This day began for me by reading about the 90th anniversary of commercial radio.

It ends for me with thoughts about possibly this city’s greatest radio personality, Dave Niehaus, whose death was announced this evening.

He was the Mariners’ chief announcer for all of the team’s 34 seasons. He was heard on every game the team played with only 101 exceptions.

Most of those rare days off occurred in recent years. While his voice never lost its timbre, he’d become visibly shaky while seen holding his mic on FSN’s pregame telecasts. His quick wit and command of the game had begun to occasionally falter. Longtime listeners (including charter listeners like me) could tell he was in the twilight of his career.

Yet he held on to the very end, to the last regular season game of 2010.

Niehaus was the one thru-line from the Kingdome days to today, from the early years of Al Cowens and Funny Nose Glasses Night to this year’s half season of pitching ace Cliff Lee.

His voice, even when narrating tales of diamond futility, always held the promise of summer. And now it always will.