Dave Niehaus
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Dave Niehaus (born February 19, 1935 in Princeton, Indiana) is an American sportscaster. He has been the lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners since their inaugural season.
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 (NFL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), and UCLA Bruins football and basketball during this period.
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.[1] 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.[1] In 2000, he was the second figure to be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame.[1] 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.[1]
Niehaus' signature call is "my oh my!," an unabashed and admitted adaption of fellow Southland broadcast Dick Enberg's "Oh my!."
In 1999 for Nintendo 64, Niehaus was added to Ken Griffey, Jr.'s Slugfest as an announcer during gameplay.
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.
- "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.
[edit] Notable calls
| “ | 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.
[edit] References
- Smith, Curt. Voices of Summer: Ranking Baseball's 101 All-time Best Announcers. New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1446-8.
[edit] External links
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