Harger: Rick Rizzs and Steve Raible, Seattle’s sports broadcasters who narrate our lives

There’s something special about hearing the game on the radio. The crackle of the signal, the roar of the crowd behind it, and then the voices: steady, familiar, trusted.

For me, that’s Rick Rizzs and Steve Raible.

I’m 50 now, but as a teenager, I can still remember Rick as the young sidekick to Dave Niehaus. I’d be in my room with the radio on, listening as Dave and Rick made the Griffey’s sound larger than life.

Then, over on Sundays, there was Steve Raible learning the ropes next to Pete Gross, losing his mind in the best way when Curt Warner found the end zone.

The difference between local and national broadcasting

That’s the thing about local sports play-by-play guys. National broadcasters are supposed to sound detached, impartial. That’s fine if you want neutrality, but local radio is different. Our guys don’t pretend. They’re allowed to cheer, shout, and cry. They feel the heartbreak, too. And they let us feel it with them.

That’s why, even now, I’ll go out of my way to make sure I hear them. Much to my wife’s dismay, I’ve been known to rig up all kinds of janky wiring in the living room so I can sync the TV picture with the radio call. Cords running everywhere, little speakers perched on the shelf. It looks ridiculous. I don’t do it all the time, but when I do, Ingrid just shakes her head. But I’ll take Raible or Rizzs every time over Aikman and Buck pretending to be objective about the Seattle Seahawks.

Radio is different, more personal, and more intimate. Rick and Steve don’t just describe games. They accompany us through life, and after forty years of broadcasting Seattle sports, these voices are more than just broadcasters; they’re family.

Think about it, you don’t invite Al Michaels or Tony Romo into your car every afternoon. You don’t let Greg Olsen sit next to you on a long drive or fill the kitchen while you’re grilling burgers in the backyard. But Rizzs and Raible? They’ve been right there, every summer night, every Sunday afternoon, every playoff run.

Raible got his moment

I was so happy when Steve Raible got his moment. Three Super Bowls, and the joy of calling a Seahawks championship. That will live forever.

And now? Maybe this is Rick’s year. The Mariners are red hot, October baseball is happening in Seattle, and you can feel that same energy we felt back in ’95. Rick’s been here through the highs and the heartbreaks. He’s given his life and his heart to this city, to this team, and to all of us who’ve listened along the way.

Maybe that’s why this feels so important, because if Rick finally gets his moment, it won’t just belong to him. It’ll belong to everyone who grew up with a radio under the pillow, or a car stereo crackling on late drives home. If October magic happens, his calls on those games will be stitched into Seattle’s history forever.

I hope he gets to call something unforgettable this fall. He deserves that. We deserve that.

Because voices like his don’t just narrate the games, they narrate our memories.

And this October, I’d like nothing more than for Rick Rizzs to call the game of his life.

And that’s the commentary for Sept. 26. You can always weigh in. Shoot us a note on the text line (888) 973-5476 or leave a comment on MyNorthwest.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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