Like most baseball fans the game is all-encompassing for me. And although I have been a fan of the game – more specifically of the Dodgers – my entire life, I became more or less a full-time year-round fan after retiring from my 30+ year law enforcement career in 2010

With the help of my dear friend Scott Harvey, an ardent Dodger fan himself and an absolute computer wizard, and with the incredible support of Josh Rawitch and Amy Millstone – formerly of the Dodgers PR department – ThinkBlueLA.com was born. But while following (and covering) the Dodgers is very much a full-time job during the season, things tend to slow down a bit during the off-season, which allows me to delve into my other passion – reading. Although I enjoy historical books – especially about baseball – my true passion is crime novels (go figure) and spy thrillers.

A couple of years ago another friend of mine Rob Cohen, who I had met while attending Dodgers fantasy camp in Vero Beach, Florida in 2011 and who is also a (very) avid reader, turned me on to popular author Michael Connelly, whose protagonist is a (now) retired LAPD detective named Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch. What drew me to this book series (which is now also a successful television series on Amazon Prime) is that Bosch’s law enforcement career paralleled my law enforcement career almost to the year, although mine was with Burbank PD. As a result of this near-identical timeline, I was quite familiar with many of the tactics and technologies that Connelly so very accurately details in his books.

Popular crime thriller novelist Michael Connelly.
(Photo credit – M.J. Kim)

Although Connelly splits his time between Los Angeles and Florida, he usually manages to squeeze in a dozen or so games every year at Dodger Stadium and, in fact, became good friends with Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully. Over the years Connelly has interviewed Scully on several occasions and has even mentioned Scully in a couple of his (now) 21-book Bosch series.

Connelly’s latest Bosch thriller – The Wrong Side of Goodbye – was released earlier this month and after I finished reading The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers by Michael Leahy (a very good book, by the way), I ordered Connelly’s new book for my Kindle.

(Image courtesy of Little, Brown and Company)

Much to my surprise (and delight), I immediately noticed that Connelly had dedicated his new book to Vin Scully.

Michael Connelly’s book dedication and tribute to Vin Scully.
(Image courtesy of Little, Brown and Company)

In Connelly’s previous Bosch thriller The Crossing it was Vinny’s famous “Deuces wild” phrase that helped the veteran detective solve a complex murder by causing him look for two suspects instead of just one. In his new book The Wrong Side of Goodbye Connelly references the anguish that we are all feeling over Scully’s retirement.

“And, man, what are we going to do now without Vinny?” said one of Connelly’s characters in his new book.

When you think about it, there really isn’t a more fitting tribute that an author can give to someone who has had such an enormous impact on the lives of so many than to dedicate a book in their honor, let alone to include them in it.

There isn’t a more fitting tribute that author Michael Connelly could have given to Vin Scully than dedicating his most recent book to him. (Photo credit – Stephen Dunn)

Needless to say, Vin Scully is definitely on the right side of goodbye for Michael Connelly and for every Vin Scully fan on the planet.

Well done, Michael. Well done indeed.

Now … back to my book.