Harrelson on firing La Russa, state of White Sox
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson was the effusive TV broadcast voice of the White Sox for 33 years before retiring a the end of the 2018 season.
It's the reason he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in late July, albeit one year late due to COVID-19.
"Probably my biggest joy is that my grandsons, two of them are with me tonight, they'll be able to take their children in," Harrelson said after throwing the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. "That's why baseball to me is the greatest game going. It's a game of memories and it's a game of heroes."
Harrelson has plenty of memories as a broadcaster and as a slugging outfielder/first baseman for nine major-league seasons.
He also has a not so great memory of being the White Sox's general manager for one year (1986) and firing 41-year-old manager Tony La Russa.
After going on to lead Oakland and St. Louis, win three World Series rings, retire as manager in 2011 and enter the Hall of Fame, La Russa is back in the Sox's dugout this year at age 76.
"I didn't fire him because he was a bad manager," Harrelson said. "Only he knows and I know why, and it's going to stay that way."
Harrelson said he and La Russa "mended bridges" in the early 1990s. Not only is the Hawk a big fan of this season's first-place White Sox, he has no doubts La Russa is the right manager.
"I'm so proud of him for having a great career, a Hall of Fame career," Harrelson said. "I've known him for almost 60 years, since 1962, and Tony is at his best when there is adversity. I played for a lot of managers and I played with some that when things were going bad, they got scared to death. You could read them like a book.
"Tony, when things get going bad, he turns them around. You watch and see, they play their (butts) off, it's just that simple."
The Sox sputtered coming out of the gates, but they've been on top of the AL Central since early May. Harrelson sees even better days ahead.
"When this club gets healthy, there's not a team that I have seen yet that's going to be better than they are," he said. "There are a couple that are close. If the Dodgers are healthy, they are pretty good. If the Astros are healthy, then they are pretty good. And the Yankees certainly didn't hurt themselves in the trade market.
"The team that really came out on top of the trades were the White Sox. You've got to have an outstanding bullpen, and I don't think there's a better bullpen I have seen in baseball."