The Mariners wrapped up their game against the Angels with a 7-3 victory last night, but honestly, the score felt secondary to what really happened: Rick Rizzs signed off on his final broadcast after 41 incredible years calling games from T-Mobile Park. It’s hard to imagine Mariners baseball without his voice, man.
Forty-One Years Of Memories, From Your Car To The Couch
For so many of us, the love for this game and the love for the people who bring it to us are completely tangled up, and Rick Rizzs is right there in the middle of that knot. For 41 seasons, he was the guy we trusted to paint the picture, to author those memories that stick with you, whether the team was winning or, well, not. My Mariners memories? Yeah, those are Rick Rizzs memories. I’m talking about listening to him everywhere, driving through the Badlands, making dinner, hauling boxes. Through every high and every crushing low, it was Rick. He gave structure to our springs, molded our evenings, and shaped every single summer. We might have been on our own, but we were never truly alone with Rick on the air.
That Signature Enthusiasm That Always Felt Like A Gift
You wanna talk about someone who just bleeds baseball? That’s Rick. I remember being 22, craning my neck outside Scott Servais’ door, trying to get a glimpse of Edgar Martinez. Rick caught my eye and asked who I was looking for. When I said Edgar, he just lit up! He launched into a torrent of baseball history, memories, and anecdotes. By the time Servais’ door opened, I had like ten minutes of pure gold. If Rick’s enthusiasm for the game ever dipped, we sure as heck never heard it. Every single game felt like a gift to him, and it always, always sounded like one to us. Listening to his farewell address yesterday from the stands, it was exactly what you’d expect: thoughtful, emotional, and perfectly, endearingly long-winded.
So yeah, the M’s got that W, 7-3 over the Angels. But as Rick waved goodbye, you couldn’t help but feel a shift in the Emerald City. Forty-one years, man. We’ll be tuning in next time, ready for whatever this squad brings, carrying those Rizzs memories right along with us.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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