Thursday, November 11, 2010

A Moment to Remember a Fine Broadcaster

Baseball-wise, it's been non-stop revelry - like Mark, I can't stop repeating '2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants', every time that I can.

This morning, a pause in the joy here in the Pacific Northwest, as news filtered out that Dave Niehaus, beloved voice of the Mariners since their inception, had had a fatal heart attack. It's hard to imagine a Mariners' broadcast without Dave Niehaus. Cut from the Lon Simmons cloth of story-telling & joyfully losing his voice in the middle of describing sensational & important plays, he was a classic play-by-play man & a civic & regional institution, a part of everything Mariner for 33 years. His call of Edgar Martinez's Division Series winning double in 1995 is the quintessential Mariners call, the one that they break out at every big occasion. People remember Edgar's hit & Dave Niehaus's joyous call with equal fondness. Like Jon Miller, he was recently deservedly inducted into the Hall-of-Fame.

Please read the story & watch the clip (you'll see a few beloved ex-Giants, too):

http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101110&content_id=16061742&vkey=news_sea&c_id=sea

We'll all miss you, Dave!

5 comments:

Zo said...

He looks better in a tuxedo than does Jon Miller.

Ron said...

I'm surprised no one has commented on Omar's final out of the no-hitter bare-handed play. Perhaps the other ex-Giant involved in that play distracted you - the batter was Ernest Riles.

More tributes:

Jim Street, Mariners' Beat Writer:

"Tears should rain on Seattle non-stop for at least a week, maybe more."

Rick Rizzs, long-time Mariner broadcaster:

"We're going to miss that spontaneity, that excitement, that voice and passion. Nobody, nobody is going to replace this guy. He was the Mariners as far as I'm concerned."

Dan Wilson, Mariner Catcher & part-time Broadcaster:

"The way he could turn the shot of a ferry heading out to sea into something very Americana about baseball, he was just an artist with words and emotions. He was able to strike a chord with so many people outside of baseball. That's why we all loved him."

Dave Henderson, Mariner OF & part-time broadcaster:

"One of his goals was 5,000 games, and he made it. I equate that to a player getting 3,000 hits because when you start looking at those numbers for a broadcaster, 5,000 is a lot of years and a lot of ballgames."

Brother Bob said...

"Grand Salami" is lame.

Ron said...

Bob, merely calling a Grand Slam a Grand Salame would be lame.

Coming up with 'Get Out the Mustard & Rye Bread Grandma, It's Grand Salame Time' & delivering it with Dave Niehaus's timing & style is Hall-of-Fame quality genius.

But, the genius of this guy wasn't just a few catch phrases. He was a 162-game per year pleasure to listen to. The right balance of descriptiveness, wit, emotion, reverence, & irreverence. The closest comparison that I can make is Lon Simmons. Given the affection & nostalgia associated with Lon & his work, that is pretty high praise.

Brother Bob said...

Maybe he was a great guy. He wasn't my guy. The mustard and rye bread stuff is even lamer.