[nfbwatlk] Iconic Niehaus still heartbeat of Mariners

[Mike Freeman]

 SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/352529_thiel25.html

Iconic Niehaus still heartbeat of Mariners
Last updated February 24, 2008 10:39 p.m. PT

By ART THIEL
P-I COLUMNIST

So intense was the avalanche of well-wishers who called Dave Niehaus 
after his selection to the broadcasters' wing of the Baseball Hall of 
Fame that he was actually a bit relieved to head to Arizona on Sunday to 
begin spring training broadcasts.

Not that he didn't appreciate every single call. It's just that he was 
overwhelmed with how many cared. And occasionally surprised.

The YES Network that carries Yankees games in New York is doing a long 
feature on the life of Alex Rodriguez, who told the producers they 
should get in touch with two people from his Mariners days -- Niehaus 
and John Olerud.

Olerud makes sense, because he has yet to say anything bad about anyone. 
The Niehaus request was based on the fact that the Mariners broadcaster 
was the first to call him A-Rod.

"I had no idea," Niehaus said. "I guess maybe I was the first guy. But I 
don't remember it. Maybe I mentioned it during an exciting play or 
something, but somebody must have picked up on it."

The pop-culture nickname trend of combining a first initial and a last 
name's first syllable probably predated A-Rod. But when D-Nie says it, 
it becomes authoritative.

That's what happens when your voice and personality linger longer in 
households than almost any of its members.

Along with KING-TV's Jean Enersen, Niehaus has been the most prominent 
local broadcast presence in the Puget Sound area. That's the way it 
works with good baseball announcers. You don't move Dad's favorite 
chair, you don't mess with Mom's purse, you don't touch the kids' 
baseball card collections, and you don't change the play-by-play guy.

Relatively speaking, Niehaus, 73, can be called "kid" by some of his 
more experienced contemporaries.

Vin Scully has been doing Dodgers broadcasts for 57 years, since their 
days in Brooklyn. In Kansas City, Denny Matthews did the first Royals 
game in 1969, and is still there. Harry Kalas of the Phillies and Bob 
Uecker of the Brewers started in 1971. Mike Shannon began with the 
Cardinals in 1972. Marty Brennaman of the Reds in 1974 -- all still 
going. Ernie Harwell of the Tigers went from 1960 to 2002, the late Bob 
Murphy of the Mets went from 1962 to 2003, the late Herb Carneal of the 
Twins from 1962-2006.

So Niehaus, starting in 1977 with the Mariners' first game, is barely 
out of his figurative knickers.

But for the first 15 seasons, he was about all the Mariners had. The 
slowest team to a winning season in the history of American major league 
sports, the Mariners were relentlessly hapless. So the fact that he is 
the club's first man in the hall generates even more meaning because he 
has spanned the pathos to the success.

"I'm very proud of the fact that I'm the first born-and-bred Mariner 
there," he said.

The one season of Gaylord Perry, in which he won his 300th career game, 
doesn't count as a Mariners career. Because the franchise is relatively 
young, player inductees will follow, but Niehaus rates as the man of the 
club's first quarter-century.

Even if he misjudges a fly ball now and then, he still works for me 
because unlike a number of his sports-broadcast contemporaries, Niehaus 
is not afraid to call out a player for a weak performance. As a club 
employee, he knows a big part of his job is selling enthusiasm and 
tickets. But that hasn't stopped him from saying things like, "A pitcher 
has no business putting a ball in that location in that situation," or 
"How could he possibly throw to that base? Unbelievable."

The point isn't to pick on a player as much as it is to be honest with 
the listener who can't see the game. Niehaus knows the game and the 
players well, and if something on the field isn't right, what's the 
point of misleading the audience? Fans aren't going to quit attending 
because Rick White gave up the winning run on a bases-loaded walk, as 
happened last year, but they do deserve to have it called unacceptable.

"I always thought to myself, if I lose my credibility, I lose 
everything," Niehaus said. "I can't sit up there and put lipstick on a 
pig. You can't fool people, for crying out loud."

Niehaus has a pet phrase for the issue: "I'm as objective as my 
subjectivity will allow."

"I never ride a ballplayer," he said. "But one thing I can't stand is a 
lack of hustle. When I see that, it boils my blood."

The Mariners get criticized, deservedly, for sometimes going overboard 
on the wholesome ballpark/player theme. After more than 30 seasons, the 
franchise has helped create a more sophisticated fan base that can 
handle the truth.

In the long run, honesty will win over more fans than pandering. And if 
it's Niehaus doing the dealing, nobody will argue with a Hall of Famer.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P-I columnist Art Thiel can be reached at 206-448-8135 or 
artthiel at seattlepi.com.

© 1998-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/352529_thiel25.html
Iconic Niehaus still heartbeat of Mariners
Last updated February 24, 2008 10:39 p.m. PT
By ART THIEL
P-I COLUMNIST
So intense was the avalanche of well-wishers who called Dave Niehaus after his selection to the broadcasters' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame that he was actually a bit relieved to head to Arizona on Sunday to begin spring training broadcasts.
Not that he didn't appreciate every single call. It's just that he was overwhelmed with how many cared. And occasionally surprised.
The YES Network that carries Yankees games in New York is doing a long feature on the life of Alex Rodriguez, who told the producers they should get in touch with two people from his Mariners days -- Niehaus and John Olerud.
Olerud makes sense, because he has yet to say anything bad about anyone. The Niehaus request was based on the fact that the Mariners broadcaster was the first to call him A-Rod.
"I had no idea," Niehaus said. "I guess maybe I was the first guy. But I don't remember it. Maybe I mentioned it during an exciting play or something, but somebody must have picked up on it."
The pop-culture nickname trend of combining a first initial and a last name's first syllable probably predated A-Rod. But when D-Nie says it, it becomes authoritative.
That's what happens when your voice and personality linger longer in households than almost any of its members.
Along with KING-TV's Jean Enersen, Niehaus has been the most prominent local broadcast presence in the Puget Sound area. That's the way it works with good baseball announcers. You don't move Dad's favorite chair, you don't mess with Mom's purse, you don't touch the kids' baseball card collections, and you don't change the play-by-play guy.
Relatively speaking, Niehaus, 73, can be called "kid" by some of his more experienced contemporaries.
Vin Scully has been doing Dodgers broadcasts for 57 years, since their days in Brooklyn. In Kansas City, Denny Matthews did the first Royals game in 1969, and is still there. Harry Kalas of the Phillies and Bob Uecker of the Brewers started in 1971. Mike Shannon began with the Cardinals in 1972. Marty Brennaman of the Reds in 1974 -- all still going. Ernie Harwell of the Tigers went from 1960 to 2002, the late Bob Murphy of the Mets went from 1962 to 2003, the late Herb Carneal of the Twins from 1962-2006.
So Niehaus, starting in 1977 with the Mariners' first game, is barely out of his figurative knickers.
But for the first 15 seasons, he was about all the Mariners had. The slowest team to a winning season in the history of American major league sports, the Mariners were relentlessly hapless. So the fact that he is the club's first man in the hall generates even more meaning because he has spanned the pathos to the success.
"I'm very proud of the fact that I'm the first born-and-bred Mariner there," he said.
The one season of Gaylord Perry, in which he won his 300th career game, doesn't count as a Mariners career. Because the franchise is relatively young, player inductees will follow, but Niehaus rates as the man of the club's first quarter-century.
Even if he misjudges a fly ball now and then, he still works for me because unlike a number of his sports-broadcast contemporaries, Niehaus is not afraid to call out a player for a weak performance. As a club employee, he knows a big part of his job is selling enthusiasm and tickets. But that hasn't stopped him from saying things like, "A pitcher has no business putting a ball in that location in that situation," or "How could he possibly throw to that base? Unbelievable."
The point isn't to pick on a player as much as it is to be honest with the listener who can't see the game. Niehaus knows the game and the players well, and if something on the field isn't right, what's the point of misleading the audience? Fans aren't going to quit attending because Rick White gave up the winning run on a bases-loaded walk, as happened last year, but they do deserve to have it called unacceptable.
"I always thought to myself, if I lose my credibility, I lose everything," Niehaus said. "I can't sit up there and put lipstick on a pig. You can't fool people, for crying out loud."
Niehaus has a pet phrase for the issue: "I'm as objective as my subjectivity will allow."
"I never ride a ballplayer," he said. "But one thing I can't stand is a lack of hustle. When I see that, it boils my blood."
The Mariners get criticized, deservedly, for sometimes going overboard on the wholesome ballpark/player theme. After more than 30 seasons, the franchise has helped create a more sophisticated fan base that can handle the truth.
In the long run, honesty will win over more fans than pandering. And if it's Niehaus doing the dealing, nobody will argue with a Hall of Famer.
P-I columnist Art Thiel can be reached at 206-448-8135 or artthiel at seattlepi.com.
© 1998-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer