Day dedicated to Dave

There undoubtedly will be others with more than incidental contact with the Mariners who will wind up with a berth in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

But Dave Niehaus was the first member of Cooperstown to have called Seattle home for the bulk of his career when he was inducted into the broadcasters' wing of the Hall of Fame on July 27. And on Sunday the club and a crowd of 33,334 fans honored him in a 20-minute pregame ceremony

And if Niehaus thought the buildup to his Cooperstown talk was nerve-wracking, he said Sunday's talk after being introduced to the crowd and having been saluted by Edgar Martinez on behalf of past and current players had its own issues.

"Last week Reggie Jackson told me not to look behind you, that it would be too intimidating (to see 56 Hall of Famers sitting there)," Niehaus said of the Cooperstown ceremonies. "Now I'm looking forward, and this is even more intimidating."

The grounds crew had raked Niehaus' trademark "My, oh my" into the dirt behind second base and the Mariners rolled out the red carpet for Niehaus, his wife, Marilyn, their children and grandchildren.

Martinez, who might have his own date with Cooperstown when he goes on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2010, presented Niehaus with a crystal trophy in the shape of a microphone on behalf of the players.

"Edgar, in three or four years, you will take your place in Cooperstown," Niehaus said.

For their part, the Mariners named the radio and television level of the Safeco Field press box the "Dave Niehaus Broadcast Center." And fans were handed a Dave Niehaus Hall of Fame bobblehead to commemorate the day.

Rick Rizzs, who has partnered with Niehaus for 23 of the Hall of Fame announcer's 32 seasons in Seattle, was the emcee for the event.

"It has been a privilege for me to sit alongside Dave," Rizzs said before introducing Niehaus to the crowd. "When you listen to Dave call a baseball game, it brings you along on a wonderful nine-inning ride."

Through good and bad, Niehaus has been the voice of the Mariners during those nine-inning rides. And, in the lean years, he's been the club's face, too.

On Sunday, he tried to delegate some of that.

"When I was in Cooperstown," Niehaus said to the fans in the stands and to those watching on TV, "each and every one of you stood on that dais with me. The award is yours and not mine. We have the best fans in baseball."

Announcers from around baseball, including Vin Scully and Marty Brennaman, two of the previous winners of the Ford C. Frick Award that got Niehaus into Cooperstown this year, sent recorded congratulations.

Also sending along their videotaped best wishes were former Mariners Harold Reynolds and Jamie Moyer, and a number of former Mariners were on hand, including Dave Henderson and Dave Valle.