Baseball Broadcaster Passes

To me, broadcasters are as intrical a part of sports as the players themselves. They are the men and women who make the game come to life. For those in the Tampa Bay areas, those people are Dwayne Staats and Brian Anderson on TV and Andy Freed and Dave Wills on radio. This past weekend, we lost one of those voices as Wills passed away at the age of 58.

Wills has been the radio voice of Rays baseball for the last 18 years with Andy Freed and have been behind the mic for some of the biggest moments in team history including both of the teams world series appearances in 2008 and 2020.

Dave had a great knowledge and passion for the game and loved what he did and that came through on every broadcast. He made you feel his passion and was just as into the game as he was. I became a big fan of his instantly the first time I got to listen him call a game when I got down to the Tampa area. He made me root just as hard for the Rays listening to him call a game.

Don't get me wrong, being a lifelong Mets fan, those broadcasters will always have a special place in my heart and will always top my list. Bob Murphy, Gary Cohen, and Howie Rose will always be the top of the mountain for me. And Dave was that for many Rays fans here.

Dave will be dearly missed behind the mic