Fordham University has contributed a lot to the field of arts, media and communications. From Oscar winning actor Denzel Washington, to critically acclaimed singer Lana Del Rey, Fordham has always given us people on whom we can rely on to entertain us. One of Fordham’s true gifts to baseball has been Radio Hall of Famer, Vin Scully. After 68 seasons of pure magic, Scully plans to finally call it a day and boy what a day that will be!
Not everyone is afforded the opportunity to watch or attend a baseball game for one reason or another. Therefore, the sportscaster bears the sacred responsibility of painting a verbal tapestry of the story unfolding before them. Fondly known as the ‘Voice of LA, Vin Scully encapsulates the spirit of the city: hard working, loyal and resilient. Having suffered a pair of tragedies at key stages in his life, he was able to rise above them and go on to give us some of his finest work as a sportscaster. Despite numerous advances from rival teams, he stayed with the Dodgers from their New York days, moving with them from the City of Dreams to the City of Angels.
There is almost something superhero-like in Scully’s rise to fame. He spent his childhood and young adult life raised on core, strong, Irish values inherited from his mother, supplementing it with the strong work ethic he gained from delivering beer and mail. The more he listened to football broadcasts, the desire to become a sportscaster became more concrete. After serving 2 years in the Navy, he came back with a wealth of experience, gaining the ‘street knowledge’ and wit that would become his trademark as a sportscaster. Attending Fordham University, he founded the WFUV Radio station, a medium he used to hone and master the craft he so perfectly peddles. He was so impressive while attending Fordham, the university has named a yearly lifetime achievement award in his honour.
They say that only a true jeweller is able to recognise a diamond. It happened with J.K. Rowling and it has also happened with Vin Scully. Sending 150 letters throughout the entire East Coast, he received just one response and It was that one response that changed the course of his life. CBS Radio, a respected institution and one of the oldest in America decided that it was the opportune time to recruit a talented fill in. The Ol’ Redhead, Red Barber, was the man responsible for taking the young Vin Scully to the next level. Shortly after, Scully was promoted from being just a fill in to cover college football. It was a gamble that ultimately paid off. Barber, being so impressed by Scully’s debut performance, that he was promoted to the big leagues and joined Barber and Connie Desmond for the, then, Brooklyn Dodgers. Little did Scully know that his relationship with this team would last much longer than he or indeed anyone else expected.
Scully has remained the one constant throughout all the highs and lows that the Dodgers fan base would experience over the years. From the successes of the 1950’s to the 13-0 home start in 2009, his Irish charm and incisive commentary provided people who missed attending games an experience which rivalled attending the games themselves. It was commonplace for those attending live games to tune into his description of the game because they knew that their experience would be enhanced tenfold by Scully’s rendition. His commentary was often a reflection of his personality, true emotion accompanied by an underlying wit that endeared him to so many. Scully’s attention to detail and self awareness coupled with words of wisdom from his mentor, Red Barber, has forged an unmistakable connection between the Dodgers and their fans that can be seldom matched by any other team and their fans. His constant presence is akin to crickets deep love for the late Richie Benaud whose soothing voice provided the soundtrack for the famous “Aussie Summer of Cricket”.
In the modern era of live blogs, apps and podcasts, Scully keeps the connection between man and radio ever strong and ever so popular. It is not an uncommon sight to see Dodgers fans with radios glued to their ears which has been a tradition since the early 1960’s. In fact, there were so many people with radios you could often hear Scully’s Irish lilt resonate throughout the stadium and in fans’ hearts. It will be a sad day when we hear Vin Scully announce his final game for the Dodgers. It is safe to say that his retirement will bring about much fanfare and emotions will run high but as the famous cliche goes: “All good things must come to an end”. Vin Scully’s own words describe it best,
“”I mean, how much longer can you go on fooling people? So yeah, I would be saying, ‘Dear God, if you give me next year, I will hang it up.’”
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