Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully died Tuesday at the nice old age of 94:
“We have lost an icon,” said Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten. “The Dodgers’ Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian. He loved people. He loved life. He loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family. His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever. I know he was looking forward to joining the love of his life, Sandi. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this very difficult time. Vin will be truly missed.”
MLB.com
My thoughts go out to his family, friends, and to the millions of people who loved listening to him bring a baseball game to life.
My initial impression of Scully came from his calls during the Saturday Game of the Week on NBC, where he was paired with Joe Garagiola. The two had little chemistry, and I came away from those broadcasts thinking the accolades thrown Scully’s way were misplaced. It wasn’t until 1988, when I was on a business trip to Los Angeles that I understood Scully’s greatness.
Driving with the Dodgers game on the radio quickly changed my mind. Scully didn’t just call the game, he painted a vivid picture of the action, the fans, the weather, to the point you could see with your ears. He was a great solo act, and needed to be heard as a solo act.
Scully was there for many of the great moments in baseball history, Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record, Kirk Gibon’s walk-off against the Athletics. This, however, was his first:
Thanks for the memories.