Vin Scully (1927-2022)

[bookslover]

Vin Scully died yesterday (8/2) at the age of 94. He was the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers for an astounding 67 seasons (1950-2016). He also called football and golf occasionally.

I go back to the '60s with Vinny, hearing him on the radio and seeing him on TV. People would bring transistor radios to the stadium so they could hear him call the games.

A tremendous talent (who decided he wanted to be a sports announcer when he was 8) and a true gentleman. His first wife, Joan, died of an accidental medication overdose in 1972. His second wife, Sandra, died of ALS in January, 2021.

He was truly the GOAT of sports announcers.

 

[ArminianOnceWas]

I viewed him more as a priest in the idolatrous church of sports fanaticism.

 

[Deleted member 12919 by request]

Was sports fanaticism the same in the 60’s, only to a lesser degree? Or was it a totally different kind of thing than it has now become?

 

[De Jager]

He seemed to me to be a respectable man with a talent for what he did. Sadly I understand that he was a devout catholic.

 

[SavedSinner]

When I was 12 in Utah, in my bed at night, the radio would pull-in the California stations from across the desert and you would know it when you were on KFI when you heard his smooth, polite voice and then start to follow the game... ...and those ads for Farmer John.

 

[Pilgrim]

One of Scully's more memorable calls:

 

[Pilgrim]

Was sports fanaticism the same in the 60’s, only to a lesser degree? Or was it a totally different kind of thing than it has now become?

Its hard to say. That's when the NFL was starting to get on TV and beginning to become the monster it is today. College football was big even without practically every game being televised, Boxing was much bigger in terms of interest on the part of the general public. MLB was king at that time. But TV took everything to a different level to be sure. Back then, and really up until the early 80s, most people only had channels 2-13. So if there was an event on TV at that time, a much greater percentage of the population may have seen it compared to what might be the case today with the exception of events like the Super Bowl. Many would listen on the radio also.

 

[B.L.]

Mr. Scully made a sizeable donation to the hospital my sister was being treated in a few months ago after learning my sister was in the ICU for heart failure (likely brought on by the COVID vaccine). I didn't know much about the man, but my family was extremely moved by his generous gesture. I will pray tonight for the Scully family.

 

[bookslover]

I viewed him more as a priest in the idolatrous church of sports fanaticism.

It's interesting that you describe yourself as a chaplain in hospice settings. Your empathy definitely needs work.

 

[Zach]

I listened to his call of the ninth inning from Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965 today. His use of the language to paint a picture and capture the scene is simply incredible. Phrases like, "And there’s twenty-nine thousand people in the ballpark and a million butterflies," and, “A lot of people in the ballpark now are starting to see the pitches with their hearts," after a the crowd booed a correctly called ball. I could probably learn something from him as a preacher!

 

[Deleted member 12919 by request]

I listened to his call of the ninth inning from Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965 today. His use of the language to paint a picture and capture the scene is simply incredible. Phrases like, "And there’s twenty-nine thousand people in the ballpark and a million butterflies," and, “A lot of people in the ballpark now are starting to see the pitches with their hearts," after a the crowd booed a correctly called ball. I could probably learn something from him as a preacher!

brother, don’t leave us hanging! Sauce us a link. Please.

 

[Zach]

brother, don’t leave us hanging! Sauce us a link. Please.

for the audio and https://www.salon.com/1999/10/12/scully_koufax/ for the transcript.

 

[Deleted member 12919 by request]

for the audio and https://www.salon.com/1999/10/12/scully_koufax/ for the transcript.

Thank you!

 

[Sovereign Grace]

As a kid, I didn't learn of Mr. Scully until around 1981-82. At that time, he and Joe Garagiola called the Saturday game of the week. I didn't know he was the Dodger's announcer at that time, either. Even when he called a game on Saturday that included the Dodgers, I never did hear him call that game in a biased fashion.

To me, he epitomizes what an announcer truly is. He was a class act and will be truly missed in baseball circles.