What We'll Lose When Vin Scully Retires

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There's a Dodgers game on the MLB network right now coming from the Dodgers TV network feed. That means that I've spent the evening listening to the legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully call the game. If you follow baseball you know that Scully has been the Dodgers' announcer longer than there has been a Los Angeles Dodgers. Scully goes back to the Brooklyn Dodgers! For sixty seven years he has sat behind the microphone, bringing the games to Dodgers fans...or baseball fans. To say he is a national treasure is a gross understatement. Vin Scully is truly the last of a dying breed of broadcasters, and when he retires on October 2 that breed of announcers -- those who call the game instead of use a baseball game as a backdrop for voicing their opinions (hey, Marty Brennaman, I'm talking about you) -- will have completely disappeared from the scene. Scully doesn't worry about "dead air." If there's nothing to say, he's not going to flap his gums just for the sake of talking. On the other hand, if there's a significant story to tell, he's going to regale the listener. One game not too long ago featured Scully telling a fascinating story about when the Beatles played in Los Angeles. The concert was at Dodger Stadium, and this particular day was the 50th anniversary of that show. Between pitches (he never missed a pitch, unlike others who tell stories and forget that they're supposed to be calling the game) Scully told how the Beatles tried to sneak out of the ball park after the concert but were met with a throng of fans at every turn. Eventually the Beatles were rescued and escorted away by....the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang. Scully has such a wonderful, easygoing manner. He's rarely temperamental (only showing vocal enthusiasm over a home run or a no-hitter). While he is a Dodgers announcer he's always quick to point out the greatness on the other team, and that includes interesting stories about players. Vin's been at it for 67 years, or longer than a lot of people reading this have been alive. He'll be 89 in November, so he deserves retirement. But dang, we're going to lose a good one when he retires. Here's the story of the Beatles' 1966 visit to Dodger Stadium from Vin Scully: