If they ever build a Mount Rushmore for sportscasters a man named Vin Scully will be at the very top. Scully passed away the other day at the age of 94 and the overwhelming majority of those years were spent as the Voice of the Dodgers. Sixty-seven years, dating all the way back to when the baseball team was in Brooklyn, then in the late fifties moving to Los Angeles.
Scully had so many gifts it’s hard to know where to start. He had a beautiful voice, almost a poetic voice and it just attracted people. And, it wasn’t just baseball. He spent many years as an NFL play by play man and was plenty good. He did most games by himself and they sounded like he was having a conversation with you, personally. He was absolutely as superb a sports play by play man as I ever heard. But, what really impressed me about him was when I heard people who knew him describe him, they talked about his kindness. I never heard anything negative about him. I think one of the reasons was because of his faith. He was very outspoken about his faith and he wasn’t bashful about sharing it. I guess the word that would come to my mind maybe more than any other would be humble. It has always fascinated me that the ones who are the most talented in any profession are also the most humble. I’ve talked to people who had the opportunity to meet him and strike up a conversation with him. Every one of them to a person said, “I can’t believe he was such a nice man”!
And, what a love affair he had with the Dodgers and did the team ever love him. I am amazed at their relationship because a lot of times you find somebody doing play by play for an organization and to be honest, they don’t get along. Maybe there is a good relationship between that person and the fans, but not necessarily between that person and the management, and that can go the opposite way as well. With Scully, the fans loved him and the organization loved him too. Loved him to the point where the Dodgers named the road going to their stadium, ‘Vin Scully Way’. Then, once you get to the end of the road you come to a big sign that says ‘Dodger Stadium’ and imprinted at the lower part of the sign it says the address, 1000 Vin Scully Avenue. As you go into the stadium, a life-size statue of Vin Scully greets you. And, there is more. And all of it just the team saying ‘Thank you.’
I also understand the much honored announcer, who called 25 World Series, was allowed to retire his way. About a decade ago he said, “You know, my body is getting so weak I just don’t see how I can continue”.
They said “Do you think you could do the home games”? He said, “Oh yeah, I could do the home games”. So, they redid the contracts of everyone involved in the broadcasts and Vin Scully was allowed to simply do the home games. Then, a few years later, they just let him pick when he wanted to do a ballgame. It was like, “Vin, call us when you feel like you can do one“. He made it all the way to 2016 and would still visit the press box to watch games through last year. The man made it a long, long time and he was still plenty good at the end. Very simply, one of the great sportscasters of all time!
Until next time, so long everybody!
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‘Out of the Box’ with Dallas Huston is published each Monday morning at BrownwoodNews.com. Dallas was the radio voice of the Brownwood Lions and Howard Payne Yellow Jackets for more than 55 years. He currently is Pastor of Center City Baptist Church and hosts a Men’s Bible Study in Brownwood on Monday evenings. Your comments are welcome at [email protected].