The Voice of the Turtle

For lo, the winter is past,

the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

the time of the singing of birds has come,

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

- Song of Solomon 2:11-12 -

Sunshine, palm trees, the crack of a bat, the sound that 9 oz. of yarn and cowhide makes while meeting the pocket of a freshly broken-in glove.

The immortal memory of longtime Detroit Tigers' broadcaster Ernie Harwell is forever linked to spring training and the King James Version of the Song of Solomon, as Harwell, a man of deep faith, would open the first broadcast of each spring by reading the passage, which for decades, has epitomized the feeling of spring optimism for Detroit fans.  

Harwell was the essence of the Detroit Tigers organization.  Old school class, longevity, loyalty, and pure baseball love, something the city of Detroit has by the truckload.  Harwell called the Tigers' 1968 and 1984 World Series title teams, and called games during the 119-loss season in 2003.

It's only fitting to start a blog project on the Motor City's finest in the spring, and in a spring where hopes are high and optimism is the reigning feeling with the core of mashers Dave Dombrowski has secured in the heart of the lineup.  

Ernie's passed on, but the optimism remains, and the boys in the Old English D are poised to make a run at their first World Series title in nearly three decades.  

The Voice of the Turtle is now at rest, but the winter is past and the sound of baseball has returned.