The most beloved broadcaster in the Pacific Northwest USA died yesterday, Dave Niehaus-- the Seattle Mariners announcer since the baseball team's beginning in 1977. Stories and remembrances are popping up online everywhere, but I found this excerpt from Jim Caple of ESPN.com one of the best:
"...I could go on and on about what made Niehaus great, but Mariners fans already know that. Simply put, Dave Niehaus was why Marconi invented radio. Radio has become more and more unlistenable in the past two decades, increasingly filled with phony, needlessly angry people shouting and pretending to be outraged about trivial matters they really don't care about. But Niehaus was a wonderful oasis among all that. Tune the dial to the Mariners broadcast and it was like listening to a kindly father or grandfather tell us a story (in fact, the Mariners once had him record a CD of bedtime stories). He could be soothing, funny, suspenseful, dramatic, joyous and outrageously over the top -- often in the same inning. *BREAK OUT THE RYE BREAD, GRANDMA, IT'S GRAND SALAMI TIME!!!* But he was always compelling to listen to." Jim's full story is at: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=caple_jim&id=5790342 As a DXer and tinkerer with radios, it is all to easy for me to forget that it is truly PEOPLE who bring out the magic of radio. Who among us doesn't remember as a child, listening to a pocket portable under the covers at night, tuning in the beguiling voice of a radio announcer? It might have been sports, news, drama, whatever...but the ability of a masterful broadcaster has the power to spark our imagination and give life to the magic of radio. Dave Niehaus was one of those rare radio personalities whom many, many thousands never personally met, but feel like they have. Dave's longevity and popularity in Seattle's sports and broadcasting scene transcends even the best of the icons and top players the team has had. Ichiro, Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner... their accomplishments are many, but it was Dave Niehaus who brought them to life over the airwaves. At best, I'm only a fair-weather fan of baseball and the Seattle Mariners. Dave Niehaus was the reason I found myself tuning into Mariner broadcasts frequently since my 1980 move to Seattle. Even in the midst of regrettable, miserable Mariners losses and seasons, Dave never faltered. He never failed to spark our imaginations with his skill in front of the microphone. More about his place in Seattle broadcasting over the last 33 years, including clips of some of his memorable and exciting moments can be read and listened to at: http://mynorthwest.com/category/mariners_articles/20101110/Mariners-broadcaster-Dave-Niehaus-dies-at-75/<http://mynorthwest.com/?sid=389467&nid=755> http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=22562&p=&n=Niehaus+Greatest+Calls http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2013399999_niehaus11.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOWnLqjF40g&feature=player_embedded (Perhaps Dave's most famous baseball call, from the Mariners' memorable 1995 season) ----------------------------------------------- Guy Atkins Puyallup, WA _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com