“Forgotten Hollywood”- THE Boy of Summer…
“`The amazin’ Vin Scully was a sports broadcaster with no equal. He was best known for his sixty-seven seasons calling games for Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles (and Brooklyn) Dodgers, beginning in 1950 and ending in 2016. His time remains the longest tenure of any broadcaster with a single team in professional sports history and he is second only to Tommy Lasorda (by two years) in the number of years associated with the Dodgers organization in any capacity. He was known for his distinctive voice, a descriptive style and signature introduction to Dodgers games:
It’s time for Dodger baseball! Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good (afternoon/evening) to you, wherever you may be.
“`Scully discovered baseball at age eight when he saw the results of the second game of the 1936 World Series at a laundromat and felt empathy for the defeated New York Giants. Since he lived near the Polo Grounds and as a member of the Catholic Youth Organization, he was able to attend games for free and became a very big Giants fan.
“`Scully began his career as a student broadcaster and journalist at Fordham University. Red Barber, the sports director of the CBS Radio Network, recruited Scully for their college football coverage.
“`In 1950, Scully joined Barber and Connie Desmond in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ radio and television booths, replacing Ernie Harwell after the latter departed to the crosstown Giants. When Barber got into a salary dispute with World Series sponsor Gillette prior to the 1953 Series, Scully took Barber’s spot in the NBC television booth, becoming the youngest person to broadcast a World Series. After Barber subsequently left the Dodgers to work for the New York Yankees beginning in 1954, Scully became the team’s principal announcer.
“`He called so many iconic baseball moments, it would be impossible to mention them all. Highlights include:
- The shot heard round the world that sent the Giants to the World Series in a third playoff game in 1951 after being 13 1/2 games down to the Dodgers in late August
- Brooklyn finally claiming a World Series in 1955
- Yankees pitcher Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series
- All of Sandy Koufax’ no-hitters and his perfect game
- Hank Aaron’s record-breaking home run against the Dodgers
- The arrival of Fernando-mania
- Kurt Gibson’s tater in the first game of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A’s
“`Scully had football credentials even as his baseball career blossomed. For seven years, he announced National Football League telecasts for CBS Sports. Vin also contributed to the network’s tennis and PGA Tour golf coverage in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“`He was voted a Ford Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for sportscasting, and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. Upon retirement, Scully received many Los Angeles accolades, including a key to the city. In 2016, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given by our country.
“`On a personal note, I am one of many who contemplated a career in broadcasting simply by listening to Scully call a baseball game. He was effortless and efficient. I met him once while broadcasting a live remote for 1110 AM KRLA at Angels Stadium during the pre-season. It was the annual Freeway Series against the crosstown Dodgers. We exchanged pleasantries and he opined on how our Boys of Summer could beat the hated St. Louis Cardinals to get to the Fall Classic. Vin was the biggest Dodger’s fan on the planet and it was apparent during our conversation. This broadcaster remains blessed for the memory. VIN SCULLY –>
“`Today, the gates of heaven opened up as Vinny joins Barber, Lasorda, Walter Alston, Jerry Doggett and Don Drysdale. I expect they will have many yarns to share.
“`Vin Scully was ninety-four.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 at 12:02 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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