Ernie Harwell accepts cancer news as humbly as accolades

Ernie Harwell never asked to be gushed over when he was healthy, and he wouldn't want anyone to start now that he's not. But the next logical time to tell this story would be after his incurable cancer does what incurable cancers do, so why wait?

Listeners always had the sense that Harwell was the nicest man on the planet. They were correct. He has a knack for deflecting and refocusing awe -- for turning all of the attention to people who are dumbstruck at being in the presence of William Earnest Harwell. You want to talk about him, but he wants to hear about you.

He's a truly humble soul who has accepted last week's diagnosis with the same grace he accepted all the good things to come his way. The Lord giveth a Hall of Fame broadcasting career and the adoration of millions, and the Lord giveth a tumor in the bile duct of a 91-year-old. He knows that's a pretty good trade-off.

Improbably, considering the size of the broadcast booth at Tiger Stadium, the second nicest man on the planet shared it with him for 19 years. Paul Carey had the best voice in Detroit radio, smooth and deep, and he was as ego-free as Harwell when it came to the effect he had on people.

We walked through the ballpark together one night, and heads swiveled like weathervanes. These were baseball fans, of course, so it was a self-selecting sample, but everyone who caught so much as a word recognized the sound: That's Paul Carey! He never noticed.

In any city that didn't have Harwell or Vin Scully in it, Carey would have been the star. He was a terrific broadcaster, but he was overshadowed by a legend -- and if it ever bothered him for a second, then or now, it didn't bother him for two.

I spent some time with him for a story in the early '90s, if not the year he retired, then the year before. The thrust was that if he was the second-best broadcaster in the booth, it wasn't by much.

The article appeared the day the Tigers left on a road trip to Kansas City. A few days later, I found a letter in my mailbox written on the stationery of the team's hotel there.

In it was a thank you note -- from Ernie Harwell.

Bouquet of roses giveaway

Wesley Berry Flowers is giving away 10,000 roses Wednesday, a dozen at a time. By my count, that's 833 bunches, with four roses left over. But if you're the guy who gets stiffed, don't complain.

After all, they're free.

The occasion is Good Neighbor Day, which most people ignore but the actual Wes Berry seizes as an excuse to be friendly. Show up between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at one of his four stores -- the Penobscot Building and 15305 Schoolcraft in Detroit, 6777 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield, or 2985 Haggerty Road in Commerce Township -- and until they run out, they'll slap a dozen in your hand.

The catch is that you're supposed to keep one for yourself and give the others away to 11 different people. If you happen to see Ernie or Paul, though, you can give them two.

T-shirts still available

Just a reminder: Those natty T-shirts we crafted from the winners in our write-a-new-motto-for-Detroit contest are still available, and I must say they'd look especially good on you.

The cost is a trifling $21.35 in white or $24.20 in color, with our share of the money bound for the Newspapers in Education program.

Just click on http://www.zazzle.com/thedetroitnews">www.zazzle.com/thedetroitnews, or if you don't have a computer, simply pester someone who does.

Your choices are ...

"Detroit: The Fun Side of 8 Mile"

"Detroit: Our School's ain't that bad"

"Detroit: Where you can't find the house you grew up in"

...and bulk discounts are available, nudge nudge hint hint.

nrubin@detnews.com">nrubin@detnews.com (313) 222-1874