View source for Dave Sims

{{Short description|American sportscaster (born 1953)}}
{{other people||David Sims (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sports announcer
| name          = Dave Sims
| image         =
| image_size    = 
| caption       = 
| birth_name  = David Sims
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1953|2|14}} <!--or {{Birth-date and age|birth date†}} -->
| birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date  = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|1853|2|14}} or {{Death-date and age|death date†|birth date†}} -->
| death_place = 
| alma_mater  = [[Bethany College (West Virginia)|Bethany College]] ([[West Virginia|WV]])
| genre         = [[Play-by-play]]
| sport         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Major League Baseball]]
* [[National Football League]]
}} 
}}
'''David Sims''' (born February 14, 1953) is an American sportscaster. He is the radio [[play-by-play]] commentator for the [[New York Yankees]] of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). He was previously the television play-by play commentator for MLB's [[Seattle Mariners]].

Sims was the 2018, 2019 and 2020 [[National Sports Media Association]]'s Washington state Sportscaster of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-13|title=Dave Sims again wins Washington Sportscaster of the Year|url=https://marinersblog.mlblogs.com/dave-sims-again-wins-washington-sportscaster-of-the-year-33eac9cb87d3|access-date=2021-10-03|website=Medium}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Washington |url=https://nationalsportsmedia.org/awards/state-awards/washington |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=National Sports Media Association |language=en}}</ref> He is the former co-host (with [[Mike Krzyzewski]]) of ''Basketball and Beyond with Coach K'' on [[Sirius XM Satellite Radio]].<ref name=Sirius>{{cite web|title=Basketball and Beyond On SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio|url=http://coachk.com/coach-k-media/sirius-xm-radio-show/|access-date=27 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011002957/http://coachk.com/coach-k-media/sirius-xm-radio-show/|archive-date=11 October 2012}}</ref>

==Early life==
Sims grew up in [[Philadelphia]]. He attended [[Chestnut Hill Academy]], where he was co-captain of the baseball team his senior season.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-04-28 |title=Sims a man of many hats in broadcasting business |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/dave-sims-a-man-of-many-hats-in-broadcasting-business/c-120996546 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yates |first=Clinton |date=2022-10-22 |title=‘It’s what we all aspire to be’: Dave Sims is a beacon in broadcasting, an icon in Seattle |url=https://andscape.com/features/its-what-we-all-aspire-to-be-dave-sims-is-a-beacon-in-broadcasting-an-icon-in-seattle/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Andscape |language=en-US}}</ref> He then attended [[Bethany College (West Virginia)|Bethany College]] in [[West Virginia]]. At Bethany, Sims played one year of [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]] varsity football, finishing third in kickoff returns in the [[Presidents' Athletic Conference]], and played [[catcher]] for the Bison baseball team. He majored in [[mass communications]].<ref name=mjlibc>{{cite news |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/ms-juggle-lineup-in-broadcast-booth/ |newspaper=Seattle Times |last=Stone |first=Larry |title=M's juggle lineup in broadcast booth |date=January 12, 2007 |access-date=May 19, 2022}}</ref>

==Career==
Sims began his career as a sportswriter for the ''[[New York Daily News]]''.<ref name="Miller">{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Doug |title=Dave Sims a man of many hats in broadcasting business |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/dave-sims-a-man-of-many-hats-in-broadcasting-business/c-120996546 |website=MLB.com |access-date=10 June 2015 |date=April 28, 2015}}</ref> In the early 1980s he was a sports reporter for the short lived "[[Satellite News Channel]]". Moving to radio, Sims became the host of [[WNBC (AM)|WNBC's]] ''SportsNight'' (1986–1988) (replacing [[Jack Spector]]), a five-hour nightly sports call-in show that was a precursor to the all-sports talk format of [[WFAN (AM)|WFAN]].<ref name="Miller" /> He was hired by [[Michael Weisman]] as a reporter covering [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics|track and field]] for [[NBC Sports]]' telecast of the [[1988 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Eskenazi|first=Gerald|date=1988-03-09|title=TV Sports: NBC Plans to Take Tougher Approach|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/09/sports/tv-sports-nbc-plans-to-take-tougher-approach.html|access-date=2021-10-03|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He went on to cohost the midday show with [[Ed Coleman (sportscaster)|Ed Coleman]] on [[New York City|New York]]'s Sports Radio 66 WFAN, Sept. 1989-Feb. 1993. He then became a weekend sports anchor at [[WCBS-TV]] in [[New York City|New York]] (1995–1998) and also was a radio host for the [[New York Knicks]] (1986–1993).

Sims' play-by-play announcing career began (1990–1992) as the radio voice of [[Temple Owls football]] in the [[Big East Conference (1979–2013)|Big East]]. Moving to TV, Sims was the TV voice of the Big East Conference football game of the week (1993–1994) and then again (1998–2007).

In [[1991 in sports|1991]], Sims joined [[ESPN]] as a play-by-play announcer for [[college basketball]], and added [[college football]] in [[1998 in sports|1998]]. He primarily called Big East contests on the [[ESPN Plus]] regional network. He continues to broadcast college basketball games for [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] and [[Fox Sports 1|FS1]] beginning in 2016.

Sims was the #2 broadcaster for [[NFL on Westwood One Sports]]'s Sunday afternoon doubleheader before taking the permanent play-by-play position on ''[[NFL on Westwood One Sports|Sunday Night Football]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Westwood One Names Announcing Teams For NFL Radio Coverage |url=https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/79798/westwood-one-names-announcing-teams-for-nfl-radio- |website=AllAccess.com |access-date=19 May 2022 |date=August 24, 2010}}</ref> He replaced [[Joel Meyers]] on the ''Sunday Night Football'' game in 2006. Sims worked "Sunday Night Football" games from 2006 to 2012. From 2013 to 2014, Sims returned to Sunday Afternoon NFL action while working with former NFL quarterback [[Mark Malone]].

In addition to ''Sunday Night Football'', Sims also called college basketball for Westwood One (1998–2014) with his most notable call to date being the George Mason-UConn regional final in 2006 (where #11 seed George Mason upset top-seed Connecticut to become the second #11 seed in history to reach the [[Final Four]]).

While working in other sports, he occasionally provided [[Major League Baseball]] play-by-play for [[ESPN Major League Baseball|ESPN]] (1993–1994) and did an internet radio show for [[MLB.com]] (1999–2000). In {{baseball year|2007}}, he took the opportunity to return to baseball full-time as part of the [[Seattle Mariners]] television broadcast.<ref name="mjlibc" /> Sims is one of the few African-American broadcasters in the history of the sport. His broadcast partner was former Mariners third baseman [[Mike Blowers]].<ref name=mjlibc/>

In 2009, Sims served as the television play-by-play host for the [[United Football League (2009)|UFL]] on [[Versus (TV channel)|Versus]].<ref name=UFL>{{cite web|last=Hays|first=Chris|title=Flutie, Stewart join TV crew|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2009-09-23-0909220155-story.html|publisher=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=19 May 2022|date=23 September 2009|archive-date=26 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026154347/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2009-09-23/sports/0909220155_1_flutie-tuskers-football-league}}</ref>

Sims was the broadcaster on [[Major League Baseball on Fox|Fox]] on April 21, 2012, describing [[Philip Humber's perfect game]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Claiborne|first=Mike|newspaper=St. Louis American|title=Dave Sims makes the perfect call|url=http://www.stlamerican.com/sports/sports_columnists/claibs_call/dave-sims-makes-the-perfect-call/article_f912963a-8f1f-11e1-812d-001a4bcf887a.html|access-date=May 19, 2022|date=April 27, 2012}}</ref> However, the game was broadcast in its entirety only in the Chicago and Seattle markets, because the rest of the country heard [[Joe Buck]] and [[Tim McCarver]] call a game between the [[Yankees&ndash;Red Sox rivalry|New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox]]. Because the game was broadcast on FOX in both markets, Sims had to call the game from a neutral standpoint as a broadcaster and not as the usual Mariners broadcaster, even though his team lost to a perfect game.

Just four months after calling Humber's perfect game, [[Félix Hernández]] threw the [[Félix Hernández's perfect game|first perfect game in Mariners' history]]. Sims called the game for Root Sports in Seattle.<ref name="Ladson">{{cite web |last1=Ladson |first1=Bill |title=Sims 'living the dream' as voice of Mariners |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/dave-sims-living-the-dream-with-mariners-c215917252 |website=MLB.com |access-date=29 July 2019 |date=February 13, 2017}}</ref> This is the first time that one broadcaster has called two perfect games in the same Major League Baseball season.<ref name="Ladson" />

After the 2024 season, Sims was hired by [[WFAN (AM)|WFAN]] to be the radio play-by-play announcer for the [[New York Yankees]], succeeding [[John Sterling (sportscaster)|John Sterling]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Marchand |first=Andrew |title=Dave Sims, 71, getting Yankees’ radio job, succeeding John Sterling |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5923012/2024/11/14/dave-sims-yankees-john-sterling-replacement/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Notable catchphrases==
Sims is noted for using the following [[catchphrase]]s on Mariner broadcasts:
*"Giddy up! Baby! Giddy up!"- used on exciting plays and also used on balls that may go over the fence for a home run.<ref name="Review" />
*"Bye-Bye!" - Home Run.<ref name="Review" />
*"Boomstick Baby!"- used whenever [[Nelson Cruz]] hit a home run.<ref name="Review">{{cite web|last=Spector|first=Jesse|date=2016-05-25|title=Broadcast review: Mariners booth is solid but not spectacular|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/broadcast-review-seattle-mariners-root-sports-dave-sims-mike-blowers-robinson-cano-pizza-ad/tkh0omgli37h1np6mbgp78fqo|url-status=dead|access-date=2016-06-20|website=Sporting News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528170828/http://www.sportingnews.com:80/mlb/news/broadcast-review-seattle-mariners-root-sports-dave-sims-mike-blowers-robinson-cano-pizza-ad/tkh0omgli37h1np6mbgp78fqo |archive-date=2016-05-28 }}</ref>
*"Holy Mackerel"/"How about that?"- used for exciting plays.
*”Bro-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ther.” - used after a particularly dispiriting loss or play.
*”Hey Now!”- used after exciting game changing plays.
*”Got him!” After a pitcher strikes out an opposing batter.

Sims is a staunch believer in letting his audience know when a pitcher is working on a no-hitter. "I have to tell the audience what’s going on…if a guy’s throwing a no-no, I have to report it."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stone|first=Larry|date=2007-04-13|title=Irked fans wanted silence on no-hit bid|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2007/apr/13/irked-fans-wanted-silence-on-no-hit-bid/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-03|website=The Spokesman-Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003165147/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2007/apr/13/irked-fans-wanted-silence-on-no-hit-bid/ |archive-date=2021-10-03 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://thedavesimsshow.com/}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQrCbgS5KT8= DingoTalk interview with Carlo Guadagnino]

{{Seattle Mariners}}
{{New York Yankees}}
{{Major League Baseball on Fox}}
{{ESPN Major League Baseball}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Dave}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American people]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]
[[Category:African-American sports announcers]]
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[[Category:American television sports announcers]]
[[Category:Bethany College (West Virginia) alumni]]
[[Category:Bethany Bison baseball players]]
[[Category:Bethany Bison football players]]
[[Category:College basketball announcers in the United States]]
[[Category:College football announcers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]]
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[[Category:Temple Owls football announcers]]
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