[IRCA] "Dave Niehaus was why Marconi invented radio"

[Guy Atkins <dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx