Amanda’s Thank You to Dodgers Vin Scully

 As Vin Scully’s time in the broadcast booth with the Dodgers is quickly coming to an end, I thought I would reflect on all he means to me.

Ah, I can hear it now. That sweet voice that comes out of such a humble man every night. Vin Scully is the soundtrack to almost all of my baseball memories. Soundtracks in movies are essential and important because they inflict emotion and better tell a story, Mr. Scully is the best at just doing that. When the TV turns on and I am greeted by an old man with an enormous grin who says, “Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good (afternoon/evening) to you, wherever you may be”, I can’t help but smile back. You see, Vin has not only announced baseball for 67 years, in his own way he is baseball.

I am proud to say my family have been Dodger fans since the beginning. My Grandma was raised in Brooklyn and grew up cheering for them there. She later moved out to LA and the Dodgers followed. She grew up listening to Scully on the radio just miles away from Ebbets Field. My Mom grew up in LA and remembers her summer nights spent at Dodger Stadium as others around her brought radios to get the best of both worlds, a live game and Vin’s commentary. I too called Chavez Ravine my second home. Almost everything I knew about the team as a kid came from the strange yet fascinating stories Vin told. The older I got the more these stories and his legacy became so awe-inspiring.

Vin has announced some of the best games and he personally knew some of the best players to ever play the game of baseball, but that is not what sticks with me when I think of the Hall of Fame Broadcaster. What sticks with me is his humility. Mr. Scully is a man of honor, integrity and faith. He is one of the best at his craft, yet the first to admit in the room how uncomfortable all the praise makes him feel. I don’t know about you, but to have such humility and character is something I admire greatly.

Vin is the soundtrack and part of the reason I fell in love with the game of baseball. He is fair and funny, never once talking about the Dodgers in terms of “we” or “us”. Mr. Scully keeps it fair while still being honest in ways only he can be.

I love baseball more than anything. I am pursuing a future career in the sport in whatever front office capacity that is, and I can truly say Vin Scully played a major role in that. He made the game more than just a simple past time. With him, baseball became about every pitch and every pitcher’s story. Every hit, and every batter’s secrets. Every catch, and every fielder’s quirks. By the end of the game, I not only knew more about the game, but more about my favorite players. Vin has a way of making the game human. So many broadcasters pick on others or talk about their personal careers, but when Vin has the call you know your bound to hear stats about people with red hair or the time he went ice skating with Jackie Robinson, or the history of the shape of home plate. He can do it all and he does it with excellence.

When I close my eyes and think about the 20 years of Dodger baseball that I have watched, his voice rings in my head. You see, Vin Scully is Dodger baseball. He is the soundtrack and voice that has filled living rooms and radios for 67 years, bringing vivid images of the game to every fan.

Next: Jason's Thank You to Vin Scully

Vin Scully, how do we say thank you? Nothing I could type could accurately explain my deep love for this man. Thank you for bringing baseball to the homes of millions throughout your career. Thank you for having such class through it all. Thank you for telling us all stories about players and history that we would never know otherwise. Thank you for being you, for staying true to your values and honoring others. Thank you for making a great call and then letting the crowd roar just long enough for chills to come over my body before getting back to business. You’re the best there ever was and we will never forget, the great Vin Scully.