Dave 'My, Oh, My' Niehaus

The 'Voice of the Seattle Mariners', Dave Niehaus, on 19-Feb-08, was awarded the 'Ford C. Frick award for baseball broadcast excellence'.

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I'm glad to see MLB has finally got something right, because he will be inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the HOF in Cooperstown on April 27.

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Steve Kelley, the brilliant sportswriter for the Seattle Times 'called it' right when he wrote:

"Rarely does an entire region get to share something this profound. But this is an award all of us who have lived in the Northwest and listened to Dave can share with Niehaus.

For Mariners fans, for baseball fans, Niehaus had been our brother, our dad, our favorite uncle, our grandfather. He has been family.

His voice has wafted through summer breezes at picnics and playgrounds. It has bounced down sterile hospital halls and echoed from transistor radios since the Mariners' first game against the Angels in 1977."

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On April 27, "Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma! It's grand salami time!"

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Stats:

- His FIRST Mariner game call – April 6, 1977, which just happen to be, the M's very first pre-season game.

- Games: 4,816 out of 4,899

- B.A.: .983

- L.O.B.: 0

- His NEXT Mariner Game Call: Charity Game, 28-Feb, SD

GO, M's!!!

Descent into SEATAC

It seems like whenever I go to Seattle, it's at the tail end of a series of flights, often involving a redeye.

I'm of course happy to get off the lousy plane, but I'm even 'more happy' to be home, to 'my hometown', Seattle.

Of course at +30,000 feet, the sky is an incredible, almost 'take your breath away' blue; and I know this is incredibly lame, but I couldn't help get this tune out of my head:

"The bluest sky you've ever seen, in Seattle.
And the hills the greenest green, in Seattle.
Like a beautiful child
Growing up, free and wild.
Full of hopes and full of fears,
Full of laughter, full of tears,
Full of dreams to last a year
In Seattle."

BUT THEN, we began the descent into the clouds, and the ground finally became visible at about five-hundred feet, and the rain of course was streaking off the window like a 'whacked-out 150-mile per hour car wash'!!

There were a few grumblings (grumble, grumble, grumble) from some of the passengers; but hey I didn't care because this wasn't an ordinary rain, this was 'Seattle Rain', and I was home, and if felt good, very very good.

'49 - Front Row (Left)

This was taken on the day we (my Mom, five-year and ten-year old brothers, and I) departed Tacoma, Washington, to meet my Dad who was already in Rio de Janeiro.

It was my Mom's FIRST flight, and for her to take two bratty-kids, and one very sweet baby, on a trip like this by HERSELF, speaks volumes about the fortitude of my Mother.

I of course don't remember the flights, but I heard the story enough times to know the route went roughly: Seattle, Denver, Chicago, New York, Miami, Havana, Caracas, Recifie, and finally Rio.

I also know the story had us laying over in Havana for a full day because of a hurricane.

My Mom said she was met with a kiss from my Dad, and the question, "How was the trip?".

Her answer was apparently, "Here, YOU take THEM!!".

She then proceeded to walk into the terminal, leaving my Dad trying to hold me, and keep an eye on two 'very happy to be finally off the plane' little boys.

They both laughed at my Mom's telling of the story, but I knew from my Dad's discomfort, there had to modicum of truth to the story.

Years and years later as age caught up to her, I could always make her 'feel good', by asking her to tell me the story of our trip to Brazil.

She always told it like it was the very first time, and as the years went on, the bratty kids were no longer so bratty, and the sweet baby, although hard to believe, became even sweeter.