So Long Vinnie

Vin Scully, the voice of the Dodgers for well over 60 years has passed on at age 94. What a fantastic career as an announcer extraordinaire from 1950 to 2016. When I moved to LA a very long time ago - he was such a pleasure to listen to when the Bucs played the Dodgers. He was so unbiased that you could listen to an entire game and never know which team he was announcing for, complimenting players from both teams and expounding little known trivia. His factoid stories from the early days of baseball were incredible. My favorite was him telling about a player from the 30's who played 1st base and had a wooden leg! But, as Vinnie so eloquently told, that wasn't the most bizarre part about this player. He went on to talk about how players frequently smoked in the dugouts between innings and this one legged player had an ashtray built into his wooden leg that all the players would use to dispose of their ashes. Hilarious story from a true legend amongst sports announcers. RIP Vinnie. The sports equivalent to radio personality Paul Harvey IMHO.

 

My mom was a lifelong Dodger fan. Dad eventually switched loyalty to the Padres. I can remember them listening to Vin call the games starting in the early 60s when we lived on NINAS. Long before the Padres were a pro team. Greatest sportscaster ever!

 

Thanks to Vin, I always look to Farmer John products first. "Eastern most in flavor, western most in quality"......or words to that effect

 

Listening to the call of one of Nolan Ryan's later nonhitters is just one example of his greatness. His Dodgers were losing, yet he knew and loved the history of baseball. Can be found on youbtube. When he called national games it was pure pleasure. Rip