Hawk goes deep for Old Timers’ sellout

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

You can put this one on the board — “Yeees!”

Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, a longball hitter in his playing days, knocked the ball out of the park time and time again as the guest speaker at last Thursday’s 62nd annual Old Timers Baseball Association of Will County banquet at the Joliet Holiday Inn.

The White Sox television play-by-play broadcaster was popular, all right. About 680 tickets were purchased for the sold-out event. From my informal sampling, everyone — even Cubs fans — enjoyed getting his autograph, his presentation, his stories and the way he answered questions from the audience.

Harrelson was joined at the head table by longtime American League umpire Bill Haller from Lockport. So naturally, a story or two involving Haller and former Orioles manager Earl Weaver had to be told.

The Yogi Berra story Harrelson related involved him facing Whitey Ford as a 19-year-old kid, with Berra catching. Berra talked and talked, and the first thing Harrelson knew, he was down 0-2 in the count. Then Berra spit tobacco juice on his ankle, Ford zipped a fastball over the inside corner, and it was “Grab some bench.”

“I’m walking away, and Yogi says, ‘Welcome to the big leagues, kid,’” Harrelson said.

During his first two years in baseball, Harrelson made $6,000. “I made more money those two years playing pool, shooting golf and arm wrestling,” he said.

How things have changed. In this big-money era, Harrelson has the ultimate respect for White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s operation.

“STPL — it stands for stability, tradition and pride, all leading to loyalty. Reinsdorf has instilled that in this organization,” Harrelson said.

His favorite Sox players to have covered are Mark Buehrle, Robin Ventura, Bobby Thigpen, Paul Konerko. But as much as he loves Buehrle, there was another Buehrle-like pitcher he would take if he had to win one game, and that’s Catfish Hunter.

Harrelson told a humorous story about facing Ryne Duren, who wore coke-bottle glasses and threw 100 mph. He told a touching story about Tony Conigliaro, how good he was and how his career ended so prematurely when he was hit in the eye with a pitch.

He talked about the greatest hitters he ever saw, Ted Williams left-handed and Joe DiMaggio right-handed, how good both were and how they really did not like each other. What if that proposed trade had happened, DiMaggio swinging in Fenway and shooting for the green monster, Williams pulling the ball to the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium?

For Cubs’ fans wondering where Harrelson stands on the late Ron Santo, he let them know: “Ron Santo was a clutch hitter, a terrific third baseman and he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”

The matinee

During the afternoon before the banquet, I had the opportunity to visit Harrelson one-on-one. Much of his discussion about how good the White Sox may be this season was covered in the story that was published in last Friday’s Herald-News.

Harrelson said he “has always been impressed” with the number of major leaguers who come from the Joliet area. “It’s quite a compliment to the continuing programs you have here,” he said.

He mentioned former Seattle, Cleveland and White Sox second baseman Jack Perconte. “Jack has always been one of my favorite players,” he said.

And for the Cubs fans, he spoke of Ferguson Jenkins. “Fergie is one of the most underrated pitchers even to this day. People don’t realize how hard he threw.”

For the Sox fans, he said, “It’s hard to say any fans are the best, but there are none better than Sox fans. Their knowledge of the game — it’s amazing how valid their questions are and germane to the scenario.”

As high as Harrelson is on the 2011 Sox, he said he is “trying to hold back my enthusiasm; I have tremendous respect for the Twins. They are a most outstanding organization. Billy Smith is a terrific GM, and he had a great tutor in Terry Ryan. They fill holes as well as anyone.”

Ron Coomer from Lockport played for the Twins and is a television analyst for them now.

“I loved Coom as a player and he is a good analyst, too,” Harrelson said. “That’s just a good organization, period.”

A Sox player Harrelson cited during our discussion was Frank Thomas. “The Big Hurt played hurt and never said a world about it,” Harrelson said. “I love Frank. He is the greatest hitter this franchise has seen. And for an eight-year span, he was the greatest right-handed hitter ever.”

Harrelson was playing golf one day with Michael Jordan and asked him how he got into the zone in the last 2 minutes the way he did.

“Michael said he gets in his routine and does not have to think about it,” he said. “It just happens. You can’t get there by thinking. You have to allow to happen. There has to be a calmness over you.

“That was like the year Yaz (Carl Yastrzemski) had in 1967, when he won the Triple Crown. That was the greatest year I ever saw anyone have. I learned more about hitting watching him from the on-deck circle than I ever did anywhere else.”

Harrelson obviously loves talking baseball and having been involved in the game for 51 years. He wants that association to continue forever.

“I want to die in the booth,” he said. “When they had the day for me back in June, I said I want to go out this way: “Here’s Konerko. CC Sabathia delivers. There’s a long drive, deep left field, you can put in on the board, yeees!”

And then, he dropped his head, the gesture depicting dying.

Award winners

Highlights of the Old Timers banquet, in addition to hearing from Harrelson, included the awards presented to the top pitchers and players in high school softball and baseball.

The winners this year, in softball, were Coal City’s Kirsten Verdun (pitcher) and Minooka’s Lyndsay Doyle (player). In baseball, Minooka’s Mike Foltynewicz was selected pitcher of the year and former Joliet Township catcher Mike Hollenbeck was the top player.

Verdun pitched Coal City to the state title and is playing at DePaul, Doyle is at Michigan, Foltynewicz was the first-round draft pick of the Houston Astros (the 19th overall selection) and Hollenbeck was drafted by the Boston Red Sox but decided to play at Illinois State.

More than one person afterward mentioned how impressive the accomplishments of the award winners are. Agree. From this vantage point, nothing but good things lie ahead for all four.

As for the real youngsters, the St. Joe’s Mustang 10-year-old all-stars, with Terry Keigher the manager and Jeremy Poch and Jim Arnold the coaches, were selected the youth baseball team of the year. St. Joe’s went 2-1 in pool play at the Mustang World Series in Texas, were eliminated from semifinal contention on the three-way tiebreaker and were the only team to beat the eventual champion.