91原创

The author of multiple books on baseball, its storied stadiums and legendary broadcasters,聽recalls a baseball broadcasting legend.

Curt Smith is a senior lecturer in the at the . His 18 books include Voices of The Game and Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story. USA Today called him 鈥渢he voice of authority on baseball broadcasting.鈥� Smith was also a speech writer for President George H.W. Bush, with whom he worked for 14 years.

In 1945, journalist Edward R. Murrow said of World War II that Winston Churchill 鈥渉ad mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.鈥� From 1950 to 2016, Vin Scully mobilized that language to reach a new peak of radio and television brilliance, daily asking us to 鈥淧ull up a chair.鈥�

Vin died on August 2 at 94, having announced the Brooklyn, then Los Angeles, Dodgers for 67 years鈥攖he longest such broadcasting streak. For a time, fans knew Vin from a network World Series here, an All-Star Game there. Later, we listened to Scully on 1970s CBS Radio, the 1983鈥�89 NBC TV Game of the Week, then XM satellite radio. To paraphrase film鈥檚 The Natural, Scully was 鈥渢he best there ever was.鈥�

Born in 1927 in Manhattan, Vin at age eight discovered a magic place beneath an Emerson radio 鈥渢hat sat so high off the ground that I was able to crawl under it,鈥� he told me in a 1986 conversation. Each Saturday, Vin put a pillow on its crosspiece and listened to college football broadcasts. “I shouldn’t have cared about a game like Florida-Tennessee,鈥� said Scully, 鈥渂ut I did, getting goose bumps from the roar of the crowd.鈥� He was hooked.

After high school, Scully joined the Navy, then entered Fordham University, where a classmate recalled him as 鈥渆verywhere, recording himself.鈥� At 21, he met famed Brooklyn baseball and CBS radio voice Red Barber, who hired him to call football and soon the Dodgers. In 1953, Barber left the team, and Scully replaced him鈥攁t age 23!鈥攐n World Series TV. Trying to 鈥減lay it cool,鈥� Scully ate breakfast with his parents the day of the Series opener. 鈥淭hen I went upstairs and threw up.鈥�

鈥楲adies and gentlemen, the Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world.鈥�

In 1955, Scully called Brooklyn鈥檚 first World Series title after the team had lost six times to the Yankees: 鈥淟adies and gentlemen, the Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world.鈥� All winter, people asked how he stayed so calm. 鈥淚f I had to say another word, I think I would have cried,鈥� Scully said.

In Brooklyn, the Dodgers televised each game. In late 1957, moving them to Los Angeles, owner Walter O鈥橫alley banned TV broadcasts. Interest turned to radio, of which Scully was a wiz, the Fordham English major routinely coining phrases like 鈥渋t was so hot today the moon got sunburned鈥� and 鈥渉e catches the ball gingerly, like a baby chick falling from the tree.鈥�

While Dodger Stadium was being built, the club occupied huge Memorial Coliseum, with a capacity of more than 90,000. Thousands brought radios to a game, hearing Scully report what they couldn鈥檛 see. One day in 1960, Scully noted that it was umpire Frank Secory鈥檚 birthday. 鈥淚鈥檒l count to three, and everybody yell 鈥楬appy birthday, Frank!鈥欌�� Scully told his listeners. He counted, and the crowd yelled, 鈥淗appy birthday, Frank!鈥� Secory almost fainted.

In the 1959 World Series, Scully and NBC reached a composite record 120 million of America鈥檚 then-150 million people. In 1965, Vin described Sandy Koufax鈥檚 perfect game鈥攁ll 27 batters retired without reaching base鈥攕o flawlessly that a writer wrote, 鈥淚t read like a short story鈥� composed not with a pen but on the air.

Scully often likened play-by-play to starting each game with an empty canvas. 鈥淲ith radio, you come into the booth, bring your brushes and pallets, and you mix the paint and put things together,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd at the end of three hours, you say, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 the best I can do today.鈥� On TV, the picture鈥檚 already there. So, what you鈥檙e doing is shading.鈥�

In the 鈥�70s Vin broadcast tennis, golf, and pro football for CBS. Increasingly, he also used silence as a dramatic tool. In 1974, calling Henry Aaron鈥檚 record-breaking 715th home run in Atlanta, Scully hushed for nearly half-a-minute, then said, 鈥淎 black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol鈥濃�攎ajesty to match the moment.聽 It became a trademark of his, especially in his time at NBC.

Scully broadcast a nonpareil 25 Series; made every major radio/TV Hall of Fame; received an Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award, Commissioner鈥檚 Achievement Award, and Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and was named 鈥渕ost memorable [Los Angeles Dodgers] franchise personality鈥� and in 2000, 鈥淪portscaster of the Century鈥� by the American Sportscasters Association, which voted him 鈥淭op Sportscaster of All Time鈥� in 2009.

Scully brought eloquence, modesty, and literacy to each broadcast

Scully eventually cut his Dodgers slate, still daily saying, 鈥淗i, again, everyone, and a very pleasant good afternoon to you wherever you may be. It鈥檚 time for Dodger baseball!鈥� In 2016, he ended his last game by telling the audience, 鈥淚鈥檒l miss our time together more than I can say,鈥� the public feeling the same. Scully鈥檚 death a year after his wife Sandra鈥檚 in 2021 left 32 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren鈥攎ore than the combined starting lineup of three big-league clubs.

In the end, what made Scully, Scully? Other sports carry the announcer. The announcer carries baseball. A three-hour game may see the ball in play 10 minutes. The Voice must navigate a sea of dead air, persona his paddle. Scully tied eloquence, modesty, literacy, a voice less rock 鈥榥鈥� roll than easy listening, and extempore ability to haul a story from the shelf, likening statistics to a drunk 鈥渦sing a lamppost for support, not illumination.鈥� Hearing Vin was even better than being at the game.

Read more