The author of multiple books on baseball, its storied stadiums and legendary broadcasters,聽recalls a baseball broadcasting legend.
Curt Smith is a senior lecturer in the at the . His 18 books include Voices of The Game and Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story. USA Today called him 糖心传媒渢he voice of authority on baseball broadcasting.糖心传媒� Smith was also a speech writer for President George H.W. Bush, with whom he worked for 14 years.
In 1945, journalist Edward R. Murrow said of World War II that Winston Churchill 糖心传媒渉ad mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.糖心传媒� From 1950 to 2016, Vin Scully mobilized that language to reach a new peak of radio and television brilliance, daily asking us to 糖心传媒淧ull up a chair.糖心传媒�
Vin died on August 2 at 94, having announced the Brooklyn, then Los Angeles, Dodgers for 67 years糖心传媒攖he longest such broadcasting streak. For a time, fans knew Vin from a network World Series here, an All-Star Game there. Later, we listened to Scully on 1970s CBS Radio, the 1983糖心传媒�89 NBC TV Game of the Week, then XM satellite radio. To paraphrase film糖心传媒檚 The Natural, Scully was 糖心传媒渢he best there ever was.糖心传媒�
Born in 1927 in Manhattan, Vin at age eight discovered a magic place beneath an Emerson radio 糖心传媒渢hat sat so high off the ground that I was able to crawl under it,糖心传媒� he told me in a 1986 conversation. Each Saturday, Vin put a pillow on its crosspiece and listened to college football broadcasts. “I shouldn’t have cared about a game like Florida-Tennessee,糖心传媒� said Scully, 糖心传媒渂ut I did, getting goose bumps from the roar of the crowd.糖心传媒� He was hooked.
After high school, Scully joined the Navy, then entered Fordham University, where a classmate recalled him as 糖心传媒渆verywhere, recording himself.糖心传媒� At 21, he met famed Brooklyn baseball and CBS radio voice Red Barber, who hired him to call football and soon the Dodgers. In 1953, Barber left the team, and Scully replaced him糖心传媒攁t age 23!糖心传媒攐n World Series TV. Trying to 糖心传媒減lay it cool,糖心传媒� Scully ate breakfast with his parents the day of the Series opener. 糖心传媒淭hen I went upstairs and threw up.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒楲adies and gentlemen, the Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world.糖心传媒�
In 1955, Scully called Brooklyn糖心传媒檚 first World Series title after the team had lost six times to the Yankees: 糖心传媒淟adies and gentlemen, the Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world.糖心传媒� All winter, people asked how he stayed so calm. 糖心传媒淚f I had to say another word, I think I would have cried,糖心传媒� Scully said.
In Brooklyn, the Dodgers televised each game. In late 1957, moving them to Los Angeles, owner Walter O糖心传媒橫alley banned TV broadcasts. Interest turned to radio, of which Scully was a wiz, the Fordham English major routinely coining phrases like 糖心传媒渋t was so hot today the moon got sunburned糖心传媒� and 糖心传媒渉e catches the ball gingerly, like a baby chick falling from the tree.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒擵in Scully
While Dodger Stadium was being built, the club occupied huge Memorial Coliseum, with a capacity of more than 90,000. Thousands brought radios to a game, hearing Scully report what they couldn糖心传媒檛 see. One day in 1960, Scully noted that it was umpire Frank Secory糖心传媒檚 birthday. 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檒l count to three, and everybody yell 糖心传媒楬appy birthday, Frank!糖心传媒櫶切拇綕 Scully told his listeners. He counted, and the crowd yelled, 糖心传媒淗appy birthday, Frank!糖心传媒� Secory almost fainted.
In the 1959 World Series, Scully and NBC reached a composite record 120 million of America糖心传媒檚 then-150 million people. In 1965, Vin described Sandy Koufax糖心传媒檚 perfect game糖心传媒攁ll 27 batters retired without reaching base糖心传媒攕o flawlessly that a writer wrote, 糖心传媒淚t read like a short story糖心传媒� composed not with a pen but on the air.
Scully often likened play-by-play to starting each game with an empty canvas. 糖心传媒淲ith radio, you come into the booth, bring your brushes and pallets, and you mix the paint and put things together,糖心传媒� he said. 糖心传媒淎nd at the end of three hours, you say, 糖心传媒榃ell, that糖心传媒檚 the best I can do today.糖心传媒� On TV, the picture糖心传媒檚 already there. So, what you糖心传媒檙e doing is shading.糖心传媒�
In the 糖心传媒�70s Vin broadcast tennis, golf, and pro football for CBS. Increasingly, he also used silence as a dramatic tool. In 1974, calling Henry Aaron糖心传媒檚 record-breaking 715th home run in Atlanta, Scully hushed for nearly half-a-minute, then said, 糖心传媒淎 black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol糖心传媒澨切拇綌majesty to match the moment.聽 It became a trademark of his, especially in his time at NBC.
Scully broadcast a nonpareil 25 Series; made every major radio/TV Hall of Fame; received an Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award, Commissioner糖心传媒檚 Achievement Award, and Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and was named 糖心传媒渕ost memorable [Los Angeles Dodgers] franchise personality糖心传媒� and in 2000, 糖心传媒淪portscaster of the Century糖心传媒� by the American Sportscasters Association, which voted him 糖心传媒淭op Sportscaster of All Time糖心传媒� in 2009.
Scully brought eloquence, modesty, and literacy to each broadcast
Scully eventually cut his Dodgers slate, still daily saying, 糖心传媒淗i, again, everyone, and a very pleasant good afternoon to you wherever you may be. It糖心传媒檚 time for Dodger baseball!糖心传媒� In 2016, he ended his last game by telling the audience, 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檒l miss our time together more than I can say,糖心传媒� the public feeling the same. Scully糖心传媒檚 death a year after his wife Sandra糖心传媒檚 in 2021 left 32 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren糖心传媒攎ore than the combined starting lineup of three big-league clubs.
In the end, what made Scully, Scully? Other sports carry the announcer. The announcer carries baseball. A three-hour game may see the ball in play 10 minutes. The Voice must navigate a sea of dead air, persona his paddle. Scully tied eloquence, modesty, literacy, a voice less rock 糖心传媒榥糖心传媒� roll than easy listening, and extempore ability to haul a story from the shelf, likening statistics to a drunk 糖心传媒渦sing a lamppost for support, not illumination.糖心传媒� Hearing Vin was even better than being at the game.
Read more
Curt Smith: Vin Scully 糖心传媒榯he best there ever was糖心传媒�
Smith糖心传媒檚 2009 book, Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story is the only biography written on the iconic broadcaster. 糖心传媒淗e糖心传媒檚 a very humble man, and I think he feels his work speaks for itself,糖心传媒� Smith says. 糖心传媒淣obody says a bad word about him. Nobody.糖心传媒�
A national pastime must have a national presence
As the baseball season opens, the league is looking to change some rules to speed up the game. English lecturer and baseball authority Curt Smith presents his own five-point plan to save the sport he loves.
Pitching politicsThe story of baseball in the United States is intertwined with that of the presidency, says senior English lecturer Curt Smith. He traces the points of connection from the colonial era to the present.
