Hawk Harrelson Gets Emotional During His Final Sendoff

To quote the Ol' Hawkaroo himself. He Gone!

I've spent the better part of my life making fun of Hawk Harrelson. He's a caricature of what tough baseball people think a tough baseball person should act like. He's come off as a buffoon, someone who refuses to enter the 21st century with the rest of the league.

All that being said, I totally get it. I've spoken to a bunch of Sox fans who agree with me that say "Yes, he's a buffoon. But he's OUR buffoon." I liken it to Ron Santo when he was calling Cub games. Now Ron was a MUCH more likable guy, but if a Cubs fan is being honest they'll admit that he wasn't that good at calling games. He was entertaining. And at the end of the day isn't that what matters for a broadcast? For better or worse Hawk brought an element to the broadcast that will never be recreated.

Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper even gave Hawk a little shout-out during a Kyle Schwarber home run that was pretty nice.

Should Hawk have hung up the headphones a couple years ago? Probably. But he didn't and gave us some memories along the way.

With Hawk out of the way, the White Sox will go from one of the worst play by play teams to one of the best. Steve Stone is one of the all-time greats and now will be able to fully stretch his legs during a broadcast now that he doesn't have to share the spotlight with Hawk and Hawk's replacement Jason Benetti is one of the best young talents in the game.

Happy trails Hawk. I'll miss making fun of you everytime you're on the air.