Rick Rizzs
Encyclopedia
Rick Rizzs is an American sportscaster
and is the lead radio voice for Major League Baseball
's Seattle Mariners
.
in Carbondale
. From 1975 to 1980, he handled baseball
play-by-play duties at the double-A
level for Alexandria, Louisiana
, Amarillo, Texas
and Memphis, Tennessee
. He became the sports director at WBNS
radio in Columbus, Ohio
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.
. His tenure with the Mariners was only interrupted by a two-year stint from 1992 to 1994 providing game coverage of the Detroit Tigers
, teaming with Bob Rathbun
on WJR
. After the end of the 1994 season, Rizzs returned to Seattle, where he remains to this day. In 2000, Rick was named the Chicago
-area sportscaster of the year by the Chicago Pitch and Hit Club.
Although he previously broadcast Mariners games on both television and radio, Rizzs was transferred prior to the 2007 season to work exclusively on Mariners radio broadcasts. For the first three innings, he was accompanied by Dave Sims
, who was hired prior to the 2007 season, and for the remainder of the game he was accompanied by the late Dave Niehaus
(as Sims and Niehaus switched positions after the third inning). Rizzs did play-by-play for the first three and one-half innings, and again in the 7th inning. In games that went to extra innings, Rizzs did the play-by-play for the even-numbered innings.
With the death of Niehaus on November 10, 2010, Rizzs became the Mariners lead radio voice. He is well-known by Mariners fans for his sunny optimism.
"Well hit ball to deep part of the outfield"- used on long fly balls that may go over the wall for a homerun.
"Goodbye baseball!"- used for homeruns.
"Holy smokes"- used for big, exciting plays.
"Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time! Holy smokes! Dave Niehaus
, this one is for you, buddy" - used for when Miguel Olivo
hit the first grand slam since his longtime friend Dave
passed away in November 2010, as a tribute.
"Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time! Holy smokes!"- used when a Mariners hit a grand slam.
"Happy totals"- used during the postgame when a Mariners win the ballgame.
. He has one son, Nick and two grandsons, Jaxon and Braden.
Rizzs also provided the commentary for the 2005 Nintendo Gamecube
game Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball, but the game's U.S. release was canceled.
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and is the lead radio voice for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
.
Early life and career
Rizzs is a 1975 graduate of Southern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
in Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
. From 1975 to 1980, he handled baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
play-by-play duties at the double-A
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
level for Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
and Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. He became the sports director at WBNS
WBNS (AM)
WBNS — branded 1460 ESPN — is a radio station that broadcasts from Columbus, Ohio. The station, which originally went on the air as WCAH in 1922, currently broadcasts a sports talk format and carries ESPN talk programming. WBNS is also the flagship of the Ohio State Buckeyes radio network. It is...
radio in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in 1981, where he called Ohio State
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and triple-A
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
baseball for two seasons. He was named the Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
"Sportscaster of the Year" in 1981 by the Ohio Sportscasters Association.
Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers
Beginning in 1983, Rizzs broadcast Mariners games along with Dave NiehausDave Niehaus
David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in until his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the...
. His tenure with the Mariners was only interrupted by a two-year stint from 1992 to 1994 providing game coverage of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, teaming with Bob Rathbun
Bob Rathbun
Bob Rathbun is a sports television announcer. He has been the announcer for the Atlanta Hawks basketball games on FSN South since 1996. He is currently partnered with Dominique Wilkins...
on WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
. After the end of the 1994 season, Rizzs returned to Seattle, where he remains to this day. In 2000, Rick was named the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-area sportscaster of the year by the Chicago Pitch and Hit Club.
Although he previously broadcast Mariners games on both television and radio, Rizzs was transferred prior to the 2007 season to work exclusively on Mariners radio broadcasts. For the first three innings, he was accompanied by Dave Sims
Dave Sims
Dave Sims is an American sportscaster. He currently is the television play-by-play commentator for the Seattle Mariners, the radio play-by-play man for Sunday Night Football on Westwood One, and the host of Basketball and Beyond with Coach K on Sirius XM Satellite Radio...
, who was hired prior to the 2007 season, and for the remainder of the game he was accompanied by the late Dave Niehaus
Dave Niehaus
David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in until his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the...
(as Sims and Niehaus switched positions after the third inning). Rizzs did play-by-play for the first three and one-half innings, and again in the 7th inning. In games that went to extra innings, Rizzs did the play-by-play for the even-numbered innings.
With the death of Niehaus on November 10, 2010, Rizzs became the Mariners lead radio voice. He is well-known by Mariners fans for his sunny optimism.
Notable catchphrases
Rizzs is noted for using the following catchphrases on Mariner broadcasts:"Well hit ball to deep part of the outfield"- used on long fly balls that may go over the wall for a homerun.
"Goodbye baseball!"- used for homeruns.
"Holy smokes"- used for big, exciting plays.
"Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time! Holy smokes! Dave Niehaus
Dave Niehaus
David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in until his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the...
, this one is for you, buddy" - used for when Miguel Olivo
Miguel Olivo
Miguel Eduardo Olivo Peña is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Seattle Mariners. He bats and throws right-handed.-Career:...
hit the first grand slam since his longtime friend Dave
Dave Niehaus
David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in until his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the...
passed away in November 2010, as a tribute.
"Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time! Holy smokes!"- used when a Mariners hit a grand slam.
"Happy totals"- used during the postgame when a Mariners win the ballgame.
Personal life
Rizzs resides in Issaquah, WashingtonIssaquah, Washington
Issaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
. He has one son, Nick and two grandsons, Jaxon and Braden.
Rizzs also provided the commentary for the 2005 Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
game Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball, but the game's U.S. release was canceled.