Jo-Ann Barnas: Ernie Harwell's kindness left a lasting impression

Here's what I've found to be most remarkable today, less than 24 hours after the passing of Ernie Harwell: Doesn't it seem like every resident in the state of Michigan -- and, yes, I know there are roughly 9.9 million of us -- has an Ernie story?
I heard dozens on the radio this morning, folks calling into 97.1 The Ticket and sharing their encounters with Harwell and how they were positively affected by the man.
Those who never had the opportunity to meet him personally, well, they felt like they knew him, which was one of his greatest attributes.
I admired Ernie because he was: 1. a gentleman and 2. a terrific writer. I have a signed copy of one of his Free Press books, "Stories From My Life in Baseball." He was an amazing storyteller on the printed page, not just over the airwaves.
I've written about this before, but I still shake my head in amazement every time I think about the time a few years ago when he left a message on my answering machine, saying he liked a story I had written on John Smoltz. I was stunned that he actually would take the time to do that. But that was Ernie.
Those who know me best know that I come from a large family. I have seven siblings, five of whom are brothers.
I called two this afternoon to talk about Harwell, and -- wouldn't you know? -- both of them had met him.
My older brother, John, 51, was introduced to him a few years ago at a function benefiting Ele's Place, a healing center for children coping with the death or illness of parents or a loved one. Ernie spoke of his challenge in coping with the deaths his mother and father, which occurred within a year of each other.
John also shared an amusing story about how he and his good friend, Jeff Beers, sneaked a transistor radio into Tiger Stadium for the last game of the season in 1991 to listen to Harwell broadcast what then was his "final'' game, when he was ousted by Bo Schembechler.
When they got close enough to call out his name, they did -- and Harwell smiled and waved back.
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