Vincent Edward Scully
(born November 29, 1927) is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. His 60-year tenure with the Dodgers (1950–present) is the longest of any broadcaster with a single club in professional sports history, and he is second only to Tommy Lasorda in terms of length of years with the Dodgers organization in any capacity (Lasorda joined the team a year before Scully). Named California Sportscaster of the Year twenty-eight times, he received the Ford Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, and was honored with a Life Achievement Emmy Award for sportscasting and induction into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. He was named Broadcaster of the Century by the American Sportscasters Association (ASA) in 2000. In 2009, the ASA named him the top sportscaster of all-time on its list of the Top 50. [1] [2]
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VIN SCULLY TICKETS
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Early life
Born in
The Bronx, Scully grew up in the
Washington Heights section of
Manhattan.
[3] He made ends meet by delivering beer and mail, pushing garment racks, and cleaning silver in the basement of the
Pennsylvania Hotel [4] in
New York City. His father was a silk salesman; his mother a homemaker of
Irish descent with red hair like her son. Scully attended high school at
Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx. As a kid growing up in Washington Heights, he was a big
Mel Ott fan. He knew he wanted to be a sports announcer the moment he became fascinated with
football broadcasts on his radio.
Broadcasting career
Career in Brooklyn
Scully began his career as a student broadcaster and journalist at
Fordham University. While at Fordham, he helped form its
FM radio station
WFUV, was assistant sports editor for Volume 28 of
The Fordham Ram his senior year, sang in a barbershop quartet, played
center field, got a degree, and sent about 150 letters to stations along the
Eastern seaboard. Scully ultimately got only one response, from
CBS Radio affiliate
WTOP in
Washington, which made him a fill-in.
He was eventually recruited by
Red Barber, sports director of the CBS Radio Network, for its
college football coverage. Scully impressed his boss with his coverage of a football game from frigid
Fenway Park in
Boston, despite having to do so from the stadium roof (expecting an enclosed press box, Scully had left his coat and gloves at his hotel, but never mentioned his discomfort on the air). Barber mentored Scully and told him that if he wanted to be a successful sports announcer he should never be a "homer" (openly showing a rooting interest for the team that employs you, as many more modern sportscasters do), never listen to other announcers, and keep his opinions to himself.
In
1950, Scully joined Barber and
Cornelius (Connie) Desmond in the
Brooklyn Dodgers'
radio and
television booths. When Barber got into a salary dispute with World Series sponsor
Gillette in 1953, Scully took Barber's spot for the
Fall Classic. At the age of 25, Scully became the youngest person ever to broadcast a World Series (a record that stands to this day). Barber left the Dodgers after the
1953 season (to work for the
New York Yankees). With Desmond often sidelined due to problems with
alcoholism, Scully eventually became the team's principal announcer. Scully called the Dodgers' games in Brooklyn until
1957, after which the club moved west to Los Angeles.
Career in Los Angeles
Scully accompanied the Dodgers in their new location beginning with the
1958 season, and quickly established himself as a popular and authoritative voice to the team's Southern California fans. Because fans had difficulty following the action during the team's four seasons in the cavernous
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it soon became customary for them to bring
transistor radios to the games, the better to hear Scully and partner
Jerry Doggett describe what was happening. This became an established practice that continued even after the team's move to
Dodger Stadium in
1962, and engineers for the Dodgers' radio and television stations (as well as those of other teams) often had difficulty adjusting to the sound of Scully's play-by-play amplified from the stands at Dodger home games.
[5]
In 1964, the
New York Yankees offered Scully the opportunity to succeed
Mel Allen as their lead play-by-play announcer.
[6] Scully chose to remain with the Dodgers, however, and his popularity in Los Angeles became such that in
1976 the team's fans voted him the "most memorable personality" in the history of the franchise.
CBS
Like Red Barber and Mel Allen in the 1940s, Scully retained his credentials in football even as his baseball career blossomed. From
1975 to
1982, Scully called
National Football League games for
CBS television. One of his most famous NFL calls is
Dwight Clark's touchdown
catch in the
January 10,
1982,
NFC Championship Game (which Scully called with
Hank Stram), which put the
San Francisco 49ers into
Super Bowl XVI.
Scully also anchored the network's
tennis and
PGA Tour golf coverage in the late 1970s and early 1980s, usually working the golf events with
Pat Summerall,
Ken Venturi, and Ben Wright. From 1975 to 1982, he was part of the team that covered the
Masters for CBS. He has also done golf coverage for
NBC and
ABC television.
In
1977, Scully began his first of two stints calling baseball for
CBS Radio, broadcasting the
All-Star Game through
1982 and the
World Series from
1979-
1982.
Departure from CBS
Scully decided to leave
CBS Sports in favor of a job calling
baseball games for NBC (beginning in
1983) following a dispute over assignment prominence (according to CBS Sports producer
Terry O'Neil in the book
The Game Behind the Game
). CBS decided going into the
1981 NFL season that
John Madden was going to be the star
color commentator of their NFL television coverage. But they had trouble figuring out who was going to be his play-by-play partner. So in September (for the first four games of the season), they paired Scully with Madden while
Pat Summerall was busy covering the
U.S. Open tennis tournament for CBS. For the next four games of the season in October, they paired Pat Summerall with Madden while Scully called Major League Baseball's
National League Championship Series and
World Series for CBS Radio.
After the eighth week of the NFL season, CBS Sports decided that Pat Summerall's style was more in tune with John Madden than was Scully's, and assigned him to call the
NFC Championship Game on CBS Television with
Hank Stram. Meanwhile, Pat Summerall called that game on CBS Radio with
Jack Buck while John Madden prepared to do the
Super Bowl with Summerall in
Pontiac, Michigan.
NBC
Outside of
Southern California, Vin Scully is probably best remembered for being
NBC television's lead baseball broadcaster from
1983 to
1989, earning approximately
$2 million per year. Besides calling the
Saturday Game of the Week
for NBC, Scully called three World Series (
1984,
1986, and
1988), four
National League Championship Series (
1983,
1985,
1987, and
1989), and four
All-Star Games (
1983,
1985,
1987, and
1989). Scully also reworked his Dodgers schedule during this period, as he would only broadcast home games on the radio, road games for television, and got Fridays and Saturdays off so he could work for NBC.
Teaming with
Joe Garagiola for NBC telecasts (with the exception of
1989, when Scully teamed with
Tom Seaver), Scully was on hand for several key moments in baseball history:
Fred Lynn hitting the first
grand slam in
All-Star Game history (
1983); the
1984 Detroit Tigers winning the
World Championship;
Ozzie Smith's game-winning home run in Game 5 of the
1985 National League Championship Series; the sixth game of the
1986 World Series; the
1987 All-Star Game in
Oakland, which was deadlocked at 0-0 before
Tim Raines broke up the scoreless tie with a triple in the top of the 13th inning; the first official night game in the history of
Chicago's
Wrigley Field (August 9, 1988);
Kirk Gibson's game-winning
home run in Game 1 of the
1988 World Series; and chatting with
Ronald Reagan (who said to Scully, "I've been out of work for six months and maybe there's a future here.") in the booth during the
1989 All-Star Game in
Anaheim.
On Saturday, June 3, 1989, Scully was doing the play-by-play for the NBC
Game of the Week
in
St. Louis, where the
Cardinals beat the
Chicago Cubs in 10 innings. Meanwhile,
Dodgers were playing a series in
Houston and Scully flew to
Houston to be on hand to call the Sunday game of the series. However, the Saturday night game between the teams was going into extra innings when Scully arrived at Houston, so he went to the Astrodome instead of his hotel. He picked up the play-by-play, helping to relieve the other Dodger announcers, who were doing both television and radio, and broadcast the final 13 innings (after already calling 10 innings in St. Louis), as the game went 22 innings. He broadcast 23 innings in one day in two different cities.
Laryngitis prevented Scully from calling Game 2 of the
1989 National League Championship Series between the
San Francisco Giants and
Chicago Cubs.
Bob Costas, who was working the
American League Championship Series between
Oakland and
Toronto with
Tony Kubek, was flown from Toronto to Chicago to fill in that evening (an off day for the ALCS).
After the 1989 in baseball|1989 season, NBC would lose the Major League Baseball television contracts|television rights to cover Major League Baseball to Major League Baseball on CBS#1990-1993 version|CBS. It was the first time that NBC would not be able to televise baseball since 1946 in baseball|1946. In the aftermath, Scully said of NBC losing baseball,
“
| It's a passing of a great United States of America
| ”
|
1990–present
After leaving NBC, Scully returned to
CBS Radio baseball in
1990, calling the network's World Series broadcasts through
1997. After
ESPN Radio acquired Series radio rights from CBS in
1998, Scully decided to retire from national broadcasting.
[7]
In
1999, Scully was the master of ceremonies for
MasterCard's
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
before the start of Game 2 of the
World Series. Also in
1999, Scully appeared in the movie
For Love of the Game
.
In recent years, Scully cut back his work schedule to approximately 110 games a year (though he has no plans to retire in the foreseeable future according to a
July 2005 interview with
Bryant Gumbel on
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
). Usually, he will call the first three innings of a Dodgers game via a radio-and-television
simulcast, then the rest exclusively for television.
Scully will normally not call a non-playoff game that takes place east of the
Rockies (a key exception was the
2007 season opening series, when the Dodgers opened their season up in
Milwaukee); in addition, Scully reportedly won't attend or watch a baseball game that he isn't announcing. It wasn't until the year
2004, when he and his boss, Dodgers owner
Frank McCourt, attended a game at
Fenway Park, that Scully was at a baseball game simply as a spectator.
During the 2007 season, Scully broadcast televised
Dodger home games, road games against
National League West opponents (
Arizona,
Colorado,
San Diego and
San Francisco) and the interleague games at the
Angel Stadium in
Anaheim. As previously mentioned, he generally no longer goes on road trips east of the Rockies. The only exceptions were the opening series in
Milwaukee, and a four game series against the
Chicago Cubs.
Scully also isn't normally scheduled to call a Dodgers game (for radio or television) if
ESPN is televising it for
Sunday Night Baseball
or
Fox is televising it on Saturday afternoons. Instead, the task goes to the likes of
Charley Steiner and
Rick Monday.
The Dodgers announced on February 22, 2006, that Scully and the team had reached an agreement extending his contract through the
2008 season. Scully is expected to earn about
$3 million each year.
On Friday, September 5, 2008, Scully announced that he intended to continue calling games through the
2009 season. It will be his sixtieth season with the team.
[8]
In the Wednesday July 28, 2009 edition of the
Los Angeles Times
, Scully revealed that 2010 could be his final season with the Dodgers, though he has clarified the statement to make it clear that he is not sure of his plans beyond 2010.
[9]
Memorable calls
1955 World Series
After the final out was made in the seventh and deciding game, Scully announced simply, "Ladies and gentlemen, the
Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world."
Scully was later asked why he didn't provide a more dramatic, emotional or extended description of the Dodgers' long-sought breakthrough against their rival and longtime nemesis, the
New York Yankees. Scully answered that he would have broken down in tears if he tried to say anything more.
Don Larsen's 1956 perfect game
For the
1956 World Series between the
New York Yankees and
Brooklyn Dodgers, Scully (who announced the
NBC telecasts with the Yankees' longtime voice,
Mel Allen) was on hand for Yankee pitcher
Don Larsen's
perfect game in Game 5—to date, the only
no-hitter, let alone a perfect game in a World Series game. Allen called the first half of the game, and Scully announced the second half.
Some moments in Scully's call of the top of the ninth inning:
Well, all right, let's all take a deep breath as we go to the most dramatic moment in the history of baseball... The crowd here at Yankee Stadium, sixty-four thousand, five hundred and seventeen, will be roaring on every pitch.
—At the opening of the inning
The Dodger bullpen ... grumbling ... growling ... and waiting.
—After Carl Furillo flied out for the first out, a shot of the Dodgers' dugout, with Walter Alston looking on
I think it would be safe to say no man in the history of baseball has ever come up to home plate in a more dramatic moment. That man is pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell.
—After Roy Campanella grounds out for the second out
Yankee Stadium is shivering in its concrete foundation right now as Larsen pitches to Mitchell.
—A shot of Larsen backing off the mound, taking off his hat
The ballgame is right there on your screen, Mr. Don Larsen.
—After ball one to Mitchell
And now there is one strike left.
—After strike two
Fouled away ... just to increase the tension.
—After Mitchell hits a foul ball
Got him! [crowd noise drowns out Scully's words] ... for Don Larsen. A no hitter, a perfect game in a World Series ... Never in the history of the game has it ever happened in a World Series ... And so our hats off to Don Larsen—no runs, no hits, no errors, no walks, no baserunners. The final score: The Yankees, two runs, five hits and no errors. The Dodgers: No runs, no hits, no errors ... in fact, nothing at all. This was a day to remember, this was a ballgame to remember and above all, the greatest day in the life of Don Larsen. And the most dramatic and well-pitched ballgame in the history of baseball. ... Mel, you can put this in your ring and wear it a long time.
—After Mitchell checks his swing, and it is called strike three
Sandy Koufax's 1965 perfect game
One of Scully's most memorable moments from his early years in Los Angeles is his commentary on the
perfect game pitched by
Sandy Koufax in
1965.
[10]
“
| Two and two to Harvey Kuenn, one strike away. Sandy into his windup, here's the pitch: swung on and missed, a perfect game! On the scoreboard in right field it is 9:46 p.m. in the City of the Angels, Los Angeles, California, and a crowd of twenty-nine thousand one-hundred thirty nine just sitting in to see the only pitcher in baseball history to hurl four no-hit, no-run games. He has done it four straight years, and now he caps it: on his fourth no-hitter he made it a perfect game. And Sandy Koufax, whose name will always remind you of strikeouts, did it with a flourish: he struck out the last six consecutive batters—so when he wrote his name in capital letters in the record books, that K stands out even more than the O-U-F-A-X.
| ”
|
Hank Aaron's 715th career home run
On April 8, 1974,
Hank Aaron of the
Atlanta Braves broke
Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs with a homer off
Al Downing of the
Dodgers in Atlanta. Scully first called "It's a long drive to deep left,
Buckner to the fence... It is gone!" and then was silent for 25 seconds, letting the roar of the crowd tell the story. Then he said,
[11]
“
| What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly Hank Aaron.
| ”
|
1986 World Series
Concluding the sixth game of the 1986 World Series, Scully, who rarely raises his distinctive dulcet voice, uttered what arguably became the most famous call of his career at the time (if not overall).
“
| Little roller up along first . . . ''behind the bag! It gets through Bill Buckner
| ”
|
|} Scully then remained silent for more than three minutes, letting the pictures and the crowd noise tell the story. Scully resumed with
“
| If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will
play the 1986 Boston Red Sox season
| ”
|
Two years later, on October 15, 1988, in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series|World Series, Kirk Gibson of the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Dodgers hit a dramatic, walk-off, two-run home run to beat the 1988 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics 5–4. Over the course of the season, Gibson had injured both legs (to swing a bat, Scully announced, Gibson would only be able to use his upper-human anatomy|body strength, because ''"he can't push off'' [with the back leg]'', and he can't land'' [on the front leg]''."'') and was being treated in the athletic trainer|trainer's room, out of sight, during the entire game. Earlier, the TV camera had scanned the dugout and Scully observed that Gibson was nowhere to be found. According to legend, as Gibson was in the clubhouse undergoing physical therapy, he saw this on the television, spurring him to get back in the dugout and telling Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda he was ready if needed. In the ninth (and final) innings|inning, pinch hitter|pinch-hitter Mike Davis was awarded first base on a two-out base on balls|walk,
“
| and look who's coming up... you talk about a roll of the dice...this is it.
| ”
|
|} Scully said. After strike zone|two strikes, Gibson hit a ball on the ground, limped about 50 feet toward first base before the ball bounced Foul ball|foul,
“
| ...and it had to be an effort to run that
far. It's one thing to favor one leg, but you can't favor two.
| ”
|
|} Finally, on a 3-balls, 2-strikes pitch from relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley, Gibson hit a dramatic walk-off home run. Scully nearly screamed,
“
| High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is... gone!
| ”
|
|} Holding to his long-standing belief that the noise of the fans best tells the story, Scully did not speak for 67 seconds before announcing, incredulously,
“
| In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!
| ”
|
|} Later, Scully said to his broadcast partner (Garagiola) and to the viewers,
“
| What an opening act, huh? I think we've got a leading man, and many of them, between now and the end of this great 1988 World Series.
| ”
|
When Fernando Valenzuela, the beloved Mexican-born Dodgers pitcher near the end of his career with the team, pitched a no-hitter on 29 June 1990, Scully memorably exclaimed, [12]
“
| If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!
| ”
|
“
| And another drive into high right-center, at the wall, running, and watching it go out! Believe it or not, four consecutive home runs, and the Dodgers have tied it up again!
| ”
|
“
| And a high fly ball to left field, it is a-way out and gone! The Dodgers win it 11-10! (chuckles) Unbelievable!
| ”
|
As the crowd cheered, Scully closed 84 seconds later with a simple,
“
| I forgot to tell you—the Dodgers are in first place.
| ”
|
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