Merle Harmon dead at 82

[Ennder]

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/43059057.html

 

They are dropping like flies!

[SeriesFinale]

Man, that's a shame. I've got a great poster of the '76 Brewers on my wall that features caricatures of the team, and he's there interviewing Alex Grammas while wearing a plaid jacket. Some of my earliest memories.

 

And, of course, the Fan Fair!

 

RIP, Merle.

[JoeHova]

Yeah, the Fan Fair. I used to buy so much stuff from there. Was he the guy who owned the Grand Slams too, or was that someone else? Either way, sad to see him go.

[JimH5]

Rest in Peace, Merle.

 

Wonderful broadcaster. Nice family.

 

Fans of those early Brewers teams were lucky to have that Harmon/Uecker broadcast team.

 

Then to watch Hank Stoddard or Earl Gillespie give the scores on the nightly news. . .

 

Those were great times to be a kid.

[jjkoestler]

Yeah, the Fan Fair. I used to buy so much stuff from there. Was he the guy who owned the Grand Slams too, or was that someone else? Either way, sad to see him go.

 

Mike Hegan owned Grand Slams. I loved that place as a kid.

[Pedro]

Man, this week just keeps getting worse.

 

His is still the voice I hear when I think of baseball as a kid.

 

About 10 years ago I was able to spend a few hours fishing on Lake Michigan with Merle Harmon as part of the Uecker Make a Wish fishing event. One of the more memorable times of my life; what a gracious and pleasant man he was. God Bless, Merle.

[1992casey]

Here's the AP article:

 

Former broadcaster Harmon dies

 

I remember seeing Merle at the 2002 All Star Fan Fest in Milwaukee. I think he was doing audio for MLB.com.

 

The AP article mentions that Harmon broadcast Twins games from 1967-69. I believe he was under contract to continue broadcasting Twins games in 1970 but was released at the last minute to come back to Milwaukee.

 

The WTMJ article mentions that Harmon left the Brewers to work for NBC. I believe he wanted to continue with the Brewers, but the Brewers wouldn't let him take the time off to do the Olympics. They became more flexible when Bob Uecker needed time off to work on Mr. Belvedere.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

With all due respect to those who have followed...Merle was Uecker's best partner over the years. Maybe it was just my first intro to the Brewers, but I thought they were an awesome team.

 

Great story Pedro. I was a big fan of both Fan Fair and Hegan's Grand Slam. Promising me a walk through Fan Fair was the only way Mom could get me to go with her shopping at Mayfair.

 

RIP Merle.

[splitterpfj]

Casey, you are correct...Merle wanted to work the Summer Olympics, but the team wouldn't grant him the time off...so he was out.

 

The worst part about that whole this was, those were the Moscow Olympics, which the US boycotted anyway.

[CrewDood]

Any one old enough, like me, to remember any of the last few year's !963-1965 (first year I recall listening) announcers?

 

Earl Gillespie left after '63 (started their first year in Milwaukee in '53) upon hearing of the Braves' impending sale to Atlanta. He supposedly coined the baseball saying, "Holy Cow" before Harry Caray or Phil Rizzuto. Earl passed in 2003. Also, among other jobs in the industry, well known for his many years as the radio voice of University of Wisconsin football. Maybe you've heard of a son, John.

 

Blaine "Blainer" Walsh (died 1985) was there from '54 through their last year of '65). Gillespie and Walsh became known for snagging foul balls that rolled up the backstop with a huge fishing net. They netted about 75 a season, got them autographed, and sent them to kids in the hospital. One day, Walsh caught more than a loose ball. A fan in the upper deck dropped a walleye into the net. "I'll never forget that," Gillespie said. "The crowd went wild." I remember one time in particular when they just broke up on the air and couldn't stop..me and my brother could not stop laughing either even though we did not know what they were laughing at until they collected themselves!

 

And, now, Merle Harmon ('64-'65). He replaced Gillespie for the Braves' last two seasons in Milwaukee.

[MadisonBrewerBlue]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/madisonbrewerblue/harmon-uecker.jpghttp://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/madisonbrewerblue/harmon-uecker.jpg

merle harmon and bob ...forgot i had this picture

 

 

[SeriesFinale]

Haha, fantastic

 

Are they in the bleachers?

[pitchleague]

no that looks like one of their outdoor broadcasts from the egg-carton hanging mezzanine boxes below the pressbox at County Stadium. If I've ever seen corrugated tin, it's County Stadium.

[SeriesFinale]

Ah, OK, yeah, I can picture that now.

 

I thought that might've been the space dead under where the stein ended up being

[Boy Jeenius]

"Get the net Blainer" - My first recollections of listening to (Braves) games on the radio.

Hearing Merle Harmon's familiar voice opening day of the very first season was exciting beyond description. It gave the Brewers a sense of legitimacy right away. Good thing too, because they really stunk for a long time. Condolences to the family.