Season-Long Celebration Planned For Hawk Harrelson's Swan Song

CHICAGO, IL - In baseball, there are some iconic broadcasters who become so connected with their teams that many fans point to these voices as the franchise's most recognizable feature. The Detroit Tigers has Ernie Harwell, for the Philadelphia Phillies it was Harry Kalas and, of course, it was Vin Scully for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For many, the same connection can be made with the Chicago White Sox and Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, who will wrap up a 33-year career as the voice of the team at the end of the 2018 season.

The White Sox recognize this, and have announced that Harrelson will be honored "during a season-long celebration" in 2018.

Die-hard fans of Chicago's South Side team know all about Hawk and his "Hawkism" phrases like "He Gone," "Can of Corn," "Stretch" and the iconic "You can put it on the board... YES!" whenever a Pale Hose player hits a home run. Harrelson joined the White Sox broadcast booth in 1981, left for a few years during the 1980s, but returned and has been part of the team since the early 1990s and the days of "Black Jack" McDowell, "One Dog" Lance Johnson and "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas.

All those nicknames came from Hawk, who had one for pretty much any White Sox player that has seen significant time on the field over the past 25 years.

"He's one of a kind," Brooks Boyer, White Sox senior vice president of sales and marketing, said. “We want to provide many opportunities for White Sox fans to show their admiration and respect for Hawk throughout his last season in the booth. It’s the end of an era."

Two days in particular during the 2018 season will be dates to circle for die-hard Hawk fans. On May 19 against the Texas Rangers, the White Sox will give out 20,000 Hawk "Solo" bobble heads on Star Wars Night. Then, on Sept. 2 against the Boston Red Sox, the team will hold "Hawk Day," with a pregame ceremony honoring the legendary broadcaster.

Since that game is against the Red Sox, it would be fitting for Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski to make an appearance and support the Hawk. After all, Hawk has made more than a few references to "Yaz" during his broadcasts over the years.

Others events honoring Hawk will be announced at a later date, the White Sox said in a news release this week.

Harrelson will leave a mark on the White Sox that will be hard to top. From the "Winning Ugly" team of 1983 and the "Good Guys Wear Black" bunch of the early 1990s to the 2005 World Series championship team and the current squad that could be a force in a few short years, Hawk has stayed with the team through thick and thin.

A five-time Emmy winner and three-time Ford Frick Award nominee, Harrelson's partners in the booth have included Tom "Wimpy" Paciorek, Darrin Jackson and Steve Stone. In recent years, Homewood-Flossmoor High School alum Jason Benetti has filled in for Harrelson for a majority of the team's home games.

Harrelson will work a 20-game schedule during the 2018 season, including Sunday home games and other select contests, according to the team. After stepping away from the booth, Harrelson will serve the organization as a White Sox ambassador starting in the 2019 season.

Photo courtesy of Chicago White Sox / Tony Inzerillo