | Washington Senators (1961-1971) players | American League All-Stars | American League RBI champions | Major league players from South Carolina | Major League Baseball announcers | Chicago White Sox | Baseball executives | People from South Carolina
