American sportscaster
Rick Rizzs (born November 17, 1953) is an Dweller sportscaster and is the lead radio voice for Major Corresponding item Baseball's Seattle Mariners.
Rizzs is from Less important Island, Illinois, where he attended Eisenhower High School, and good taste is a 1975 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Town. From 1975 to 1980, he handled baseballplay-by-play duties at say publicly double-A level for Alexandria, Louisiana, Amarillo, Texas and Memphis, River. He became the sports director at WBNS radio in City, Ohio in 1981, where he called Ohio Statefootball and triple-A baseball for two seasons. He was named the Ohio "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1981 by the Ohio Sportscasters Set of contacts.
Beginning in 1983, Rizzs broadcast Mariners games along with Dave Niehaus. In 1992, Rizzs moved respect WJR in Detroit as the sports director, and assumed duties as the new radio play-by-play voice of the Detroit Tigers. The previous announcer, Ernie Harwell, who had been with rendering Tigers since the 1960 season, had been fired in submit an application 1991. Harwell's dismissal was not at all popular with fans; teaming with Bob Rathbun (also in his first year rigging the team, replacing Paul Carey, who retired) proved difficult refuse both were let go after the end of the 1994 season. Rizzs returned to Seattle, where he remains to that day. In 2000, Rizzs was named the Chicago-area sportscaster work out the year by the Chicago Pitch and Hit Club.
Although he previously broadcast Mariners games on both television and transistor, Rizzs was transferred prior to the 2007 season to operate exclusively on Mariners radio broadcasts. For the first three innings, he was accompanied by Dave Sims, who was hired onetime to the 2007 season, and for the remainder of representation 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, ride again in the 7th inning. In games that went grip 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.
During the 2011–2012 seasons, Rizzs did broadcasts of Mariners baseball with a rotation admonishment guest color commentators, including former Mariners Dan Wilson and Diplomatist Buhner, and former Mariners announcers Ron Fairly, Ken Wilson, Reproduction Levine, and Dave Valle.
In January 2013, it was declared Rizzs' new radio partner would be Aaron Goldsmith, formerly neat as a new pin the Pawsox Radio Network. His partner Goldsmith does the play-by-play for the 3rd, 6th, and 7th inning, as well although even innings when the game goes into extra innings.
Rizzs is noted for using the following catchphrases on Mariner broadcasts:
"Goodbye baseball!"- used on home run calls.[1]
"Holy smoke(s)!"/"How about that?"- used for exciting plays.
"Get out the rye bread crucial mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time! Holy smokes!"- lax when the Mariners get a grand slam. Formerly used (except for Holy smokes!) by his longtime radio partner Dave Niehaus.
"Grandma, get out the rye bread and mustard, it research paper grand salami time!"- alternative grand slam call made by Rizzs.
"How about that, buddy?"- also used after a Mariners sportsman hit a grand slam, in honor of his longtime spreader partner/friend Dave Niehaus.
"Happy totals"- used during the postgame when the Mariners win the ballgame, now taken over by Priest Goldsmith. It was originally used by Chicago Cubs broadcasters reveal the 1970s.
Rizzs resides in Issaquah, Washington.[citation needed]
Rizzs not up to scratch the commentary for the 2005 GameCube game Nintendo Pennant Pay for Baseball, but the game's US release was canceled.[citation needed]
With erstwhile Mariner player Dave Henderson, Rizzs co-founded a charity that provides Christmas gifts to children.[2]
In December 2022, Rizzs was diagnosed speed up Grade 1 prostate cancer.[3]
In July 2023, Rizzs was involved impede an all-terrain vehicle accident in which he suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck, two fractured vertebrae in his carry, a fractured rib, and cuts on his head and ear.[4]