“Hawk” to premiere Thursday, September 13 at 7:00 PM CT -- Exclusively on NBC Sports Chicago, NBCSportsChicago.com, and the NBC Sports app
VIP screening to be held in advance on Thursday, September 6 at ArcLight Cinemas in Chicago;
Limited number of tickets available to fans with proceeds benefiting Chicago White Sox Charities
Chicago, IL (August 13, 2018) – The Chicago White Sox and NBC Sports Chicago have proudly announced a joint production of a brand new documentary that definitively chronicles the life and career of one of the most colorful characters and influential personalities in baseball history: Ken “Hawk” Harrelson. This special feature presentation, simply entitled “Hawk,” premieres Thursday, September 13 at 7:00 PM CT exclusively on NBC Sports Chicago, NBCSportsChicago.com, and on the NBC Sports app.
Prior to the September 13 premiere of Hawk on NBC Sports Chicago, the White Sox will hold a VIP sneak preview screening to take place on Thursday, September 6 at 6:00 PM at ArcLight Cinemas (1500 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago). A limited number of tickets to the screening, which will feature special guests and include a Q&A session with “Hawk” and the directors, will be available to fans through a Chicago White Sox Charities sweepstakes. Fans can purchase entry to the “He Gone!” sweepstakes at whitesox.com/hawk beginning today.
Harrelson, who will mark eight decades in baseball in 2019, will retire from the broadcast booth after 33 seasons at the conclusion of the 2018 season. In this one-hour documentary, production teams from both the White Sox and NBC Sports Chicago traveled the country with Harrelson, which included stops in Savannah, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts, and Orlando, Florida among others.
In his hometown of Savannah, Harrelson recalls his childhood and memories of his mom in the small house on Causton Bluff Road; his rise to athletic stardom at Benedictine Military School; and his eventual signing with the Kansas City Athletics. In a trip to Boston, Harrelson discusses his popularity, both on and off the field, as a star with the Red Sox at Fenway Park, visiting his old spots including the famed, underground “Daisy Buchanan’s” in the basement of a Boston store. Reflecting on his life in the booth in Chicago, as well as his career as a professional golfer, “Hawk” talks candidly with former White Sox catcher and longtime friend A.J. Pierzynski and Harrelson’s son Casey during a round at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill in Orlando.
The documentary delves into the alter-ego of Ken & “Hawk” and what truly matters most to Harrelson – his family – as set during a gathering outside of his home in Granger, Indiana. This all-encompassing documentary explores the incredible and spirited life of one of baseball’s most memorable figures.
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The joint collaboration of Hawk was produced & written by SoxTV, the digital production team of the Chicago White Sox, and NBC Sports Chicago originals. The NBC Sports Chicago team includes multiple Emmy-award winner/ Senior Producer of Original Content Ryan McGuffey, along with videography handled by Content Producer Matt Buckman & editing by Executive Producer of Original Content Sarah Lauch. In equal collaboration, the SoxTV consists of Emmy-award winner/White Sox Director of Digital Communications Brad Boron, Manager of Digital Media Matt Dahl, as well as Digital Video Coordinators JV Trammell and Blake Evaristo. With over 20 hours of exclusive interview footage, Hawk captures some of the most revealing stories from those individuals in Harrelson’s life who not only know him best, but also truly understand the real man behind the “Hawk” persona.
“As he nears eight decades in this game as a player, executive and broadcaster, one thing is certainly clear: Hawk has a passion for baseball. Few people can claim a lasting impact on the game like Hawk, from the batting glove, to his standout 1968 season in Boston and career as a player, his decades as a broadcaster as well as his experience as an executive,” said Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox Chairman. “With nicknames like ‘The Big Hurt’ and catchphrases like ‘He Gone’ and ‘You Can Put It on the Board …YES!,’ Hawk literally has changed the way generations of fans talk about baseball. As this documentary shows again and again, he’s one of a kind. There certainly will never be another Hawk Harrelson.”
“There are only so many legends in baseball broadcasting history and we’ve been blessed to have one of them with us, the one and only “Hawk,” added Kevin Cross, Vice President of Content for NBC Sports Chicago. “It has been an honor for us to work in tandem with our partners at the White Sox on this special documentary, which does a brilliant job of showcasing the real Ken Harrelson to our viewers. I couldn’t be prouder of the outstanding detail and high production values that went into this doc and viewers are most certainly going to appreciate this amazing life story of one of the all-time greats.”
In addition to in-depth and heartfelt discussion with Harrelson, the documentary also includes numerous interviews with family members/players/coaches/front office execs/broadcasters, featuring candid and honest “Hawk” recollections from the following individuals:
• Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox Chairman)
• Allan H. “Bud” Selig (former MLB Commissioner)
• Tom “Wimpy” Paciorek (former broadcast partner)
• Darrin “DJ” Jackson (former broadcast partner)
• Steve Stone (current broadcast partner)
• Jason Benetti (White Sox broadcaster)
• Bob Costas (NBC Sports broadcasting legend)
• Ann Meyers Drysdale (widow of former broadcast partner Don Drysdale)
• Denny Matthews (legendary Royals broadcaster)
• Bob Uecker (legendary Brewers broadcaster)
• Eric Nadel (legendary Rangers broadcaster)
• Terry Francona (Indians manager)
• Frank Thomas (White Sox DH/1B, 1990-2005)
• Paul Konerko (White Sox 1B, 1999-2014)
• Mark Buehrle (White Sox P, 2000-2011)
• A.J. Pierzynski (White Sox C, 2005-2011)
• Bo Jackson (White Sox DH/OF, 1991-1993)
• Aris Harrelson (wife)
• Krista Harrelson (daughter)
• Casey Harrelson (son)
Note the following quotes from the Chicago White Sox & NBC Sports Chicago documentary production of Hawk, debuting Thursday, September 13 at 7:00 PM CT on NBC Sports Chicago, NBCSportsChicago.com/WatchLive , and the NBC Sports app:
HAWK on choosing to sign with the Kansas City Athletics over the LA Dodgers for much less money: “My mom, here she was making $56 a week and she’s going to turn down $20,000 because of the way he (Athletics scout Clyde Kluttz) sold Kansas City to us…and he was right. When I was 21, I got to the big leagues. It was a good thing. It took a lot of courage for her to turn down $20,000. I think (Kansas City) paid $6,000, $5,000…something like that. I remembered when we signed, that was probably the happiest moment because she…she made that decision and turned down the 20 from the Dodgers. That was probably the happiest day we had because we hugged each other and I went out…and she had this old rickety car…so I went out and bought her a brand new Pontiac. To answer your question, that was probably the happiest day.”
HAWK on having to tell his mother she was dying of pancreatic cancer: “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to say. I told her ‘Mom, you’re not going to make it.’ She just looked at me for about ten or fifteen seconds and she said…’Honey, I’m ready.’ (emotional pause) That was it. She hung on for a while. Then, my best friend called me and said, “She’s gone’…and I’ll never forget it…I said ‘good.’ I prayed every day (emotional pause), I prayed every day she’d die. She had no quality of life. It was just her and me, right there in that place for a long time.”
HAWK on White Sox fans: “The fans in Chicago, they will never know how much I love them because I have a lot of White Sox fans that don’t like me because I don’t try to please them, it’s just that simple. I have a lot of White Sox fans that don’t like me because I fired Tony LaRussa and I would do it again. So, overall thank goodness the majority, there’s an affair there. There’s a love affair and I love it.”
HAWK on capturing Boston by storm as his dual personality “Hawk”: “Yaz’ (Carl Yastrzemski) was not a guy who sought publicity. He would pay his obligation to the press and the media and that was it. Where, ‘Hawk’ liked that, you know, limelight so to speak. And, the people here, the fans in Fenway were almost crying out for a personality and ‘Hawk’ gave it to them and he knew what he was doing at the time, he knew what he was doing. He played to it and it became, in fact there were some stories that were written here from writers that had been here for 40 years about how they’d never seen anything like that even with Ted Williams or any sports personality in Boston how a sports personality could capture a town to that extent in such a short period of time…and of course, I was just sittin’ back, relaxing and strapping it down and watching ‘Hawk’ go and do his thing.”
JERRY REINSDORF: “Hawk is just so colorful and he knows the game and I think that what makes him unique. I don’t think that there’s ever been another broadcaster that I’ve heard that lived and died with every pitch for his team. I’m unable to understand why he has not received the Frick Award. The ‘Hawkisms’ and he’s so colorful and he’s known all over the country. I just don’t understand why he doesn’t get it. He’s really in a class by himself.”
PAUL KONERKO: “He’s a legend. He’s like this larger than life kind of guy. If you start kind of getting into his life, we’ve always said he’s kind of like the real life Forrest Gump. He’s done it all. If you really look at everything the guy has done…broadcasting, playing, GM, golf, I mean look at his whole entire resume. It’s really amazing. This guy has done a lot of different things and was really good at a lot of different things.”
A.J. PIERZYNSKI: “Hawk would always say ‘you gotta believe in yourself, you can hit, you can do this, you got this, you have to believe.’ He was always in your corner saying ‘hey, you know how to do this, you’ve done this your whole life, you just have to believe in yourself and it’ll work out.’ He was usually right. It’s nice to hear that from somebody outside of yourself, your immediate family, your coach, someone on the outside kind of looking in.”
FRANK THOMAS on Hawk giving him his nickname “The Big Hurt”: “That’s Hawk, he’s been savvy with nicknames throughout the years. I think in 1990 he saw me and watched me hit the ball, line drive after line drive after line drive and I think it really stuck in ’91 when we came back, my first full season in the league…he stuck it. He started saying this big guy is hurting the baseball, call him ‘The Big Hurt,’ so it stuck. I’m eternally grateful for that. It’s weird now, I go places and people call me ‘Big Hurt’ and I never hear the name Frank Thomas. It’s ‘The Big Hurt.’ ‘The Big Hurt’ is here, so it’s a nickname that’s stuck. It’s become a part of who I am, if I like it or not, it’s well known that I’m the ‘Big Hurt’ and I go places and people call me the ‘Big Hurt,’ so I got to thank Hawk for that.”
BUD SELIG: “How can you not respect somebody who lives and dies with his team, cares that much, expresses it as articulately as he does and sometimes controversially, but that’s part of being an announcer. I have a profound admiration and respect for him both as a person and a baseball man and that’s the highest compliment I can pay anybody.”
ANN MEYERS DRYSDALE: “Whether they talk negative or positive about him, they talk about him. They know who he is. I think that says a lot about the announcer...the fans can either love him or hate him, but they know who ‘The Hawk’ is. I think Hawk has made his stamp here in Chicago.”
BOB COSTAS: “Chicago has a history of embracing broadcasters who are characters. Harry Caray Exhibit A, Hawk might be Exhibit 1A. I don’t know if we’ll ever see anyone exactly like Hawk Harrelson again. Times have changed. Broadcasting has become a little bit more homogenized in a sense, every broadcast in national. Hawk was not a professional broadcaster to begin with…he was a ballplayer who became a broadcaster and he is who he is. He was a genuine character as a player and he’s a treasure trove of anecdotes and colorful stories, not just about his own life, but about the interesting players he’s crossed paths with. So you’ve had to have lived Hawk Harrelson’s life and have his personality to be the kind of broadcaster he is and that combination of factors are not likely to come together again.”
NBC Sports Chicago will also re-air Hawk on the following dates/times: September 16 at 3:30 PM (immediately following White Sox Postgame Live), September 17 at 9:30 PM, and September 23 at 8:00 PM. In addition, fans on Twitter are urged to follow @NBCSChicago for the latest Hawk documentary updates and exclusive preview clips leading up to the September 13 premiere, plus -- fans can also get interactive prior to and during the premiere airing with their favorite “Hawk” memories and comments by utilizing the Twitter hashtag #HawkDoc. Viewers are also urged to visit a special, dedicated NBCSportsChicago.com Hawk section at NBCSportsChicago.com/Hawk, which will include the official trailer, select video footage from the documentary, along with a photo gallery, a social media portal, special “White Sox Talk” podcasts, and original Hawk commentary write-ups via NBCSportsChicago.com’s team of White Sox experts.