The Voice of Baseball

[Scott McKee]

The game of baseball lost its voice early Wednesday morning, Vin Scully.  Although he hasn't called a game since 2016 his calls and voice have woven themselves into the fabric of the most wonderful game ever played for eternity.

He started his hall of fame career  in Brooklyn after taking the reins from Red Barber, the 'ol redhead.  Starting in 1950 he spent the next sixty-seven years as the radio and television announcer of the Dodgers.  He retired the reigning greatest announcer in history.

He called some of the biggest games in baseball history, starting each broadcast with the comforting words, "It's time for Dodger baseball! Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good afternoon to you, wherever you may be." He called Don Larson's perfect game in the 1956 World Series.  Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record and his perfect synapsis three minutes after the fact because he let the crowd do the initial talking.  All of Sandy Koufax's no-hitters including his perfect game. And of course the ultimate in iconic baseball calls, Kirk Gibson hobbling to the plate and eventually around the bases after he smacked his walk-off homer against the A's in 1989 World Series off of future hall of famer Dennis Eckersley.  I bet you know it, "in a season that has been so improbable... the impossible has happened."

He called all of the Dodgers game alone in the booth.  Can you imagine doing that?  All of those games, all of that preparation and working without the safety net of another announcer?  His body of work is mind-blowing.  Listening to Scully made you feel like he was talking only to you. You were old friends, buddies.  I'm sure most Dodgers fans my age feel like their grandfather passed away today.

There have been some brilliant announcers since the inception of radio and television in baseball's history, but Vincent Edward Scully from the Bronx was the best of them and there isn't a living radio or television baseball announcer that will tell you any differently.

Baseball got a little quieter today.

If you have a few minutes, check out some of Vin's greatest calls on YouTube.  That's what a pro's pro sounds like.  If you like baseball even just a smidgen as much as I do, I dare you not to well up a little.

https://youtu.be/Ijs-nrmUO2c here's the MLB's tribute to Vin.  It's nice, but it doesn't scratch the surface of what Vin meant to baseball and baseball fans.

Thank you, Vin.  You will be missed terribly.

"High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is ... gone!"

[John Jarosz]

Why isn't there a "sad" button to click?

I listened to Shredd & Ragan this morning & they played a string of his announcing & went thru the names of some of the famous ball players.

It reminded me of being in Jr High & high school, listening to the radio when I should have been doing my homework.

He wasn't just a part of history, he was history