The Best There Ever Was
“As long as you live, keep smiling because it brightens everybody’s day.”
The quotation above was once uttered by Vincent Edward Scully, a man who has been broadcasting Dodger games for over 60 years. Take a moment and consider the significance of that statement.
Scully has been there for all six Dodger Championships. He was there for the infamous move of the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, where his voice brought a community together. Scully saw first hand “Fernandomania” as well as “Nomomania.” His voice floated with Kirk Gibson’s homerun in the 1988 World Series and summed up the event perfectly as usual: “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.”
He made the infamous call in the 1986 World Series which was given away by the Boston Red Sox: “A little roller up along first, behind the bag, it gets through Buckner!” He is synonymous with not only the Dodgers and baseball, but all sports because Vin Scully has done the job better than anyone else.
“Good is not good when better is expected.” (Vin Scully) To try and summarize the life and times of the broadcasting legend is almost impossible to do without creating an encyclopedia. If you asked him about the most important things in his life, he would likely not talk a great deal about sports, baseball or the Dodgers. Scully has always prided himself on being a devoted husband and family man. His incredible values and morals have brought a special presence to the broadcasting booth.
The point of this article is not to be a summation of Scully’s life. Those who do not have the privilege of listening to Scully on a daily basis deserve to know how much he means to people.
So, to get the background out of the way, here are some notable events in Scully’s career: 61 years with the Dodgers, NFL announcer on CBS from 1972-1982, PGA and tennis broadcaster in the 70’s and 80’s, NBC broadcaster for baseball in 1983-1989, Ford Frick Award winner, Lifetime Achievement Emmy winner, Radio Hall of Fame inductee, National Sportscaster of the Year three times, California Sportscaster of the year 29 times, National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame inductee, Broadcaster of the Century named by the American Sportscasters Association and named top sportscaster of all time by the same group.
Not bad for a kid out of Brooklyn who graduated from Fordham University.
“It may sound corny, but, I enjoyed listening to Vin call a game almost more than playing in them,” said Dodgers Hall of Fame lefty Sandy Koufax. “He’s been a special broadcaster for a lot of years and he’s been wonderful to listen too for a lot of years. He definitely is the All Century broadcaster as far as I’m concerned.”
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Vin Scully is his ability to call a game down the middle. Despite seeing more than 8,000 Dodger games, he never calls the game as a fan. Certain announcers in baseball feel the need to refer to the home team as the “good guys” as well as remain monotone for impressive plays by the opposing team. Scully has too much respect for baseball to broadcast only for the hometown crowd. He calls it how he sees it, no matter who may be winning.
He’s always ready with an interesting anecdote about each player on both teams no matter how irrelevant they may be. A great deal of Scully’s on air information comes from the vast amount of research and preparation he puts into every single game. Hs is able to weave stories of the past into the present game, bringing a unique look at baseball to the viewer.
His encyclopedic knowledge of the sport’s history is enough to make a die hard baseball fan salivate at his every word. However, Vin realizes that there are viewers who may be simple novices to baseball and always takes them into account when explaining the situation.
“All my career, all I have ever really done, all I ever have accomplished, is to talk about the accomplishments of others,” he said. “We can’t all be heroes. Somebody has to stand on the curb and applaud as the parade goes by.” Despite Scully’s unparalleled popularity and success, he has remained incredibly humble.
When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, Scully was so beloved that fans brought transistor radios to the games at the Los Angeles Coliseum. This resulted in Vin’s voice echoing throughout the stadium as if it was a natural background noise to the game.
In 2008, for the Dodgers 50th Anniversary of playing in Los Angeles, an exhibition game was played against the Red Sox at the Coliseum. The same tall net fence was set up in short left field and the scene of the Dodgers 1959 championship was successfully re-created. The night however, belonged to Vin Scully who was saluted with a standing ovation by the record crowd of 115,300.
The Dodgers have a number of players who will be forever remembered in the books of baseball history.
Sandy Koufax is one of the most dominant forces that MLB has ever seen. Jackie Robinson changed the game by breaking the color barrier and brought an entirely new dimension of aggressiveness to baseball. Orel Hershiser still holds the record for most consecutive scoreless innings and Duke Snider is one of the most under-appreciated five tool players in MLB history.
Walter O’ Malley is considered one of the most brilliant owners in baseball history and is credited with bringing baseball to the West Coast. Before his career abruptly came to a close, Al Campanis oversaw a tremendous amount of success in his 19 years as general manager. And Tommy Lasorda led the Dodgers to 1,599 wins, including two world championships.
But no player, owner, general manager, or any Dodger employee can ever be compared to Vin. Scully is the backbone of the Dodger organization. He will forever be the bright-eyed, smiling face of the franchise.
“A lot of people in the ballpark are now beginning to see the pitches with their heart,” Scully once said. Vin is more than the voice behind the action on the screen. He is a friend, who each day thanks you for inviting him into your home. He welcomes you by “wishing you a pleasant good evening wherever you may be.”
Scully has a purity about him, a love of all that is good in the world. He wonders at the marvel of children with their family at the ballpark. He can’t help but eloquently describe a beautiful scene on the field or in the crowd. Vin is not afraid to be silent, he admits that many times the broadcaster must allow the viewer to be engulfed by the magnitude of the moment. Sometimes, silence is the best gift a baseball broadcaster can give the audience.
Scully makes the viewer feel like he is apart of their family; and for Angelenos he is a constant force in ever changing lives. He is there in the beginning, when a child watches Dodger baseball in the arms of a parent for the first time. For years, Vin’s voice is the last thing to be heard before going to sleep. He is there at family dinners and at sports bars. He makes baseball a stabilizing force in the life of those who listen to him.
He shows us that baseball can bring us together. He is more then an announcer. Vin Scully is a mentor to all who are lucky enough to hear him say “it’s time for Dodger baseball.”
Consider this:
Of the Dodger franchises 121 year history (they came into the NL in 1890) Vinny has brodcast over HALF of that time. Now THAT’S impressive! He’s been witness to, and has reported on over HALF of the team’s existence in the sport! WOW!