Dave Niehaus (February 19, 1935 – November 10, 2010) was an American sportscaster . He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League 's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in 1977 until his death in 2010. He was awarded in 2008 the Ford C. Frick Award by the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. The Frick award is the highest honor for American baseball broadcasters. Among Pacific Northwest fans and his peers, Niehaus is considered one of the finest sportscasters in history.
Biography
Early life and career
Niehaus graduated from Indiana University in 1957, entered the military, and began his broadcasting career with Armed Forces Radio . He became a partner of Dick Enberg on the broadcast team of the California Angels in 1969 . Niehaus also broadcast the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and UCLA Bruins football and basketball during this period.
Seattle Mariners
In 1977 , Danny Kaye , part-owner of the expansion Seattle Mariners, recruited Niehaus to become the franchise's radio voice . As of the end of the 2007 season , Niehaus had called 4,817 of the 4,899 games the Mariners had played since their inception. Heart problems forced Niehaus to undergo two angioplasties in 1996 , causing him to give up smoking and change his diet.
Despite working for a franchise who from its first year in 1977 until 1991 was without a winning season, his talent was recognizable, and Niehaus was considered one of the few attractions for Mariner fans.[citation needed ] Even in the period before the team's memorable 1995 season, the Mariners were regularly one of the leading major-league teams in terms of the percentage of radios in use.[citation needed ]
Niehaus has become immensely popular in Seattle, twice being named Washington Sportscaster of the Year. The team chose him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the opening of its new ballpark, Safeco Field , on July 15, 1999 . In 2000 , he was the second figure to be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame. In 2008 , Niehaus was named the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award , which recognizes career excellence in baseball broadcasting and is considered the highest baseball broadcasting honor.
In 1999 , for Nintendo 64 , Niehaus was added to Ken Griffey, Jr.'s Slugfest as an announcer during gameplay.
May 7, 2009 was Niehaus' 5,000th game as a Mariner broadcaster.
Notable catchphrases
Niehaus is noted for using the following catchphrases on Mariner broadcasts:
- "My, oh my!" - a variant of former Angels partner Enberg's "Oh, my!", used for big, exciting plays.
- "Swung on and belted! - used on long fly balls that may go over the wall for a home run.
- "It will fly away!"' (sometimes "Fly, fly away!") - used for home runs.
- "Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time!" - used for a grand slam home run by a Mariners player.
Notable Nicknames
- "A-Rod" - first to call Alex Rodriguez "A-Rod"[citation needed ]
- "Death to Flying Things" - first to call Franklin Gutierrez by his current nickname
"The Kid" -Ken Griffey Jr.
Notable calls
| | "1995 AL Division Series Winning Call" The winning call of the 1995 American League Division Series as called by Dave Niehaus, one of his most famous calls. |
| Problems listening to this file? See media help . | |
Now the left hander ready. Branding Iron hot, the 1-2 pitch....K inserted, it's over! Right over the heart of the plate! Randy looks to the skies that is covered by the dome and bedlam! As the Mariners now erupt! 19 long years of frustration are over!—Calling the final out against the California Angels in the one-game AL West playoff in 1995.
Right now, the Mariners looking for the tie. They would take a fly ball, they would love a base hit into the gap and they could win it with Junior's speed. The stretch... and the 0-1 pitch on the way to Edgar Martínez swung on and LINED DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE FOR A BASE HIT! HERE COMES JOEY , HERE IS JUNIOR TO THIRD BASE, THEY'RE GOING TO WAVE HIM IN! THE THROW TO THE PLATE WILL BE ... LATE! THE MARINERS ARE GOING TO PLAY FOR THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! IT JUST CONTINUES! MY, OH MY!—Calling the winning hit by Edgar Martínez , which scored Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr. to win the 1995 American League Division Series in the 5th and final game.
Death
Niehaus died of a heart attack on November 10, 2010 at his home in Bellevue, Washington .
References
- ^ a b c d "Mariners' Niehaus wins Frick Award" . MLB.com . 2008-02-19. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080219&content_id=2379444&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb . Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ "Loss of a legend: Dave Niehaus, voice of Mariners, dies at 75" . KOMO News. 2010-11-10. http://www.komonews.com/sports/107096913.html . Retrieved 2010-11-10.
- Smith, Curt. Voices of Summer: Ranking Baseball's 101 All-time Best Announcers. New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1446-8 .
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Frick Winner Niehaus Makes First Hall Visit
- Baseball Hall of Fame: It will fly away! Niehaus honored with 2008 Frick
- Audio: Dave Niehaus calls six memorable plays in Mariners' history
- Audio: Niehaus announcing during 1996 earthquake
| Preceded by Denny Matthews | Ford C. Frick Award 2008 | Succeeded by Tony Kubek |
| ||
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