July 30th, 2016 at 8:00 am 
by Evan Bladh I’m 55 years old, and I think my childhood is finally coming to an end. In fact, I think a lot of us are about to realize that we are all going to have to come to the realization that we will need to grow up. Vin Scully’s well deserved retirement will do that to us.
The transistor radio in the 1960s was that little piece of luxury that all of us had. I remember sneaking it into school to listen to the World Series with a concealed ear piece that we’d keep from the teacher’s view. If you were lucky enough to have a “cool” teacher, (like the lucky slugs that had Mr. Salas in 5th grade), they’d roll in a TV and put the game on, but that always seemed to happen in another class. My teachers could care less about a young lad’s sports craving needs. Vin was largely responsible for the popularity of the transistor radio. I’m convinced of that.
Vin was a part of all of our youth. Late night games on school nights. Back in a day when my mom had a set light’s-out time, which for me was 9:00 PM. The transistor under the pillow so often would serve as my lone attachment to the Dodgers and Vin’s harmonic tones and the roar of the crowd would serenade me into slumber each Spring evening during the tail end of a school year.
When fall leaves would turn, it was Vin again, sharing with me baseball lore after lights were out again at the start of the new school year. It was only years later that I found out that dad knew all along that I was taking in the games. Mom didn’t have a clue. Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett were the last voices I’d hear each evening.
It’s impossible to count the nights that I fell asleep to the voice of Vin Scully and his longtime partner Jerry Doggett, but there were many. (AP photo)
And now, a continent and 6,122 miles away from the lights of Dodger Stadium, as I labor on a work assignment in Argentina, each evening I set the magic of the internet to MLB’s channel and with games often starting here at 11:15 PM, I have the blessing of slinking into slumber with Vin Scully narrating the way. It’s the same sweet baritone voice. The same dulcet tones and voice of a true friend. A best friend in fact. A man I have never had the distinct pleasure of meeting, but feel like if I did, it would be as if he was a childhood friend dating back to when I was five years old.
The audible cadence of Vin’s voice has narrated the most joyous sports memories of my lifetime. It has also delicately shared the sad news of those torturous sports moments of heart break that we all suffered as die-hard Dodger faithful.
Vin told us of Don Drysdale’s death. A moment that had us all in tears and a heartbreaking day that none of us would forget, but how appropriate that was to come from him. So appropriate. Yet, it probably had him torn to shreds emotionally.
Vin reminded us of American heroes and the sacrifices of our servicemen. His patriotism was never forced upon us. He told stories and spoke of the sacrifices of men that were heroes. Players that served our country. He reminded us of the sacrifices made by so many great men on D-Day and how June 6, 1944 should never be forgotten.
He melted over cute kids in the stands. He reminded us that this is a game and that the most important things in life are family, God and country. He took no political stand, but he didn’t have to, you knew where the man’s priorities were through his subtle inferences and most important, you knew he was spot on right.
It didn’t matter what religion you were. Vin’s reverence for the Almighty was voiced in a quiet way and it made you respect him even more. He didn’t preach to us, but often times he gave a sermon in life lessons and what was good in the world. If Vin narrated a moment in a game that was certainly inappropriate behavior, he wouldn’t pass unfair or unjust judgement. He simply let us interpret it on our own, with a nudge toward what was right and truthful.
We learned from Vin about Broadway musicals, American literature and poetry. Over the years Vin has shared tidbits from it all. Rogers and Hammerstein quotes would drop in. Tolstoy cited and Shakespeare referenced all in the process of telling us that Chad Fonville stole second or Bill Sudakis socked a three run homer.
He shared stories from baseball past and often had an anecdote or metaphor or simile that we never saw coming and then when we heard it, we’d realized that we heard poetry in motion. A broadcasting gem that we probably will never experience after the year 2016.
There will never be anyone like Vin Scully again – not ever.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
I’m coming to realize that my childhood is coming to an end. Yes, at age 56, I will no longer be a kid because Vin won’t be there to remind me that I’m that kid that needs to get up the next day and trot off to my 3rd grade class and take a spelling test.
That transistor radio feed, that now is an internet satellite feed, with Vin’s recognizable voice won’t be there anymore. It will belong to the ages. Forever.
That hurts … a lot.
I love that man. Thank you Vin. Roy Campanella said to be a ballplayer, you gotta have a lot of little boy in you. Why do I know that? Well, Vin told me that in his broadcasts.
Let me just add that Vin has kept that “little boy and little girl” in a lot of us listeners over the years. It is sad that it is coming to an end. Then again, how blessed are we all that Vin prolonged our childhood. For some of us up to 67 years. How lucky are we?
I’ll tell you. And I’ll steal a line from one of baseball’s greats. We’re the luckiest kids, on the face of the earth…
God Bless that man.
Posted in 
AMEN!
A very emotional piece, Evan. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I have to say that because of the relatively close proximity of our ages, it was as if I were reading my own childhood recollections of growing up with Vin (although in my case it was Mrs. Ambrose – lol!).
Although for only a fraction of his brilliant career, I thank God that both of my kids also got to experience and enjoy Vin Scully, just as we did.
Wonderful article Evan. Only on a recent telecast, I realized that Vin was reminding me of my past as a Dodger fan. The distant past, back when the team played in Brooklyn. I then reminded myself that that was a big part of Vin that will truly be missing after he retires.
Very nice, indeed.
Vinny is both a national and Dodger treasure. Yes, we all grew up to the sound of Vinny’s voice. Even as a youngster, I greatly appreciated him over Jerry Doggett. Who here hasn’t mimicked Vinny when playing sock or whiffle ball when hitting a home run over the fence against neighbor kids in the back yard? “It’s a long one, he’s going back, back, back, SHE IS GONE”. My friends and I would “broadcast” to each other in our best “Vinny” style.
Yes, we all remember listening on the old transistor radio, KFI, 640, 50 thousand (I think) watts of power, right there at the big dot on the transistor radio dial. I honed my arithmetic skills better listening to those games, calculating up to the minute batting averages, than I ever did in school.
While we approach the end of an era, I hope, while there will never be another Vinny, that some other announcer will appear to give millions of other young fans the same joy we were blessed to receive listening to the great game of baseball with Vince Scully broadcasting.
After further reflection, it was, “back, back, a way back, SHE IS GONE!”
Preceeded by “Back goes (outfielder’s name)……”
I want to hear that just one more time, but he only did that on radio.
I grew to love, not only the Dodgers, but baseball through all the games I saw through Vin Scully’s “descriptions and accounts”.
I’ve been over an hour writing this as I think of all the memories. I’m not going to write any because if I start I won’t want to stop.
I do have one request for the years to come. Maybe somebody here can present this to somebody who can make it happen:
Use a recording of Vin’s, “It’s time for Dodgers baseball”, to start every broadcast.
Yes, you are right, how’s this?
“It’s a long fly ball, back goes Mays, back, back, a way back, SHE IS GONE!
By the way, “dog gone that” Doggett, too funny, I remember getting so frustrated when Jerry would be calling the play, listening intently to the radio, and Jerry would start bumbling his way through the play. Got spoiled by Vinnie at an early age! What a great ambassador for baseball.
Still music to my ears.
Should have capitalized “IT’S A LONG FLY BALL”. That one would glue you to the radio!
Thank you Evan. I don’t feel that I will ever grow up. I think my baseball childhood, which started with Vin and Duke on April 19, 1952, will last forever because of what Vin gave me beyond his calling of a game.
There will never be another voice with his resonance and his way of constantly demonstrating his love of the game, his appreciation for what the players do, and first and foremost his appreciation extended to the fans. I have never met Vin but because of him but I always felt I was important as a baseball fan just listening to him relate to us. Let’s not forget his appreciation and thankfulness for what the game has given to him.
My teachers let us listen to the WS games in class but the timing was different for us. The games out of NY would always be an hour later in AST so we were much closer to getting out of school for the day. Then we would race home to hear that voice again. My Mom would have the radio on for me.
Thanks again Evan – a wonderful tribute to Vin.
I went to L.A. City Schools and never had a teacher let us listen/watch any World Series game. We did, however, sneak transistor radios into school. It was worth any trouble we might have gotten into.
One of my better memories is my parents agreeing to let me (and a friend) miss school to watch one of the 1965 World Series games at my Grandparent’s house. They had a color TV. It was special.
I remember a kid that would bring his radio to church every Sunday. He’d sit with his family in one of the pews near that back and he had an ear piece that he could listen to the game with. We’d always look his way and he’d flash the score to us with his hands. One Sunday his ear piece got somehow dislodged and the whole congregation could hear the game while he struggled to reconnect the cable to the transistor. The speaker at the pulpit, (I swear this happened), stopped and asked what the score was. One of the funniest memories I can remember at church. That of his mom elbowing him in the ribs as Johnny struggled to quiet his transistor and everyone watched and laughed.
Great story! Wish we would have had a kid like that!
Thank you, Evan for such a heartfelt piece.
We all have been blessed to have heard Vinny calling our games… for as long as, well… as long as I can remember, and that has been for over 50 years dating back to my earliest memories of baseball and the Dodgers.
There are countless stories of Scully’s voice echoing throughout the backyard pool parties and barbecues of our southland neighborhoods, and also throughout Dodger Stadium on game days at home. His is a lost generation of professionalism and study of the art of broadcasting that hearkens back to the days of early radio and television. He was a pioneer of sorts, and to this day, continues to be an ambassador to the game of major league baseball.
We have about 60 games left, and only about half of those are home games. Cherish these moments like no other because they will echo in our memories for the rest of our days.
Evan, I too would like to thank you for this fine memory. Vin and Jerry (Dog Gone That) Doggett were a huge help to me through a not so great childhood. I will never forget that game that Vin spoke to us all about the passing of Don Drysdale. He held it together more than most of us listening. Music was my other saving vice during my through my youth, and Eric Clapton became and remains a huge favorite. When the broadcast played Tears In Heaven that night, it instantly became known as Don Drysdale’s song.
There will never be another Vin Scully. I feel privileged to have grown up listening to him. Thank you again.
I wasn’t living near LA then, so never heard that.
Wow Evan, that is just awesome! What a description of so many that grew up with this mans voice who influenced so many.
You know that each and every long time Dodger fan echoes the exact same sentiment as what you just said.
But each and every one of us also knows that Vin would not want us to feel this way. No, Vin being the humble human that he is, he does not want us to feel this way. Rather he would want us to carry on being the consummate, passionate, dedicated fans we are, and display our love for our great team only as we Dodger fans can!
We can all hear him now, going off in a direction, in the middle of an at bat, telling us like a loving grandfather about how life must change and things can never stay the same, or something to that effect!
Easier said than done Mr.Scully. What you have given to each and every Dodger fan over the decades is bigger than anyone. Bigger than the sport itself, something so special, future generations will never understand or get to experience! Something even fans of other teams would not understand! Some teams fans did have long standing great announcers that’s true. But no team EVER in the sport or any sport for that fact, ever had one as great as you Vin, the greatest of them all.
Not sure we can fully comprehend how lucky we have been. Let’s just cherish the the few home games we have left to listen to the voice!
Great comments by everyone, each having their own personal remembrances of Vin. As the season winds down, I selfishly wish an announcement would come out that he reconsider, but we know it won’t happen. It’s time to cherish these final 30 games. Truly the sad end of an era. But looking at things with the glass half full, just consider who fortunate we have been.
Evan,
Awesome tribute to Vin!
My parents made me attend church every Sunday. However, by the age of 9 or 10, I decided that baseball was more my religion.
Koufax and Drysdale might as well have been gods, and Vin Scully, the Dodgers radio voice, was the High Priest. Each game was
like a sermon. You learned about baseball, the players, and the history of the game from Vin.
Listening to Scully 50 years latter is like going home. It’s nostalgic. Makes me feel like a kid again, and that all is right with the world.
Brian Kingman
Pitcher, Oakland A’s & SF Giants
Thanks for taking the time and leaving your comments Brian.
Even Big Leaguers like yourself were impacted by Vin in such a positive way. I wonder if he even realizes the true influence he has had in guiding such impactful people towards the game and in essence influencing their career path.
You probably have quite a few stories you could tell playing for Billy Martin in your years with the A’s.
Evan what a touching and honest piece. I’m sure everyone on this site and millions of fan across the country feel as you (and I) do. You did him an honor to point out how important he has been for all our lives.
I just wanted to add this…..
Even on a bad Dodger game day, it’s still a fabulous day to get to listen to the voice!
Another classic, Evan, thank you so much and please keep them coming.