"That's How You Don't Call the Action in a Baseball Game!"

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 2, 2011 2:30PM

White Sox television play-by-play announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is widely regarded as one of the worst announcers in baseball. We're not that White Sox fan who will disagree with you. Harrelson's latest sin against announcing doesn't have to do with dead air when the Sox are down by ten runs or slowly driving Steve Stone and much of the viewing audience to suicide with yet another tale about Carl Yastrzemski. This time the Hawk is trying to lock in another stupid catch phrase. Lately, every time Sox slugger Paul Konerko drives in a run or hits a tater, Harrelson says , "that's how you get yourself a 16,000 square-foot home in Scottsdale." It's a reference to the size of Konerko's off-season home, way over the heads of the viewers, and brings the broadcast to a screeching halt.

This isn't as bad as Harrelson's attempts to add "HELL YES!" to his signature home run call. But then discretion hasn't been something the man who fired Tony LaRussa as White Sox manager and put Carlton Fisk in the outfield was ever known for. At least we still have Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson on the radio.