Dave Sims facts for kids

David Sims, born on February 14, 1953, is a well-known American sports announcer. He is currently the radio voice for the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before this, he was the television announcer for the Seattle Mariners baseball team.

Sims was named Washington state Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association in 2018, 2019, and 2020. He also used to co-host a show called Basketball and Beyond with Coach K on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Early Life and Education

David Sims grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He went to Chestnut Hill Academy, where he was a co-captain of the baseball team during his last year. After high school, he attended Bethany College in West Virginia.

At Bethany College, Sims played Division III football for one year. He was good at kickoff returns, finishing third in his conference. He also played as a catcher for the college's baseball team. Sims studied mass communications in college.

Sims' Broadcasting Career

Sims started his career as a sportswriter for the New York Daily News. In the early 1980s, he worked as a sports reporter for the "Satellite News Channel". He then moved into radio.

Early Radio and TV Roles

From 1986 to 1988, Sims hosted SportsNight on WNBC. This was a five-hour nightly sports call-in show. It was one of the first shows like the all-sports talk radio stations we have today.

In 1988, he reported on track and field for NBC Sports during the 1988 Summer Olympics. He later co-hosted a midday show with Ed Coleman on New York's Sports Radio 66 WFAN from 1989 to 1993. Sims also worked as a weekend sports anchor at WCBS-TV in New York from 1995 to 1998. He was also a radio host for the New York Knicks basketball team from 1986 to 1993.

Calling College Sports

Sims began his play-by-play announcing career in 1990. He was the radio voice for Temple Owls football in the Big East until 1992. He then became the TV announcer for the Big East Conference football game of the week from 1993 to 1994, and again from 1998 to 2007.

In 1991, Sims joined ESPN to announce college basketball games. He added college football to his duties in 1998. He mostly called Big East games on the ESPN Plus network. Since 2016, he has continued to broadcast college basketball games for FOX and FS1.

Announcing NFL Games

Sims was a top announcer for NFL on Westwood One Sports Sunday afternoon games. He became the main play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Football in 2006, taking over from Joel Meyers. He called these games from 2006 to 2012. From 2013 to 2014, Sims returned to calling Sunday afternoon NFL games, working with former NFL quarterback Mark Malone.

He also called college basketball for Westwood One from 1998 to 2014. One of his most famous calls was the 2006 George Mason-UConn regional final. In that game, George Mason, an underdog team, beat top-seed Connecticut to reach the Final Four.

Major League Baseball Career

While working in other sports, Sims occasionally announced Major League Baseball games for ESPN from 1993 to 1994. He also had an internet radio show for MLB.com from 1999 to 2000.

In 2007, he got the chance to return to baseball full-time. He became part of the Seattle Mariners television broadcast team. Sims is one of the few African-American broadcasters in baseball history. His broadcast partner was former Mariners third baseman Mike Blowers.

In 2009, Sims was the television play-by-play host for the UFL on Versus.

Calling Perfect Games

Sims was the announcer for Fox on April 21, 2012. He called Philip Humber's perfect game. This game was only shown in Chicago and Seattle. Other parts of the country watched a different game. Because it was a FOX broadcast, Sims had to call the game from a neutral point of view, even though his team, the Mariners, lost.

Just four months later, Félix Hernández threw the first perfect game in Mariners' history. Sims called this game for Root Sports in Seattle. This made him the first announcer to call two perfect games in the same Major League Baseball season.

After the 2024 baseball season, Sims was hired by WFAN. He became the radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees, taking over from John Sterling.

Famous Sayings

Dave Sims is known for using several special phrases during Mariners broadcasts:

• "Giddy up! Baby! Giddy up!" - He uses this for exciting plays or when a ball might be a home run.
• "Bye-Bye!" - This means a home run.
• "Boomstick Baby!" - He used this when Nelson Cruz hit a home run.
• "Holy Mackerel" or "How about that?" - These are for exciting plays.
• "Bro-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ther." - He says this after a tough loss or a disappointing play.
• "Hey Now!" - Used after exciting plays that change the game.
• "Got him!" - Said when a pitcher strikes out a batter.

Sims believes in telling his audience when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter. He says, "I have to tell the audience what’s going on…if a guy’s throwing a no-no, I have to report it."