[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16577]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DAVE NIEHAUS

  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I know many of my colleagues are here to 
talk about important issues of the day we are voting on here on the 
Senate floor. But I rise with a point of pride and personal privilege 
to talk about a great moment for the Pacific Northwest; that is 
tomorrow's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame of Dave Niehaus, 
our broadcaster.
  For 32 years, Dave has been the voice of the Seattle Mariners and he 
has been broadcasting in that broadcast booth from the team's first 
game in 1977. Next year will be his 5,000th Mariners game, which in and 
of itself is an incredible milestone.
  I know everybody who is a baseball fan, not only in the Northwest but 
all throughout the country, knows that when someone has that unique 
position of calling a baseball game he does breathe life into each 
inning regardless of the score.
  Many people new to the Northwest may not realize that in the late 
1990s, up until that period, most of the Mariner games were only on the 
radio. For a good part of the team's history, let's say our team was 
struggling.
  It took the Mariners 15 seasons to break .500 baseball. But yet the 
radio ratings were always strong and people kept tuning in, and that is 
because the voice of Dave Niehaus and his approach to the game kept the 
fans listening.
  Like so many of the 33 broadcasters who are enshrined before him in 
Cooperstown, he found a way to make each game a treat for the fans to 
listen to. In 2007, the Seattle Times called him ``the voice of summer 
in Seattle.'' I could not agree more.
  Dave also made a brief bit of history by doing the first play by play 
of a baseball game live on the Internet in September of 1995 when the 
Mariners and the Yankees played. So baseball came into cyberspace and 
everybody around the world got to hear some of Dave Niehaus's great 
phrases such as ``swung and belted'' and ``get the mustard and rye 
bread, grandma, because it's grand salami time.''
  And for the fans, we do consider Dave part of the team. In fact, in 
1999 the Mariners chose to honor Dave Niehaus by having him throw out 
the ceremonial first pitch at the opening of our new stadium, something 
that is the pride of the Northwest, Safeco Field which was opened in 
1999.
  Dave was there behind the microphone in the 1995 season, the ``refuse 
to lose season.'' It was an exciting time in the Northwest. He called 
the exciting one-game playoff with the Angels. After the game, many of 
the fans cheered him as much as they cheered the players.
  Dave was also behind the microphone for what is called the ``famous 
double,'' the most memorable moment in Seattle Mariners sports history. 
It was the deciding game of the 1995 playoffs against the Yankees, and 
in the bottom of the 11th inning, Edgar Martinez hit a double that 
became Dave's favorite call of his entire career, as Ken Griffey, Jr. 
scored from first base, winning the series.
  Once again, I congratulate Dave Niehaus in winning the 2008 Ford C. 
Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting and his 
introduction into Cooperstown. Dave's signature call of ``my, oh, my,'' 
now will join the ranks of Harry Caray's ``holy cow,'' Mel Allen's 
``going, going, gone'' and Vin Scully's ``I can't believe it.''
  Finally I wish to say, because this is a point of personal privilege 
for me, that I hope somewhere in 2010, I might be standing in this very 
same spot with the opportunity to congratulate Edgar Martinez in being 
enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
  Edgar's achievements are many: He is a two-time American League 
batting champion, a seven-time All-Star, a career .312 hitter, 
including seven consecutive seasons of hitting above .300 from 1995 to 
2001. And of the 164 hitters in the Hall of Fame, Edgar's on-base 
percentage of .418 would rank him 13th.
  I say this because in the Northwest, sometimes we do not get all the 
attention. Being in a different time zone, people do not see all of the 
accomplishments. But we are here to congratulate Dave Niehaus and hope 
for the best, that another Seattle Mariner will be added to the ranks 
of Cooperstown sometime soon.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.

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