Broadcasters by Year 1924 2006

By Wikipedia

Dave Niehaus 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. While there he began using his signature phrase of "My, oh my!" , a variation on Enberg's exclamations of "Oh, my!" Later he would also add to it for home run calls, "It will fly, fly away!"

In 1977, Danny Kaye, part-owner of the expansion Seattle Mariners, recruited Niehaus to become the franchise's radio voice. Here he developed his most distinctive catchphrase, used whenever a Mariner player hits a grand slam: "Get out the rye bread and the mustard, Grandma, it's grand salami time!" Heart problems forced Niehaus to undergo two angioplasties in 1996, causing him to give up smoking and change his diet.

As an announcer, Niehaus has the reputation of being somewhat of a "homer" and cheering on the team in his broadcasts. Despite working for a franchise that was long abysmal, his talent was recognizable, and Niehaus was considered one of the few attractions for Mariner fans. Even in the period before the team's memorable 1995 season, the Mariners were regularly one of the best teams in baseball in terms of the percentage of radios in use.

Niehaus has become immensely popular in Seattle, twice being named Washington Sportscaster of the Year. In 2000, he was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame at its creation, before even any players had been so honored. He is also considered a leading candidate to receive Ford C. Frick Award in the near future.

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