Dave Niehaus

Rest in Peace

Seattle’s Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Dave Niehaus died of a heart attack on November 10th. He was 75. He was the lead announcer for the Seattle Mariners from 1977 through the 2010 season.

In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the highest honor for American baseball broadcasters. Among fans nationwide and his peers, Niehaus is considered to be one of the finest sportscasters in history.

Niehaus is noted for using the following catchphrases on Mariner broadcasts:

• “My, oh my!” – a variant of former Angels partner Enberg’s “Oh, my!”, used for big, exciting plays.
• “Swung on and belted!” – used on long fly balls that may go over the wall for a home run.
• “It will fly away!”‘ (sometimes “Fly, fly away!”) – used for home runs.
• “Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time!” – used for a grand slam home run by a Mariners player.
• “The Mariners have erupted!” – used during scoring outbursts

The Creator of “A-Rod”

It was Niehaus who first called then Mariner Alex Rodriguez – “A-Rod.”  The nickname stuck.

Our next podcast will be released on Friday, November 26th.  This podcast will feature sporstcaster great, Vin Scully.  This podcast will also have a segment honoring Dave Niehaus who loved his craft even though his beloved Mariners never took him to the World Series.

Dave Niehaus Obituary