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Message
Omaha Paper on Hawthorne's Legacy
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:20 pm
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:20 pm
LINK
quote:
Fate has a funny way of tapping athletes on the shoulder. But fate knows its way up to the radio booth, too. Ninth inning. Two out. Man on third. Tigers down one. Warren Morris up to bat.
“Well, now it’s going to take a single or an error or a wild pitch or a passed ...”
Hawthorne wasn’t able to get “passed ball” out of his mouth. Because Morris, a light-hitting, left-handed second baseman, went down low and swung at the first pitch. According to LSU’s radio audio archive, Hawthorne’s next words were: “Line drive, way back, way back, HOME RUN! TIGERS WIN! TIGERS WIN!”
To this day, Hawthorne says he doesn’t recall what he said. He just remembers he wanted to cry.
quote:
Two national football titles. Three Final Fours. Six NCAA baseball championships. Skip Bertman, Nick Saban, Les Miles, Dale Brown, Shaquille O’Neal — Hawthorne has called their games and calls them friends.
quote:
LSU coach Paul Mainieri told him he would take him to Omaha one more time. Now here they are, one loss from elimination, one loss from the end of a legendary career. Hawthorne has already made his last call. He’s written out how he’s going to sign off. That will be an emotional one, and it might as well come here in Omaha. When it happens, somewhere an LSU Tiger fan will sit down and have a good cry.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:21 pm to GeorgeReymond
Jim is a great guy!
A true LSU ambassador.
A true LSU ambassador.
This post was edited on 6/18/15 at 12:23 pm
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:22 pm to GeorgeReymond
I'll be tuning in when this run ends. It'll be a sad day he will be missed.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:24 pm to GeorgeReymond
I have listened to mr. Hawthorne my whole life. Gonna miss him
Nb4 some asshat says jack hunt.
Nb4 some asshat says jack hunt.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:26 pm to GeorgeReymond
Very interesting and well-written story. Thanks for sharing!
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:28 pm to ksayetiger
quote:
Nb4 some asshat says jack hunt.
This. That shite is played out already. I can forgive one mistake in lieu of all of the great memories Jim has provided me through almost my entire lifetime.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:29 pm to GeorgeReymond
People can say what they want about Jim, but that mans voice has given me more goosebumps than anything else in this world. He has commentated almost all of my childhood heroes.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:34 pm to GeorgeReymond
Holy sh*t! Jim was a part of the attempted Reagan assassination investigation!
At the 1981 Final Four in Philadelphia, Hawthorne called the final third-place game (between LSU and Virginia) in NCAA Final Four history. But that wasn’t the most memorable event of the week.
With Sunday off before Monday’s games, Hawthorne got in a car and drove to Washington, D.C. As a history buff, he wanted to see the White House.
“Back then, you were able to drive up pretty close to the White House, so that’s what I did,” Hawthorne said. “I got out and took some pictures. And then I saw this limo and a lot of people hanging around. I asked someone what was going on, and they said, ‘President and Mrs. Reagan are going to church.’ ”
Hawthorne drove over to the Reagans’ church, down the road, to get a closer look. The limo was parked outside. He went up to the limo and snapped photos of the insides and the back, which he says had an expired license plate.
“I was amazed at how you could really get close to the president,” Hawthorne said. “The next day, I got to the game and everyone was huddled around a TV set. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ Someone said, ‘The president has been shot.’ ”
That was the day John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Reagan. The NCAA games played on. Hawthorne went back to Shreveport and developed his film. His jaw dropped when he looked at the photos of the limo by the church.
“I looked through the window of the limo and I saw a man standing off to the side with dark hair who looked like Hinckley,” Hawthorne said.
“It was him. I knew it was. He had been there the day before. My news director said I needed to call the FBI. We did, and they came by and took my film. We never heard back from them.”
At the 1981 Final Four in Philadelphia, Hawthorne called the final third-place game (between LSU and Virginia) in NCAA Final Four history. But that wasn’t the most memorable event of the week.
With Sunday off before Monday’s games, Hawthorne got in a car and drove to Washington, D.C. As a history buff, he wanted to see the White House.
“Back then, you were able to drive up pretty close to the White House, so that’s what I did,” Hawthorne said. “I got out and took some pictures. And then I saw this limo and a lot of people hanging around. I asked someone what was going on, and they said, ‘President and Mrs. Reagan are going to church.’ ”
Hawthorne drove over to the Reagans’ church, down the road, to get a closer look. The limo was parked outside. He went up to the limo and snapped photos of the insides and the back, which he says had an expired license plate.
“I was amazed at how you could really get close to the president,” Hawthorne said. “The next day, I got to the game and everyone was huddled around a TV set. I said, ‘What’s going on?’ Someone said, ‘The president has been shot.’ ”
That was the day John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Reagan. The NCAA games played on. Hawthorne went back to Shreveport and developed his film. His jaw dropped when he looked at the photos of the limo by the church.
“I looked through the window of the limo and I saw a man standing off to the side with dark hair who looked like Hinckley,” Hawthorne said.
“It was him. I knew it was. He had been there the day before. My news director said I needed to call the FBI. We did, and they came by and took my film. We never heard back from them.”
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:34 pm to LSUGrad9295
I don't get why people ride his arse for that, that's one of the stories that makes that moment so great. Dude was shocked like everyone else.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:44 pm to crankbait
I've enjoyed listening to his calling of games for years and from all over the country since Gore invented the interwebs. I will truly miss him.
I agree that people need to let the Bluegrass Miracle thing go. I'm pretty sure he said "Touchdown! I don't believe it...take that count!"
I agree that people need to let the Bluegrass Miracle thing go. I'm pretty sure he said "Touchdown! I don't believe it...take that count!"
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:45 pm to crankbait
To me he is the guy who replaced Ferguson.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:47 pm to GeorgeReymond
Gonna miss the legend Jim Hawthorne!
Posted on 6/18/15 at 12:53 pm to Tiger Nation 84
Is he still going to do football and basketball this upcoming season?
Posted on 6/18/15 at 1:08 pm to GeorgeReymond
quote:
To me he is the guy who replaced Ferguson.
Posted on 6/18/15 at 1:21 pm to GeorgeReymond
GeorgeReymond
These are Hawthorne's exact words as Morris stepped up to the plate:
"And now it'll take a base hit, an error, a wild pitch, or something.......swung on and hit to right field that's way back there...way BACK THERE......
HOMERUUUUUUUUUN! Tigers win! Tigers win....Warren Morris...hits a two-run home run (almost sounds like he said three-run home run)...and the Tigers are the national champs! I don't believe it!........Hoooooly cow !!!! pause.....Wooooooooo!
(He never said 'passed ball', nor was he 'about' to say it, and he never said 'line drive, way back, way back.')
quote:
“Well, now it’s going to take a single or an error or a wild pitch or a passed ...” Hawthorne wasn’t able to get “passed ball” out of his mouth. Because Morris, a light-hitting, left-handed second baseman, went down low and swung at the first pitch. According to LSU’s radio audio archive, Hawthorne’s next words were: “Line drive, way back, way back, HOME RUN! TIGERS WIN! TIGERS WIN!” To this day, Hawthorne says he doesn’t recall what he said. He just remembers he wanted to cry.
These are Hawthorne's exact words as Morris stepped up to the plate:
"And now it'll take a base hit, an error, a wild pitch, or something.......swung on and hit to right field that's way back there...way BACK THERE......
HOMERUUUUUUUUUN! Tigers win! Tigers win....Warren Morris...hits a two-run home run (almost sounds like he said three-run home run)...and the Tigers are the national champs! I don't believe it!........Hoooooly cow !!!! pause.....Wooooooooo!
(He never said 'passed ball', nor was he 'about' to say it, and he never said 'line drive, way back, way back.')
This post was edited on 6/18/15 at 1:28 pm
Posted on 6/18/15 at 1:32 pm to ksayetiger
quote:
Nb4 some asshat says jack hunt.
To add to the endless idiocy of some of our fans mocking him for that 13 yrs later,let me share a call by legendary Tennessee broadcaster, John Ward.
Ward called UT football from 1968 through 1998 and is regarded--rightfully so--as one of the finest radio pbp guys in SEC history,or period,frankly. 1991 in South Bend vs Notre Dame, Tennessee came back from a 31-7 deficit to lead late, 35-34. Notre Dame would try a short, 27 yard field goal.Ward broadcasts,"the kick is good.NO, IT IS NO GOOD,THE KICK IS NO GOOD and Tennessee wins." And proceeds to trip over his tongue.
Vol fans chuckled about it,but never held it against him.
Go to 7:00 mark
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