Scooter Chapman
In line to replace the Mariners’ voice
Published on Thu, Jan 13, 2011 by Scooter ChapmanRead More Chapman
When longtime Seattle Mariner announcer and good friend Dave Niehaus passed away, I said to myself, “Self, here’s your chance. Call up Randy Adamack, Mariners vice president of communications, tell him you are available to call some Mariners action in 2011.”
I continued to dream ….
“It’s what you wanted as a kid when you sat with fabled announcer Leo Lassen in the Sick’s Seattle Stadium press box watching a Seattle Rainiers game.”
And dream …
“The thrill of traveling around the country, doing play-by-play, interviewing the rich and famous, hitting the clubhouse every day for talks with the Mariners, being on a Pacific Northwest radio network and the television exposure and the $82-a-day meal money provided by the team on the road, not to mention a large six figure salary ….”
The only thing I had to do, I figured, was decide whether to quit my current job now and get ready for spring training or get real and realize that the Mariners would not hire a 76-year-old announcer who has never done major league play-by-play before.
“We have to have someone with experience,” Adamack would say.
I would mutter to myself, “How can you get experience when you don’t get a chance?”
So I have tossed aside the idea, but the Mariners are facing a tough decision this spring. Niehaus is irreplaceable. For this season, it will be Rick Rizzs as the lead radio man and they probably will bring back Ron Fairly for some action, along with former players Dan Wilson, Dave Henderson, Jay Buhner and Dave Valle to help throughout the year.
Adamack has the opportunity to go with a two-man radio team and a two-man television team and I think Dave Sims and Mike Blowers will be the television duo for the entire game.
Rizzs knows that no announcer could replace Niehaus this season. The Rizzer went to Detroit when Ernie Harwell stepped aside, but fans did not take to Rick and he returned to Seattle.
Fans never will forget
Niehaus, but give them a season, then bring in a major league play-by-play man to help Rizzs. I just hope Rick does not try to do more than he can this season to make up for the huge loss.
Hot Stove League stuff
We’ve been concentrating on football of late, so here are a few thoughts as the Mariners get ready to report for spring training in a month.
Eric Wedge is the seventh Mariner manager in a nine-year span. Can you name the other six? Lou Piniella, Bob Melvin, Mike Hargrove, John McLaren, Jim Riggleman and Don Wakamatsu.
Can Wedge do the trick, knowing that the Mariners are in a rebuilding program with youngsters? He managed in Cleveland for seven years and we need to give him a chance.
Everyone knows the Mariners need hitting. Jack Zduriencik went out and got Jack Cust to fill the designated hitter role, got catcher Miguel Olivo back from Colorado and got Brandan Ryan from St. Louis. All hit well last year, but in Oakland, Colorado and St. Louis.
Biggest potential run producer is first sacker Justin Smoak. Seattle had 101 home runs last year, lowest in the majors, and they need Smoak to smoke’em.
Can Wedge get Chone Figgins happy? The former Angel was brought in last year to complement Ichiro. He is in the second year of a $36 million four-year deal. Look for him to move to third, his former position, and look for him to hit better. New second baseman? Dustin Ackley is the answer and if he has a good spring training he will come north with the club, otherwise look for a couple of months in Tacoma and then to Safeco.
There are a lot of other questions going into Arizona. What to do with Milton Bradley? Can Michael Saunders be the left fielder, with Adam Moore continuing as backup backstop? Will Erik Bedard ever pitch again in a Mariner uniform?
The only sure thing right now is Felix Hernandez, Doug Fister and Jason Vargas as top three hurlers and Ichiro in right field. If I were manager Wedge, I would move Figgins back to leadoff and bat Ichiro second or maybe even third to get more run production from his singles.
With all of this insight, maybe I should call Adamack anyway.
I continued to dream ….
“It’s what you wanted as a kid when you sat with fabled announcer Leo Lassen in the Sick’s Seattle Stadium press box watching a Seattle Rainiers game.”
And dream …
“The thrill of traveling around the country, doing play-by-play, interviewing the rich and famous, hitting the clubhouse every day for talks with the Mariners, being on a Pacific Northwest radio network and the television exposure and the $82-a-day meal money provided by the team on the road, not to mention a large six figure salary ….”
The only thing I had to do, I figured, was decide whether to quit my current job now and get ready for spring training or get real and realize that the Mariners would not hire a 76-year-old announcer who has never done major league play-by-play before.
“We have to have someone with experience,” Adamack would say.
I would mutter to myself, “How can you get experience when you don’t get a chance?”
So I have tossed aside the idea, but the Mariners are facing a tough decision this spring. Niehaus is irreplaceable. For this season, it will be Rick Rizzs as the lead radio man and they probably will bring back Ron Fairly for some action, along with former players Dan Wilson, Dave Henderson, Jay Buhner and Dave Valle to help throughout the year.
Adamack has the opportunity to go with a two-man radio team and a two-man television team and I think Dave Sims and Mike Blowers will be the television duo for the entire game.
Rizzs knows that no announcer could replace Niehaus this season. The Rizzer went to Detroit when Ernie Harwell stepped aside, but fans did not take to Rick and he returned to Seattle.
Fans never will forget
Niehaus, but give them a season, then bring in a major league play-by-play man to help Rizzs. I just hope Rick does not try to do more than he can this season to make up for the huge loss.
Hot Stove League stuff
We’ve been concentrating on football of late, so here are a few thoughts as the Mariners get ready to report for spring training in a month.
Eric Wedge is the seventh Mariner manager in a nine-year span. Can you name the other six? Lou Piniella, Bob Melvin, Mike Hargrove, John McLaren, Jim Riggleman and Don Wakamatsu.
Can Wedge do the trick, knowing that the Mariners are in a rebuilding program with youngsters? He managed in Cleveland for seven years and we need to give him a chance.
Everyone knows the Mariners need hitting. Jack Zduriencik went out and got Jack Cust to fill the designated hitter role, got catcher Miguel Olivo back from Colorado and got Brandan Ryan from St. Louis. All hit well last year, but in Oakland, Colorado and St. Louis.
Biggest potential run producer is first sacker Justin Smoak. Seattle had 101 home runs last year, lowest in the majors, and they need Smoak to smoke’em.
Can Wedge get Chone Figgins happy? The former Angel was brought in last year to complement Ichiro. He is in the second year of a $36 million four-year deal. Look for him to move to third, his former position, and look for him to hit better. New second baseman? Dustin Ackley is the answer and if he has a good spring training he will come north with the club, otherwise look for a couple of months in Tacoma and then to Safeco.
There are a lot of other questions going into Arizona. What to do with Milton Bradley? Can Michael Saunders be the left fielder, with Adam Moore continuing as backup backstop? Will Erik Bedard ever pitch again in a Mariner uniform?
The only sure thing right now is Felix Hernandez, Doug Fister and Jason Vargas as top three hurlers and Ichiro in right field. If I were manager Wedge, I would move Figgins back to leadoff and bat Ichiro second or maybe even third to get more run production from his singles.
With all of this insight, maybe I should call Adamack anyway.
Columns by KONP 1450 AM sports announcer Scooter Chapman appear weekly in the Sequim Gazette.
He can be reached via e-mail at scooter@olypen.com.
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