Opinion

Before I get started, I wanted to express my condolences to the Harwell family, to Tigers fans, and to baseball fans in general.

We lost a legend with the passing of Hall of Famer Ernie Harwell.

Thank you for a lifetime dedicated to the game.

Here’s a look at some unheralded players who played well yesterday.

Livan Hernandez, Washington Nationals

The WHIP wasn’t pretty (five hits and five walks in 5.1 IP), but Livan allowed just one earned run to improve to 4-1 with a 0.97 ERA.

This spring, as the Yankees decided to toss Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen (where he belongs) I kept hearing people being critical of Chamberlain for all the wrong reasons. I heard this phrase over and over again. Over-hyped punk.

Overhyped… That might be true with the “Joba Rules” etc. but can we really blame the kid for that? He’s not the one who decided that he needed to be brought through this disastrous babying system.

The news broke on January 19th of this year that Bengie Molina rejected a two year contract offer from the Mets to sign a one year deal with the San Francisco Giants.

I posted my thoughts about missing out on Molina here.  To summarize:

Game No. 21 on the Fantasy Baseball Insiders Tonight 162-game journey featured a pitcher’s duel between two of the N.L.’s most potent lineups.

I was making dinner for my family Tuesday evening when I got a text  telling me that Ernie Harwell had died at age 92, having suffered from cancer.

Normally, I do not react much when hearing about the death of somebody famous. I feel bad for those who knew the person, but since I don't know the person, I don't feel a need to mourn.

25 Observations and Thoughts on April

1. Dear Red Sox Nation: Chill. As bad as the Sox have looked so far, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

2. Target Field looks gorgeous; high on my list of ballparks to see.

Many fans of Major League Baseball show their support for their favorite player or team by wearing jerseys or caps, going to the ballpark, or sitting on the edge of their seat in front of the television.

What most fans don’t see is the player behind the uniform.

Ernie Harwell's voice was the soundtrack of my childhood.

Growing up as a sports fan in Michigan, how could it not be?

With today's heart-wrenching news that Ernie has passed away, it's time for me to belatedly dig back through the wonderful memories.

I know millions of Tigers fans—okay, millions of people—have great memories of Ernie Harwell.

But I can't speak for them.

I can only share mine.

- - -

I remember counting down the days until the first spring training game of each season.

So there I was, sitting at the table watching sportscenter and drinking my morning coffee.

My wife had woke up and fixed herself a cup of tea.

As she rolled her eyes when she realized it was not the morning news, but sports once again, on the TV.

It was about that time that the story about the fan, Steve Consalvi, who ran on to the field during a Philadelphia Phillies game came on.

Questions and concerns pour out from numerous media sources a day after a 17-year-old Phillies fan jumped onto the field and was subsequently Tased by a pursuing security guard. After being hit, the boy collapsed to the ground, but was led off the field on his own two feet seconds later.

Though given the support of Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, some internet bloggers and writers have expressed concern over the possible "excessive use of force" in this situation, questioning the necessity of the use of a Taser to bring the fan under control.