The Voice Of Baseball

 Vincent Edward Scully died yesterday.  He was 94.

We will never again see his like again.  Scully was the consummate professional, dedicated to his craft and the sport he covered.  As a baseball fan, even though not a Dodgers fan, I enjoyed Scully’s understanding that his job was to tell the story of the game.  He added what was needed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck in the most exciting moments.  When the game went over to television, he understood that this media did not require the constant flow of words.  Vin understood when to be quiet.

As a former broadcaster, I stood in awe of anyone who could maintain the high quality of work over 67 years!  He began with the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn, and stayed with them into the 21st Century.  I marveled at how smooth he could be.  I know how hard you have to work to make it sound that easy.  As you scan through the reports and eulogies to Scully, you will find many stories of how personable and caring he was.  All of that came through the microphone.  The consummate, prepared professional who sounded like some guy sitting next to you at the stadium.  A guy who really know how to tell a story.  The whole country knew his voice from his time with both CBS and NBC, covering football and baseball.

In his amazing career, Vin Scully became more than just the voice of the Dodgers.  He represented all the best of the sport.  The history, personal stories, the pastoral pacing of the game interrupted by moments of skill, daring, athleticism and excitement.  Modern baseball broadcasting has become more packaged, more homogenized, and less interesting.  Plus, multi-person teams feel the need to fill the airwaves with constant chatter.  Imagine any of today’s broadcasters trying to do what Scully did regularly, nine innings, all by himself.  All the play-by-play, the network intros and outros, the ad mentions, and the color, all in the legendary hands of an icon.

(I blatantly stole the headline for this post from a comment by “ManilaKeith” at DK Pittsburgh Sports.  Listen to DK’s podcast today HERE.  He includes his own, more personal memories of the man near the end of the podcast.)