The Sounds of a So Cal Summer

By Peyton Schultze

A broadcasting pioneer with an unrivaled ability to capture an audience, Vin Scully will go down as perhaps the greatest broadcaster in the history of American sports (via IMDB).

After spending 67 iconic years as the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, longtime broadcaster Vin Scully has passed away at the age of 94.

Easily the greatest broadcaster in the history of American sports, Scully was a trailblazer for the game of baseball, getting his start as the voice of the Brooklyn Dodgers back in 1950. Starting off on the broadcast crew next to Red Barber and Connie Desmond, Scully eventually took over the reigns as the lead announcer in 1954, a year before the Brooklyn Dodgers would take home their first World Series title in franchise history after beating the New York Yankees in seven games in 1955. Yet the Dodgers’ move across the country to the sunny skies of Los Angeles in 1957 paved the way for transcendence. Introducing fans across Southern California to the original origins of Major League Baseball, Scully was certainly the catalyst that helped baseball grow across the region, even when the Dodgers had their fair share of ups and downs in their cross-country move.

From there, Scully never let up. Calling some of the greatest moments in baseball history, in addition to countless NFL games and golf tournaments over the years, Scully remained one of the greats. Yet even with time spent calling 25 World Series, 12 All-Star Games, 21 no-hitters and three perfect games, Scully’s loyal commitment to the historic Dodgers not only sealed his fate as a Cooperstown classic, but as one of the finest communicators of the 20th century.

Two staples of Los Angeles culture, Vin Scully and Sandy Koufax will always be remembered as two of the great titans of Dodger Baseball (via Los Angeles Times).

Yet Scully’s longtime ties to the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles have etched him into the history books of the Southern California scene forever.

Situated right next to great titans such as Jackie Robinson, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Kobe Bryant and John Wooden, Scully is easily one of the most influential sports figures in the city. In Scully’s 67 years as the voice of the Dodgers, Los Angeles fans became accustomed to daily drives while listening to Scully’s Dodgers on the radio, while tuning in at home or at the stadium on a steamy, summer night to enjoy nothing but three hours of Dodger baseball.

Whether it was Sandy Koufax’s 1965 perfect game against the classic Cubs or Steve Finley’s NL West clinching walk-off grand slam against the rival Giants, the summer emergence of Fernandomania in 1981 or the might of Clayton Kershaw’s slider in his lone no-hitter in 2014, or even Charlie Culberson’s curtain call closing to Scully’s iconic Dodger Stadium career, the highlights poured in like a great golfer who just re-discovered his putting stroke.

Even his soundbites have become staples of culture, in a way that no broadcaster has ever been able to accomplish. “It’s time for Dodger baseball!”, “High fly ball into right field… she is gone!” and “If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!” are just as much a part of baseball’s history as any no-hitter, walk-off home run or World Series title, breathing an extra life into the soul of the sport that has wowed spectators around the world for over one hundred years.

Even in the Dodgers’ most fearsome environment on the decks of Oracle Park in San Francisco, Scully received a thunderous ovation from the Giants’ faithful in the final game of his career (via Jon Soo Hoo).

It is this type of energy that Scully consistently provided to fans around the world and made him stand out in a crowd full of elite broadcasters. Even today, in an age where fans can give a quick search on YouTube to see some the broadcaster’s greatest calls, Scully’s unmatched magnetism to pair alongside his sense of optimism and positivity behind the mic was infectious. Even today, you can see his signature, lyrical style in the words of highly-regarded broadcasters such as Al Michaels, Joe Davis, Joe Buck and Jim Nantz, many of whom have referred to Scully as the greatest to ever do it.

Yet this style comes down to a simple idea: sports are stories. Whether it’s a crushing loss in the ways of the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” or a great triumph like the Dodgers’ ultimate push to the top in the chaotic, yet spectacular 1981 season, there is always something to be seen and something yet to be told. It’s this uncertainty and unknowingness of the future that keeps us coming back each and every time for more, but it’s also the simple things. The background of a player’s hometown or the cut of the center field grass could help to illustrate the story just as much as any box score update, as could the sound of a roaring crowd with nothing but silence behind the mic for over two minutes. Scully understood this better than any, and while he will certainly be missed, his flair for the dramatic and his craving for emotion are lessons that will be passed to future broadcasters for years to come.

Even with his prolific and well-known skills behind a mic, Scully’s humility, kindness and thirst for knowledge were traits that made him stand out from the crowd (via Dodger Insider).

While the timing is crushing and the loss is immense, there is some kind of comfort in knowing that Scully passed away to the Bay Area backdrop of a matchup between the Dodgers and Giants. Once awakened to his future love of baseball by seeing the 18-4 score of a World Series game between the Yankees and Giants in 1936, Scully became an avid Giants’ fan during his upbringing in New York before he was hired as the Dodgers’ broadcaster. Even during his career with the Dodgers, Scully consistently referred to Giants’ outfielder Willie Mays as the finest ballplayer he had ever seen and was never shy about how grateful he was to be able to call their games.

Yet that love for the rivalry never wavered. Continuously mentioning how much he embraced the matchups between the two teams, Scully called some of the best games in the rivalry's history, even down to the final game of his career in Oracle Park back in 2016. San Francisco honored him with love and appreciation in the final chapter of his career, and while the Giants’ paid their respects to the Dodger organization by choosing to not flash anything on the outfield screens until the final out of the game, it is nice to know that even with the hard-fought battles and intense showdowns that have defined the Dodgers and Giants for years, both organizations have the ultimate respect and class to continue to push the game forward by honoring the mighty warriors of the past.

Scully was a staple on the call in the American sports scene for decades, calling some of the most memorable scenes in history time and time again.

The date is August 3rd, 2022, and the transistor radio has long gone out of style as one of our preferred uses of entertainment. And while more modern traditional platforms such as streaming, television and social media have emerged as more updated forms of communication, it is fascinating to see how the radio once connected one man, one team and one entire city for decades.

Scully is nothing short of a master of communication, which is a lesson that everyone can appreciate in the modern day. While things such as text messages and direct messages are complementary features that make our life easier, we all have a desire to share personal stories with one another and learn more and more from some of the deepest pockets from all around the world. Vin was our friend for years, even though most of us never met him face-to-face, and it is truly telling to his own personal greatness that so many people can point toward his warmth, positivity and understanding as key qualities that made him such a legendary figure.

But for as great as Scully was behind the mic on continuous Dodger games over the years, it is the way that his colleagues speak about him that shows just how impactful of a life that Scully lived. Whether it is former players such as Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale or Gil Hodges, or even fellow members of the Dodger organization such as Rick Monday or Charley Steiner, Scully has always been regarded by many as one hell of a man, and one who will be dearly missed now that his compassion, love and care for others will no longer be just a dial away.

A Dodger forever: Scully’s legacy will not only live on each night under the cotton candy skies of Chavez Ravine, but around the world for all those who tuned into any of his broadcast over the course of his career (via Think Blue LA).

It was truly a 94-year ride for the ages for perhaps the greatest figure in the history of Los Angeles sports. But now that Vin Scully is gone, there is certainly a sense of emptiness in the hearts of Dodger fans in Los Angeles that certainly stretches across the world. From the lots that used to host Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, to the formerly Dodger-obsessed Spring Training sites of Vero Beach, Florida, Scully’s impact has been felt for years. It will still be time for Dodger baseball, but how can that saying still have that same type of feeling without the artist behind the phrase?

But if Scully has taught us anything in his career, it is that life goes on. Yes, the Dodgers will still take the field again tonight at 6:45 pm PST, and yes, Julio Urias will still take the ball for the Dodgers on the Oracle Park mound next to the silent and foggy depths of McCovey Cove. There is so much life to honor in the coming days and coming weeks when it comes to the legendary broadcaster, and even though it will certainly be a tough few days for Dodger fans, there is hope on the other side.

That leaves time for one last message from Mr. Scully, as told to thousands of loving fans around the world in the final broadcast of his career:

You and I have been friends for a long time, 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.

But you know what — there will be a new day, and eventually a new year. And when the upcoming winter gives way to spring, rest assured it will be time for Dodger baseball.

So this is Vin Scully, wishing you a very pleasant good afternoon, wherever you may be.

So the next time you are in your seat at Dodger Stadium, look toward the club level down the left field line and take some time to notice Scully’s retired microphone. Then look around at a stadium that has seen some of the greatest moments in baseball history, all told by one of the game’s great poets with a knack for illustration and imagery through precise diction and phrasing. And even with that, take comfort in knowing that it is all wrapped up under a cotton candy sky with a canopy of blue on a warm, California night, giving fans a peek into what Vincent Edward Scully saw and told us all about for 67 remarkable years.