Dave Niehaus would have turned 77 today. The longtime Seattle Mariners broadcaster was the face of the organization since the club's inception in 1977. His catch phrase "My, Oh, My" is certainly what Niehaus will be remembered for. He was the team's broadcaster for the first 34 years of the club's existence until his sudden death on November 3rd, 2010. There may never be another Mariners player that will represent Seattle the way Dave did as a broadcaster. In my opinion, the only player that has a chance to do so is Felix Hernandez, only if he continues to pitch at the level he is at now and retires a Mariners player.
My statement was very bold, considering the love fans had for stars such as Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez and even Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez for what they did when they played for Seattle. I guess Ichiro would give Niehaus the biggest run for his money. His popularity, in my opinion, is more because of his heritage and his fame in Japan. Among broadcasters, only Vin Scully is considered the face of his team the same way Niehaus is in Seattle. The only difference, is the fact that there are so many great Dodgers players that could be considered the face of the franchise. Favorites such as Sandy Koufax and Tom Lasorda make it difficult for Scully to stand out as the face of the Dodgers. The same can be said about Harry Kalas in Philadelphia and several others, as players take the throne over their respective broadcasters.
Nieuhaus was brought in by part owner Danny Kaye, who sang the famous "D-O-D-G-E-R-S" song in the 1960s, which I enjoy listening to. The Mariners would not have a winning season until 1991, but Niehaus was the talk of the town. Though the team was losing, the Mariners were always near the top of MLB when it came to radio listens. This was no coincidence. He brought excitement to games that otherwise may have not had. After the 2007 season, he had broadcast 4818 of the 4899 games in the history of the franchise. After the 2010 season, he had 5284 out of the 5385 games the team had played. Sadly, he was expecting to return for the 2011 season before his sudden death of a heart attack. Long time broadcaster Dave Sims now does the games for the Seattle Mariners. Happy Birthday to the face of the Seattle Mariners.
My statement was very bold, considering the love fans had for stars such as Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez and even Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez for what they did when they played for Seattle. I guess Ichiro would give Niehaus the biggest run for his money. His popularity, in my opinion, is more because of his heritage and his fame in Japan. Among broadcasters, only Vin Scully is considered the face of his team the same way Niehaus is in Seattle. The only difference, is the fact that there are so many great Dodgers players that could be considered the face of the franchise. Favorites such as Sandy Koufax and Tom Lasorda make it difficult for Scully to stand out as the face of the Dodgers. The same can be said about Harry Kalas in Philadelphia and several others, as players take the throne over their respective broadcasters.
Nieuhaus was brought in by part owner Danny Kaye, who sang the famous "D-O-D-G-E-R-S" song in the 1960s, which I enjoy listening to. The Mariners would not have a winning season until 1991, but Niehaus was the talk of the town. Though the team was losing, the Mariners were always near the top of MLB when it came to radio listens. This was no coincidence. He brought excitement to games that otherwise may have not had. After the 2007 season, he had broadcast 4818 of the 4899 games in the history of the franchise. After the 2010 season, he had 5284 out of the 5385 games the team had played. Sadly, he was expecting to return for the 2011 season before his sudden death of a heart attack. Long time broadcaster Dave Sims now does the games for the Seattle Mariners. Happy Birthday to the face of the Seattle Mariners.
RSS Feed
