I was 19 years old and trying to figure out how to be a journalist when I interviewed Ernie Harwell.My friend Todd introduced me to the broadcasting legend. Todd struck up a conversation with Ernie at a Detroit Tigers winter media tour stop by mentioning that Todd and his mom had met Ernie previously at the ballpark.
I got the idea that Ernie really did remember Todd and his mom, but maybe he was just being nice.
That's the kind of guy that Ernie is. By now you've probably heard that Ernie Harwell has been diagnosed with incurable cancer.
There is no more beloved figure in Michigan than Ernie Harwell. And it's not even close. Try to come up with the second-most-beloved person in Michigan.
Ernie is one of the most genuinely kind people you'll ever encounter.
If you ask a newspaper reporter about Ernie Harwell, chances are he or she has interviewed the Hall-of-Famer at some point. Often it was when the reporter worked at a small newspaper that might seem insignificant to someone who has been interviewed by most of the nation's major media outlets.
But Ernie doesn't care. He's nice to everyone.
We should all try to be a little bit more like Ernie Harwell.
