MLB production studio to honor Harwell

MLB production studio to honor Harwell
Legendary broadcaster's name will join Scully and Allen

By John Schlegel / MLB.com

09/10/09 7:37 PM ET

Ernie Harwell, the 91-year-old Tigers broadcasting legend who announced earlier this week that he has cancer, will be honored with his name gracing a studio at MLB Productions.

According to The Associated Press, Harwell said it was "fantastic" that the Secaucus, N.J.-based MLB Productions studios, in which "This Week in Baseball" and other shows are produced, will be named after him and fellow Hall of Fame broadcasters Mel Allen and Vin Scully.

Harwell spent 55 seasons broadcasting in the Major Leagues, the last 42 of them in Detroit. He became known as the radio voice of the Tigers through generations of fans, from the 1968 team that won the World Series to the '84 club that did the same. He was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, and was honored by the Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1989.

Harwell revealed in the Detroit Free Press on Monday that he has an incurable tumor around his bile duct. Harwell has elected not to undergo any surgery, nor chemotherapy or any radiation treatment. He will remain at home and spend time with family and friends.

John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.