Dodgers Are Fortunate To Have Vin Scully Back
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Amidst a disappointing season filled with injuries, divorce proceedings and mediocre performances, Dodgers fans finally have a reason to smile.
The long-time voice of the Boys in Blue, Vin Scully, announced Sunday that he will return in 2011 for his 62nd year in the booth.
Scully will continue to call all of the Dodger home games as well as the road contests with National League West opponents, just as he has in the past few seasons.
To tell you the truth we are lucky to have him back.
His accolades read something like this: member of the Radio Hall of Fame, three-time Sportscaster of the Year, 29-time California Sportscaster of the Year, winner of top sportscaster of all-time and Broadcaster of the Century by the American Sportscasters Association, and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award winner for sportscasting. I could go on and on and on.
More importantly, he is the longest tenured member of the Dodger organization (with the exception of Mr. Dodger, Tommy Lasorda, of course), having been with the team since 1950 when they were based in Brooklyn.
It’s no coincidence that he has been around so long or has been the recipient of so many prestigious awards. Baseball is considered a relatively slow paced game--at least when compared to the other major sports. That being said, the game lends itself to storytelling, and storytelling is one of Scully’s greatest strengths.
Utilizing decades of baseball knowledge, Vinny is able to put you in a trance, taking you back to your days as a young child sitting on your grandpa’s knee as he reads your favorite book. Baseball is merely a medium through which Scully imparts his wisdom.
His voice is equally as memorable as his stories. He has made such unforgettable calls as the Brooklyn Dodgers’ first and only World Series championship and Kirk Gibson’s dramatic home run off Oakland A’s closer Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
His vernacular isn’t too bad either. He’s known for dropping classic lines like “the best laid plans of mice and men,” “I wouldn’t give that spot to a leopard” and my personal favorite: “he’s up to his hips in alligators."
It is for these reasons that so many people bring AM/FM radios with them to the Ravine—not to mention all of those at home who would rather turn down the TV and put on the radio when the game is nationally televised.
I think I speak for Dodgers fans everywhere when I say that I’ll sleep easy tonight knowing that when baseball season comes around next year Vinny will be behind the microphone to say “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”
To reach reporter Chris Pisar, click here.
