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Mariners Broadcasters

Broadcasters: Niehaus | Rizzs | Sims | Blowers | Cremin | Engelbrekt | Rivera | Cruz                                 Affiliates »
Dave Niehaus
Dave Niehaus DAVE NIEHAUS has broadcast Mariners baseball since the club's inception in 1977. During his 31 seasons behind the microphone for the Mariners, the "Voice of the Mariners" has missed only 90 games, including 21 in 1996 (17 due to medical reasons). Entering the 2009 season, he has witnessed 4,971 of the 5,061 games played by the Mariners. He is recognized as one of the best and most exciting broadcasters in the game. In 2008, Niehaus received the Ford C. Frick Award and was included into the broadcasters wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He became the 32nd recipient of the award and was honored during Hall of Fame Weekend 2008. Niehaus was the top vote-getter in the fan balloting for the 2005 Ford C. Frick Award and was also nominated by national vote of the fans for the 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Niehaus served as the Grand Marshall in the Seafair Parade. He received the 2008 Seattle P-I Publisher's Award. In 2004, he was named Washington State Broadcaster of the Year by the Washington State Association of Broadcasters. Niehaus was also inducted into the Puget Sound Sports Hall of Fame. The Washington Council of the Blind gave him the 2004 One World Award. Niehaus threw out the Ceremonial First Pitch for the Inaugural Game at Safeco Field (July 15, 1999). He was named one of Seattle Times' Top 10 Most Influential People of the Century and named the Entertainer of the Century by a local radio station. In 1997, Niehaus was honored by the Washington State House of Representatives for his "contributions to the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest." He was elected Sportscaster of the Year for the state of Washington in 1995,1996 and 1997 by his contemporaries in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Niehaus was also recently elected to the Washington State Hall of Fame. His expressions like "My Oh My" and "It will fly away" (for home runs) have become familiar throughout the Northwest. In addition, on May 7, 2000, Dave was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame. Niehaus joined Mariner first baseman Alvin Davis as the first two members of the club's Hall of Fame.

Dave was born and raised in Princeton, Ind., and is a graduate of Indiana University. He worked for the Armed Forces radio and TV service, calling the action for Dodgers games before moving to New York to handle Yankees baseball as well as basketball and hockey. After leaving the Armed Forces Network, he returned to Los Angeles to broadcast the Dodgers, Rams and Lakers. From 1969-76, he teamed with Dick Enberg and Don Drysdale to call the action for Angels. Dave also broadcasted UCLA football and basketball (1973-76). He resides in Bellevue with his wife Marilyn. They have three children: Andy, Matt and Greta and six grandchildren, Zach, Steven, Madeline, Alexa, Audrey and Spencer.


Rick Rizzs
Rick RizzsRICK RIZZS is in his 24th season with the Mariners broadcast team in 2009. He also spent three seasons calling the play-by-play on radio for the Detroit Tigers from 1992-94. He previously teamed with Dave Niehaus on radio and television for the Mariners from 1983-91.

Rick is a 1975 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. From 1975-80, he handled baseball play-by-play duties at the double-A level for Alexandria, Amarillo and Memphis. He became the sports director at WBNS radio in Columbus, OH in 1981, where he called Ohio State football and triple-A baseball for two seasons. He was named the Ohio "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1981 by the Ohio Sportscasters Association. Rick was hired to broadcast Mariners games in 1983 and spent nine seasons with the club. In 2000, Rick was named the Chicago-area sportscaster of the year by the Chicago Pitch and Hit Club. From 1992-94, he teamed with Bob Rathbun to call the action for the Tigers on WJR in Detroit. Rick resides in Issaquah, WA. Rick has one son, Nick and two grandsons, Jaxon and Braedon.


Dave Sims
Dave Sims DAVE SIMS is in his third season with the Mariners broadcast team in 2009. The versatile Sims, who has national experience in baseball, basketball and football, grew up in Philadelphia and attended Bethany College in West Virginia. He played catcher and majored in mass communications before graduating in 1975. Sims, who focuses on play-by-play duties on Mariners television broadcasts, is familiar to sports fans across the country for calling Major League Baseball and college basketball games for ESPN, as well as NFL play-by-play on Westwood One/CBS Radio Sports, including NFC playoff games. The two-time Emmy Award winner has also called play-by-play for NCAA Basketball regular season games and tournament coverage for the past eight years. Sims was the recipient of the Big East Media Award in 2005, and also won the American Football Foundation's Lindsey Nelson Outstanding Sportscaster Award. Sims began his career as a sportswriter for the New York Daily News, covering college sports, professional soccer and the NBA. He then became a weekend sports anchor at WCBS-TV in New York. In 1991, Sims joined ESPN as a play-by-play announcer for college basketball. He's also been a longtime broadcaster for Big East football (1993-94 and 1998-2006). On radio, he provided play-by-play for CBS Radio/Westwood One's Sunday night NFL broadcast starting in 2005 and on a permanent basis since 2006. Sims also calls NCAA Basketball Tournament action for Westwood One. He has also worked as a reporter and anchor for WCBS-TV and as a talk show host for MSG Network and WFAN-AM in New York. He co-hosts "Basketball & Beyond with Coach K" for XM Satellite Radio with Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski. Sims and his wife Abby have two sons.

Mike Blowers
Mike Blowers MIKE BLOWERS, who enters his third season as the Mariners television analyst, is a long-time fan favorite who did three tours with the Mariners (1992-1995, 1997, 1999). Prior to joining the Mariners broadcast team in 2007, Blowers spent four years as the pre- and post-game analyst on KOMO 1000 News broadcasts of Mariners games. Blowers was a stand-out at Bethel High School in Spanaway, Wash., and was a Pac-10 Triple Crown winner while with the University of Washington Huskies. During his 11-year Major League career, Blowers also played for the New York Yankees (1989-91), Los Angeles Dodgers (1996) and Oakland Athletics (1998). He played in the postseason with the Mariners in 1995 and 1997. During Seattle's memorable 1995 season, he set career highs in almost every statistical category, including 113 hits, 24 doubles, 23 homers and 96 RBI. He tied a Major League record with three grand slams in a single month in August of '95, when he hit .283 with nine homers and a club-record tying 33 RBI. Blowers received the first-ever "Unsung Hero" award from the Seattle chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1993. He was originally selected by the Montreal Expos in the 10th round of the 1986 June draft. After being traded to the Yankees on Aug. 31, 1989, Blowers made his Major League debut with the Yankees on Sept. 1 vs. California. He actually made his first big league start against the Mariners on Sept. 5, 1989. Blowers lives in Graham, Wash., with his wife Nicole and their four children.

Kevin Cremin
Kevin Cremin KEVIN CREMIN is in his 27th season as Executive Producer/Engineer for all Mariners radio broadcasts in 2009. He is responsible for the technical aspects of each broadcast, as well as relaying updated game information to the entire broadcast crew. Cremin also produces the Hot Stove League and Saturday and Sunday Magazine shows for 710 ESPN Seattle.

The Tulsa, OK, native attended the University of Oklahoma and studied journalism. After spending eight years in the circulation department of the Tulsa World & Tribune, he joined the Mariners Radio Network full-time in 1983. He is currently the senior radio engineer in the AL. He resides in Seattle with wife Margaret and daughters Colleen and Kate.


Mark Engelbrekt
Mark Engelbrekt MARK ENGELBREKT is in his 24th season with Mariners television in 2009. He currently serves as the Director for all telecasts on FOX Sports Net in Seattle.

Mark graduated from the University of Washington in 1974 with a B.A. in communications. After working as a floor director for KING and KOMO, he joined KSTW in 1977 as Producer/Director of the Ten O'clock News. He produced Mariners telecasts from 1982-85 and served as Producer/Director from 1989-91. He joined the Mariners organization as television network producer in 1993. He resides in Seattle with wife Dianne, son Max and daughter Lily.


Alex Rivera
ALEX RIVERA is in his third season as the Spanish play-by-play voice of the Mariners broadcast team in 2009. The former Latin and Reggae musician, brings flavor and soul to the Mariners Spanish Broadcast Team. Since making the cross-country move, the New York native has built up a wealth of experience in the Seattle area. On top of collaborating on previous Spanish broadcasts with the Mariners, Alex has also worked for Spanish publications El Mundo and La Voz as well as Radio Sol during his career in print and on the airwaves. Alex lives in Edmonds with his wife Cindy and two daughters, Gloria and Alexis.

Julio Cruz
JULIO CRUZ can truly trace his Mariners radio expertise back to the beginning. After all, his Major League baseball career with the Mariners began in the inaugural 1977 season. He was selected by Seattle in the 1976 Expansion Draft from the California Angels organization. Now in his sixth season of broadcasting on the Spanish Radio Network, he teams with second-year play-by-play man Alex Rivera to give the Mariners a formidable Spanish tandem to cover all the Mariners home games.

In his eighth season with the Mariners, the former second baseman was outstanding defensively and one of the best base runners in the game. Nicknamed "Cruzer" or "Juice," he currently ranks second in Mariners history with 290 stolen bases. Other career highlights include his then-American League record tying string of 32 consecutive stolen bases spanning the 1980-81 seasons. Julio resides in Bellevue with his three sons, Austin, Alex and Jourdan.

Broadcasters: Niehaus | Rizzs | Sims | Blowers | Cremin | Engelbrekt | Rivera | Cruz