As far as Seattle is concerned, Dave Niehaus was baseball. If his warm voice was filtering through the A.M. static you knew it was summer and you were going to hear some stories.
Baseball is a unique sport to call as a play-by-play announcer. Baseball is a game of patience with many moments between the action. Those moments are filled by color commentary so the listener stays focused but necessarily on the game at hand.
Many times the words spoken between pitches are of stories about baseball's rich history or better yet, first-hand experiences by the radio announcer. Mr. Niehaus wielded the ability of words and story telling. Unfortunately for Seattle and baseball fans everywhere, Niehaus passed away yesterday at the age of 75.
The best way I can express my love for Niehaus is the undeniable chills that course through my veins when I hear one of his famous calls replayed. The best call of all-time is the Mariners game winning double that rocketed that amazing 1995 team past the New York Yankees and into the next playoff round.
"'The '95 call "
Reliving that franchise defining play arouses an incredible feeling, a feeling that reminds me why baseball has always been America's past-time. Baseball is notorious for being slow developing and hard to watch, especially on television. But when the right voice is calling the game, those negatives disappear.
I think every baseball fan should experience a radio broadcast of a major league game. There is nothing like sitting in your backyard on a humid summer night listening to a legend like Niehaus call a game. It is classic Americana.
Niehaus is irreplaceable and the Mariners know that. On behalf of all Mariner fans, we will miss you Dave.
Here's hoping you fly, fly away, to that great baseball diamond in the sky.
No comments:
Post a Comment