LISTEN: Vin Scully’s Tribute to Worcester, Steinberg Remembers Baseball Commentary Legend
When Vin Scully got his big break in the broadcast booth of a ballpark, it was in Boston, not Los Angeles. And although the game was played at Fenway Park, his call was over the college football gridiron, not the baseball diamond–—the home to the sport in which he would
When Vin Scully got his big break in the broadcast booth of a ballpark, it was in Boston, not Los Angeles. And although the game was played at Fenway Park, his call was over the college football gridiron, not the baseball diamond–—the home to the sport in which he would build one of the greatest broadcasting careers ever."
On a frigid November day in 1949, a 21-year-old Scully made his debut calling the University of Maryland’s 14-13 victory over Boston University. Scully impressed enough to earn a spot in the Brooklyn Dodgers radio and television booths the following year.
In the 66 years to follow, Scully would become revered as the voice of the Dodgers, and to many, the voice of baseball itself.
National Baseball Hall of Fame. Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. National Radio Hall of Fame. American Sportscasters Association’s “Sportscaster of the 20th Century.” Presidential Medal of Freedom.
According to the MLB Network, he is the Greatest Baseball Broadcaster of all time. According to the American Sportscasters Association, and just about anyone you ask, the Greatest Sportscaster of all time.
Dr. Charles Steinberg, president of the Worcester Red Sox, and former chief marketing officer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, worked with Scully during their shared time in LA.
“When I got there, my first task was to write the words that the emcee would say,” Steinberg said. “You feel like a songwriter, and the best vocalist is singing your lyrics. There’s a very musical, lyrical quality to Vin’s words.”
Steinberg shared two seasons with Scully at the Dodgers and remarked on the many impacts Scully made.
“In my time with the Dodgers, working with Vin Scully and Joe Torre may have been the highlight,” Steinberg said. “Vin made you feel comfortable, he put you at ease. ‘Dr., how are we today?’ He was gracious, but he went out of his way to make you feel comfortable.”
Scully called Dodger games first in Brooklyn, then in Los Angeles after 1958, and until 2016. What made his status as a broadcaster prolific was his solo-broadcasting style, in addition to the sheer volume of his tenure.
Steinberg recalls the stories of ‘the Din of Vin,’ when swarths of Dodger faithful brought transistor radios to the ballgame to hear Scully’s take on the game, echoing his voice over the bleachers and throughout the concourse.
According to Steinberg, Scully’s call of exciting moments was not the definition of his genius; instead, it was the durability of his love affair with an entire population.
“To be the most beloved man in Los Angeles, there’s an awful lot of integrity and trust that generations grew up having.”
Scully’s place in the pantheon of baseball shined from career start in Boston, through his last call in Los Angeles. His impact on the sport followed after his retirement in 2016. Scully voiced a “Tribute to Worcester,” in which he remarks and reveres the opening of Polar Park in 2021.
LISTEN: Vin Scully's Tribute to Worcester
Scully died at 94 on August 2, 2022. He leaves after him generations of fans, touching the baseball soul of each of his listeners, and propelling the pulse of the sport he loved so dearly.
“Vin felt like the ultimate,” Steinberg said. “The texture of his voice we all know, but the kindness of his heart shined through in his words.”