Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully passes away at 94

[TMC]

https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/vin-...s-away-94.html

"Heartbroken. Our game has lost its Voice."

By Michael Dixon on 08/03/2022

The sports world lost one of its greatest icons on Tuesday. Legendary announcer Vin Scully passed away at the age of 94.

The Los Angeles Dodgers — who Scully called games for until his 2016 retirement — announced the sad news on Twitter on Tuesday night.

As was the case with the passing of fellow icon Bill Russell, ESPN paid tribute to Scully.



Scully began announcing games for the Dodgers in 1950, when they were still in Brooklyn. He followed the Dodgers across the country to Los Angeles in 1958 and remained their announcer for nearly 60 years in California, until he retired after the 2016 regular season.

Scully was responsible for some of the greatest calls in baseball history. They include (but are by no means limited to) Sandy Koufax’s 1965 perfect game, Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run in 1974, Bill Buckner’s famous (or infamous) error in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series and Joe Carter’s World Series winning home run in Game 6 of the 1993 Fall Classic.

He called other sports, too. In January of 1982, Scully was the announcer for CBS and called one of the NFL’s greatest moments, when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, punctuated by “The Catch” from Dwight Clark.

Scully made a massive impact on the sports world. And as the news of his passing broke, many paid tribute to the iconic voice of so many great moments, honoring both his skill as an announcer and his magnetic personality.

Scully was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick Award in 1982, received the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award in 2014, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored by the Dodgers with a retired microphone.

[Zoneboy]

https://www.mlb.com/news/vin-scully-...announcer-dies

In the apartment home of a Bronx silk salesman and his red-haired wife, the boy would lie beneath his family’s large, four-legged radio. A young Vin Scully had a pillow to rest his head and a glass of milk and plate of saltine crackers to satiate his stomach. His soul, though, was stirred by the sounds of sport that rode the airwaves into his living room.

Enchanted by the evangelistic Southern drawl of Red Barber’s Brooklyn Dodgers play-by-play, Ted Husing’s candid college football commentary and the voices of other radio luminaries, such as Bill Stern and Byrum Saam, Scully first experienced the sensation that would lead him to a long and legendary broadcasting life of his own.

“My thermometer for the love of the game,” Scully once said, “is those goose bumps.”

In a radio and television career that touched eight decades, including 67 seasons as the trusted voice of the Dodgers, Vincent Edward Scully used his special talent and timeless touch to not only relay the game’s biggest moments but to evoke countless goose bumps of his own. Millions of sports fans who never met the man considered him a friend and a faithful companion. And so his death on Tuesday at the age of 94 elicited an outpouring of emotional tributes from around the world.


“We have lost an icon,” said Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten. “The Dodgers' Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian. He loved people. He loved life. He loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family. His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever. I know he was looking forward to joining the love of his life, Sandi. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this very difficult time. Vin will be truly missed.”

"He was the best there ever was," Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said. "Just when you think about the Dodgers -- there's a lot of history here and lot of people that have come through, it's just a storied franchise all the way around. But it almost starts with Vin, honestly.

"He's just such a special man. I'm grateful and thankful I got to know him as well as I did."

Scully’s wise way with words (“In a year that has been so improbable,” he famously said of Kirk Gibson’s equally famous home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, “the impossible has happened!”) enlightened us, entertained us, engaged us. He was the standard by which all other broadcasters were judged, and his was an impossible standard to match.

As Joe Buck once said of Scully, “His voice, his cadence, his rhythm just lend themselves to the game of baseball.”

Of course, Scully lent his talent to a variety of assignments and an array of sports. His voice augmented that milestone moment on national television when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record with his 715th home run on April 8, 1974. When the 49ers’ Dwight Clark made “The Catch” against the Cowboys on Jan. 10, 1982, Scully made the call. He was behind the mic for Bill Buckner’s error, Joe Carter’s walk-off and many other seminal moments.

In national roles for CBS Sports and NBC Sports, Scully handled World Series, All-Star Games, NFL games, tennis matches and golf tournaments. He was feted not just with the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick Award (1982) and the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award (2014) but with a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award from the National Radio Hall of Fame (1995). He was a four-time winner of the National Sportscaster of the Year honor (1965, 1978, 1982, 2016), an inductee of the American Sportscasters Association’s Hall of Fame (1992) and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2008), and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016), among many other honors.

It was Scully’s Dodgers duty, though, that stood out above all others. The iconic franchise has had many heroes, including the barrier-breaking Jackie Robinson, the beloved Tommy Lasorda, and the remarkable and reclusive Sandy Koufax. But having entered people’s homes, cars and ears for so long -- first in his native New York, then for 58 seasons in Los Angeles -- Scully developed a more intimate relationship with fans than any other representative of the Dodgers. This was reflected in his final sign-off, on Oct. 2, 2016.

“You and I have been friends for a long time,” he told his audience, “but I know in my heart that I’ve always needed you more than you’ve needed me, and I’ll miss our time together more than I can say.”

"I think of the melodic tones, I think of his integrity, I think of him as being a role model," former Dodgers pitcher and current broadcaster Orel Hershiser said on the Spectrum SportsNet postgame show. "People are saying he was a soundtrack, but I would say it's the voice from our highlight film of life."

"He was not one to preach, he was not one to explain, he was one that just lived his life in front of you, as a Dodger and as a broadcaster and as an icon and as a friend. Some fans saw him as a father, grandfather and a friend, but it was someone they never met. They just heard him and saw him on TV but he became their friend. For us that got to shake his hand and be with him, he was one of the most impactful people that you will ever meet."

During Tuesday night's broadcast, Dodgers play-by-play man Joe Davis, who succeeded Scully full time in 2017, said: "We lost the greatest ever to do it. Vin Scully was and is and always will be the Dodgers. His voice will always be the voice of baseball."

Though born in the Bronx, near Yankee Stadium, in that epochal year of 1927 and eventually associated with the Dodgers, Scully grew up a New York Giants fan. He would emulate the batting stance of his favorite player, Mel Ott. But as early as age 8, Scully knew that he wanted to announce games even more than he wanted to play in them.

Fordham-educated and Navy-trained, Scully got into broadcasting at just 22 years old, and he did so by making an impression on a man who had been a major influence. Scully was a fill-in at WTOP in Washington, D.C., when one day a message was left for him at his parents’ home. His mother relayed it.

“Red Skelton called!”

Actually, it was Red Barber, who was heading CBS network sports and looking for a backup voice for “College Football Roundup.”

It didn’t take long for Scully to distinguish himself. His first assignment was a Maryland-Boston University game at Fenway Park. Temperatures that day were in the low 40s, and Scully, figuring this network gig would have him in a cushy press box booth, showed up with no coat, hat or gloves.

Turns out, the “booth” was on the roof. But although Scully was freezing for every single play of that game, the listener would have never known the difference.

Barber noted this, and he quickly took a liking to Scully. And so it was that, mere months later, after Ernie Harwell left the Dodgers’ broadcasting team to work for the Giants, Barber once again tapped Scully -- this time to be the No. 3 man in Brooklyn.

“He was a green pea,” Barber would later write in his autobiography, “but he was a very appealing young green pea.”

In 1953, Barber’s paycheck dispute would lead to Scully’s most high-profile assignment to date -- the World Series. At 25, he was the youngest to call a Fall Classic. And two years later, he’d call the final out of Johnny Podres’ Game 7 shutout of the Yankees, which sealed the Dodgers’ long-awaited first Series title.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Scully’s call went, “the Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world.”

That’s it?

“That winter, a lot of people said, ‘How could you have been so calm,’” Scully said in his later years. “The truth is, I empathized with the Dodgers and all they had been through. I don’t think I could have said another word without breaking down and starting to cry.”

Tears would be shed by many a Brooklynite two years later, when owner Walter O’Malley moved the team to Los Angeles. Scully, somewhat reluctantly, followed. A new coast would be graced with the sweetest voice in baseball, and the Dodgers had an adept ambassador in their bid to win over a new fan base. Millions took his advice to “pull up a chair” and tune in.

What they heard was a dulcet voice making even the simplest situations sound like pure poetry. In an essay on Scully in his book “Voices of Summer,” the historian Curt Smith recalled Scully describing twilight as “little footsteps of sunshine” or a player catching the ball “gingerly, like a baby chick falling from the tree.” When Sandy Koufax was in the middle of his 1965 perfect game, Scully noted, “There are 29,000 people in the ballpark, and a million butterflies.”

Scully’s poetry and precision won him a devoted audience in L.A. and elsewhere. He handled moments big (21 no-hitters, three perfect games, six Dodgers World Series titles) and small with class, grace and an almost literary craftsmanship. He had a way with words and a way with no words. Scully knew when to turn off his so-called “Voice of Heaven,” step away from the microphone and let the moment breathe.

Never did he demonstrate this more adroitly than when Aaron hit No. 715. As the Fulton County Stadium crowd went wild and Aaron was mobbed on the field, Scully poured himself a cup of coffee and stood in silence for a while.

“It’s during that listening period,” he once said, “where my mind has a chance to evaluate the impact of this particular moment.”

And when the listening period was over, Scully perfectly punctuated that historic event.

“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world,” he said. “A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron.”

Listen to the call, and you can still feel Vin Scully’s goose bumps. Look down at your arm, and you can see your own.

[ponytail]

Vin was the best! I remember going to Dodger Stadium and fans would bring their radios with them so they could hear Vin call the game. He is truly missed.

[Hawkee]

Vin Scully also was the host of It Takes Two which was revived in the 90's by Dick Clark and aired on The Family Channel. Vin Scully also appeared in commercials for Swanson's Hungry Man meals and was cool in them
Bestie

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/vin-...s-away-94.html

He called other sports, too. In January of 1982, Scully was the announcer for CBS and called one of the NFL’s greatest moments, when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, punctuated by “The Catch” from Dwight Clark.

Vin Scully had always attested that he retired from doing NFL play-by-play after that game because the game was so great in itself, that it would've been in his mind, a perfect way to end that part of his broadcasting career on.

Those who were said to be in the "know" have said that the true reason why Vin stopped calling pro football and left CBS altogether in 1982 because he was upset over being misled.

CBS during the 1981 NFL season, weren't 100% sure if he or Pat Summerall was going to be their #1 play-by-play announcer going forward. They knew for sure that they wanted John Madden to be the top analyst, but they were still undecided over who was going to work that year's Super Bowl with him.

So when Summerall was away on assignment at the U.S. (tennis) Open, they had Vin work with John Madden. And when Vin Scully was away covering the baseball playoffs and World Series (1981 was of course, the year that Vin's Dodgers won the World Series against the New York Yankees), Pat Summerall worked with Madden.

After maybe the eighth week, CBS decided that it would be in their best interests to have Summerall continue on officially, as the top NFL play-by-play announcer. Vin Scully would've been handed the NFC Championship Game assignment with Hank Stram as sort of a "consolation prize". Pat Summerall meanwhile, called the game on CBS Radio with Jack Buck.

I guess Vin felt that his intelligence was being insulted over the way that CBS handled the matter and didn't like the politics that was going on there. So he left CBS to take on a gig at NBC as their new lead play-by-play man for baseball and golf as soon as his contract with CBS was up. I could be wrong, but I believe that his last assignment for CBS was the 1982 Masters.

[jason88cubs]

R.I.P.

[TMC]

From Don Drysdale's daughter, Drew:

He would have had such a chuckle to know "NOT VIN" is trending. Followed by some reassuring wise crack about the expectation to live forever. But yes, yes still... that was the expectation for him somehow. His voice surely will last the test of time that I know for certain. 💙

It's weird because I remember when Drew's father suddenly died while the Dodgers were on a road trip in Montreal in 1993. Vin Scully was given the task to break the news:


Vin was apparently, advised to not say anything about Don Drysdale's death until his family was notified. Don actually passed hours after what would become his final broadcast on July 2, 1993.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

Vin Scully had always attested that he retired from doing NFL play-by-play after that game because the game was so great in itself, that it would've been in his mind, a perfect way to end that part of his broadcasting career on.

Those who were said to be in the "know" have said that the true reason why Vin stopped calling pro football and left CBS altogether in 1982 because he was upset over being misled.

CBS during the 1981 NFL season, weren't 100% sure if he or Pat Summerall was going to be their #1 play-by-play announcer going forward. They knew for sure that they wanted John Madden to be the top analyst, but they were still undecided over who was going to work that year's Super Bowl with him.

So when Summerall was away on assignment at the U.S. (tennis) Open, they had Vin work with John Madden. And when Vin Scully was away covering the baseball playoffs and World Series (1981 was of course, the year that Vin's Dodgers won the World Series against the New York Yankees), Pat Summerall worked with Madden.

After maybe the eighth week, CBS decided that it would be in their best interests to have Summerall continue on officially, as the top NFL play-by-play announcer. Vin Scully would've been handed the NFC Championship Game assignment with Hank Stram as sort of a "consolation prize". Pat Summerall meanwhile, called the game on CBS Radio with Jack Buck.

I guess Vin felt that his intelligence was being insulted over the way that CBS handled the matter and didn't like the politics that was going on there. So he left CBS to take on a gig at NBC as their new lead play-by-play man for baseball and golf as soon as his contract with CBS was up. I could be wrong, but I believe that his last assignment for CBS was the 1982 Masters.

New book reveals origins of John Madden, Pat Summerall pairing

Who came up with the idea to pair Madden with Summerall?

“Prior to 1980, Pat Summerall had been the No.1 play-by-play guy with Tom Brookshier. Sauter wanted to break up that team because of their drinking escapades, and he did. There was some question as to where Summerall would wind up. (CBS sports producer) Terry O’Neil wanted Summerall as Madden’s partner because Madden loved to tell his stories and talk a lot. Summerall was known for his brevity. (O’Neil) thought that would be a great combination. But the boss wanted Vin Scully.

“Now, Vin Scully was known for doing Dodgers games with no help. He would do all the analysis, the play-by-play. He loved to talk, and the combination of him talking all the time and Madden talking all the time, O’Neill told Sauter that the viewer would be wrung out by halftime.”

How did CBS finally decide on Summerall?

“The first four weeks of the 1981 season, Scully would work with Madden. The second four weeks, Summerall would work with Madden, and then on Monday, Oct. 26, all the CBS sports executives would get together and vote on who should be the No.1 play-by-play guy. Well, this didn’t sit well with Summerall. He got an agent for the first time in 20 years with the network, and he threatened to go to NBC if he didn’t get the job.

“Also, a news item hit the wires during October that Summerall was contemplating running for the Senate on the Republican ticket in the state of Florida. So there was some question about Pat staying with CBS if he wasn’t chosen. But all the executives voted for Summerall. The minute they started working together, it was like peanut butter and jelly meeting for the first time. Madden never sounded better. He never felt more comfortable.”