Thank You, Vinnie

Thank You, Vinnie

“A man really determines himself by what he does.”

Vincent Edward Scully

Growing up in Los Angeles, Vinnie, as every fan called him, was a major influence in my life.

He and the Dodgers moved to LA the year I was born, and his voice and what he said were ever present until his retirement in 2016, and since then on YouTube.

Growing up in the sixties, home games were blacked out and away games were televised on one of the seven black and white channels, so Vinnie was truly the voice of the Dodgers, and we rarely heard any players speak.

And what an eloquent, warm and friendly voice it was! Vinnie could weave a backstory about a player or a team over several batters and pitches with ease, and make every listener feel like he was talking just to him personally.

His voice was consistent with the other voices of my upbringing. My parents, church, the YMCA and the Boy Scouts all had the same message: do the right thing, and be a blessing to others.

Al Michael, a terrific announcer himself, asked this week, “Can you think of anyone doing anything for 67 years, let alone doing it extraordinarily well?” 

So here are just a few examples of Vinnie’s mastery:

Sandy Kofax’s 1965 perfect game

Hank Aaron’s home-run record breaking at bat in Atlanta

Kirk Gibson in the bottom of the 9th in the first game of the ‘88 World Series

When I was lucky enough to go to a game, I always took my mitt, in hopes of catching a fly ball. But looking back, the thing that really struck me was hearing Vinnie’s voice while attending home games.

There were no cell phones or diamond vision, so how was that possible?

Transistor radios came out in the sixties and many fans brought them to the games; so much so that, no matter where you sat, you could hear Vinnie announcing the game all around you.

Norman Rockwell said, “I don’t paint the America I see, I paint the America I would like to see.” Vin Scully was the Norman Rockwell of baseball. He saw the good in people, and he spoke to our highest aspirations, like Rockwell did in his paintings. 

Thank you, Vinnie.