In his 1972 book, Roger Kahn dubbed the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers “The Boys of Summer.” If the Dodgers were indeed “The Boys of Summer” then it only makes sense to call Vin Scully “The Voice of Summer.” From 1950 to 2016, 67 seasons, Vin Scully was the voice from the radio and/or the TV for the Brooklyn and then the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On August 2, 2022, Vin Scully passed away at the age of 94. Vincent Edward Scully was born in The Bronx, New York in November of 1927 and as he often told the story, became enraptured with baseball after seeing a New York Giants score posted in a window of a laundry and felt bad for the Giants having lost terribly in Game Two of the 1936 World Series. He dreamed of being a broadcaster and later became a student broadcaster at Fordham University.
In 1950 he joined the legendary Red Barber in the broadcast booth for the Brooklyn Dodgers and later in 1953 when Barber got into a salary dispute, Scully took over the broadcasts and became the youngest person to broadcast a World Series, a record that still stands today. He never looked back. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season, Scully became the voice of Los Angeles, the city, and the team.
This was around the time that the transistor radio was first launched and because the Dodgers played in a monstrous stadium their first four seasons (Memorial Coliseum) many fans brought their little radios to listen to Scully so they could “see” who was playing where and what had happened in the last play. And, being Los Angeles, there were also the hundreds of thousands who listened to the games in their cars on those LA freeways and in their homes after work.
Throughout his career, Scully was also the voice for NFL Football, PGA Golf, and many other sports but the Dodgers were his main calling and no Dodger game could start without him stating: “It’s Time for Dodger Baseball!...”
As word of his passing came Tuesday, the eulogies started pouring in, mostly very sad and very much a feeling of having lost a family member. Vin Scully taught the game of baseball to millions of listeners and viewers over those 67 years. With his silky, smooth voice and easy to listen to tone, he told magnificent stories about the players, the game, and life in general. He always had a lesson to teach to us and we all listened eagerly. In 2016, he announced that it would be his last season and fittingly it would end at the home of the Dodgers greatest rivals, the San Francisco Giants. Ironically, the Dodgers were at the Giants on Tuesday night as the news of his passing broke. In his last moments on the air after the game he kept it simple just as he had for 67 years:
“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 ever 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, once again it will be "time for Dodger baseball." So, this is Vin Scully wishing you a very pleasant good afternoon, wherever you may be.”
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