Vin is Back For Year 65

We're lucky, aren't we?  In baseball broadcasting, we are fortunate to know that the very best who has ever grasped a microphone, Vincent Edward Scully, will be back for his 65th season in 2014.

Vince, Vinny, Vin - they all apply - first stepped into Red Barber's booth in 1950, plucked straight off the streets of Washington Heights and into Ebbets Field.  The redhead from Fordham worked his way up to being the Dodgers' top man and made the move with the Bums from Brooklyn to Los Angeles following the 1957 season.

Though he once had the chance to return to New York and become the Yankees play-by-play voice, reuniting him with Barber, Scully stayed in LA where he became a fixture, a legend, and an icon.

Yes, we're very lucky.  Lucky to have heard his very brilliance.  Lucky to have had that greatness still around.  Lucky to have a reminder that, after all of the "look at me" broadcasters, and those who just aren't very good, there's still Scully, calling games the way Barber taught him.

He's 85.  Of course there's an occasional gaffe (jeez, don't we all make them) but otherwise, he's still better than anyone working.

Think about it: earlier this year, we had Mariano Rivera, closing out a game at Dodger Stadium.  In the booth, calling the action, was Vin Scully.  Two of the very best at their respective positions.  That's pretty good.


I beg, plead, and implore all broadcasters to listen to him.  He still does the first three innings of Dodgers home games on both TV and radio.  The rest are TV only.  To me, Major League Baseball would be very wise to have a "Scully" channel, so that we can all hear the great one do it as it should be done.  Scully highlights should be readily available.

He's too modest, of course.  He hates the attention.  He doesn't like the movement to get him to call some World Series action - even when he's the very guy we all want to hear.  But it's not his thing.  Heck, he didn't like Curt Smith writing a book about him back in 2009.

Some guy was wise enough to put together a collection of highlights (yes, it was me, and I've seen many websites use it since then).

Of course, there are just too many highlights.  All of the no-hitters.  The World Series games.  The legendary players.  The All-Star Games.  The priceless moments.  The great quotes.

We are lucky.  We get to listen to Vin Scully in 2014.  We should also be thankful.