Vin Scully Was More Than Broadcasting’s GOAT; He Was the Quiet Leader We All Yearn For – Opinion

Like so many kids who grew up in the Los Angeles area in the ’80s (or the ’60s, or the ’70s, or the ’90s — well, you get the picture), for me, Vin Scully was the voice of summer. The Dodgers were indeed our summer boys, though the names printed on the jerseys changed often. Vin Scully and the traditions that he established and continued were our stability and our assurance in difficult times.

It wasn’t just that Vin was a great announcer. As is widely acknowledged – even by Yankees, Giants, and RedSox fans – Vin was the GOAT. Vin represented the kind of father, brother, uncle and grandfather we all long to have. And he was the leader that quiet people yearn for.

Vin Scully was somewhat of an unsolved mystery. His charm was infectious, yet he could be a difficult man to please. His kindness and hospitality to Dodgers fans was unrivalled. One could even conclude that he was somewhat pushy, but he persevered for 67 more years with the same business that produced the legendary Tommy Lasorda.

(Warning: The use of language in any form is strictly NSFW.

He had a magical quality that made people feel like they knew him, and made them feel like he was family, but the one thing he regretted about his career was how many times it took him away from something he loved even more than he loved baseball — his family. In recognition of all the parenting duties she performed alone in summer nights, he had once received a medal for his wife. He told the Los Angeles Times in 2006:

“My ache now is all the things I missed because of my job. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, you name it.

“It has been a series of misses. I have felt my heart break. Baseball just devours you.”

Vin was able to acknowledge the significance of certain moments, historical and otherwise, without being preachy, as when he announced Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, which broke Babe Ruth’s record.

“What a marvelous moment for baseball. It was a moment of greatness for Atlanta and Georgia. This is a moment of greatness for all Americans and around the globe. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking the record of an all-time baseball idol, and it is a great moment for all of us.”

Los Angeles has seen its fair share of violence and racial tensions. The worst of these riots were the Watts and 1992 Riots. And, there’s a difficult history between the city’s Mexican-American community and the organization due to the manner in which the Chavez Ravine land for Dodger Stadium was acquired by the City of Los Angeles for public housing but then later sold to the Dodgers “for small consideration.” Yet Angelenos of all colors and socioeconomic backgrounds adore Scully and consider him one of their own. As LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote:

He was the one who inspired a community to rise, and his inclusion of Dodger Nation made it possible for them to form a bond that transcended the field.

With his open embrace for players Sandy Koufax through Fernando Valenzuela and Hideo Novo to Yasiel puig set the stage for Dodger Stadium’s rise to be the most Los Angeles-centric venue on Earth. The multi-cultural, multicultural crowds that gather at Chavez Ravine on a summer evening look just like Los Angeles because Scully has made it feel home.

We don’t just consider him one of our own; we feel like we know him. Javi, my friend, recalls that:

Many of those who were raised listening to Vin as children were able share his magic with their own kids, just like they were sharing precious family history. Because we were. Even if our children grew up RedSox fan.

RedState managing editor Jennifer Van Laar, and her children at Dodger Stadium on April 14, 2014. CREDIT : Jennifer Van Laar

Scully befriended and mentored scores of Dodgers players — no matter how poorly they were received by some fans. Yasiel Puig (who I’ve always felt was misunderstood and didn’t get the support he needed, but that’s my unpopular opinion) tweeted shortly after Scully’s passing was announced:

Scully was so kind and unassuming that it would be easy to assume that he could be that way because he hadn’t faced many challenges in life. But perhaps it was because he had faced two of the most devastating challenges one can face in life — and refused to allow himself to become bitter or broken because of them — he was possessed of such a genuinely compassionate and wondrous disposition.

Vin was only four years old at the time his father Vincent Aloysius Scully succumbed to pneumonia. Vin was four years old when his mother divorced. Although Vin did not consider Allan Reeve a stepdad at the time, he recalled the pain of not knowing his father and told the Los Angeles Times.

“I never thought of him as a stepdad. I had an ache because I never knew my father, and it was washed away by my dad.”

In 1972 Vin’s wife of 15 years, Joan, died of an accidental medicine overdose, and he was suddenly a single father of three. In the second year of his marriage, he met Sandra Hunt. Sandra was a single mother with two children and she became the executive assistant for Carroll Rosenbloom. They had been married for 48 years before Sandi passed away in 2021. Together they had one child.

It’s rare enough for someone in their 40s to have to bury a spouse, but Vin faced another rare heartbreak when his son, Michael, was killed in a helicopter crash in the aftermath of 1994’s Northridge earthquake.

[Michael]Arco engineer. He was inspecting the pipeline at Fort Tejon, Interstate 5, looking for earthquake damage. The helicopter became entangled in wires, crashed and exploded on contact….

Kathy and Michael had a 3 year-old son. Kathy was also pregnant with their second baby. Vin and Sandi were able to fly in an Arco plane to Bakersfield with Kathy after the accident. Kathy gave birth while they were flying to Burbank. A second child was delivered at the hospital after landing.

Three days later, Kathy attended her husband’s funeral.

What an incredible emotional rollercoaster of a week Scully also went through, learning of his son’s death, then facing the trauma and uncertainty of the premature birth of a new grandchild, and then burying his child.

Scully gave credit to his Catholic faith for his perseverance.

Thanks to God, I have always found perspective in my faith. Completely. They have not faltered.

As many who have known me know, I’ve had some pain in my life. I have faith because it makes everything work and keeps me going. You appreciate what you’ve been given.

You know, this isn’t the only stop on the train. There’s one big one we’re still waiting for.

Knowing these things about Vin, the expression on his face and his reaction to the overwhelming adoration poured out during the Dodgers’ Appreciation Night for him in the fall of 2016 — while he was still broadcasting — makes sense. This ceremony featured Hollywood-style productions and masterful storytelling that was similar to Scully’s stories during games.

A few things were apparent above all else to the spectators, though: Scully’s complete humility and gratitude for the life he’d been blessed with, and his devotion to his wife.

Vin Scully, his wife Sandi and their Dodger Stadium farewell ceremonies in September 2016. Screenshot

Kevin Costner’s presentation in particular blended Scully’s storytelling and Hollywood production in capturing Scully’s otherworldly talent, and is worth a watch.

Costner claimed:

My friend, we will be missing you. You will be missed in the radio, our cars and in our yard. You’ve been a gift to Los Angeles and to baseball itself. It seems forever that you’ve been guiding us through your personal window into the game.

We were so lucky that Brooklyn had given you the microphone. The skinny, redhead you were stood upon the shoulder of the largest child and was ready to describe what was happening through the hole in the fence.

Your kindness was better than any golden ticket. It was a great idea to invite us all to get up and take a seat, then walk us through the next century.

When we were lost for words, you were Norman Rockwell, painting for us the pictures, describing some of baseball’s greatest moments as if they were nothing more than a familiar bedtime story.

Over 67 years, you fooled people into thinking that you were just an announcer for sports. When in reality, you were actually a poet or a wordsmith.

Dodgers supporters didn’t want Vin gone. Vin was growing older and Sandi already had ALS. Costner clarified that our sorrow at Vin’s retirement was not about Vin. His closing remarks were ostensibly about Vin’s retirement, but we all knew that they were also about the farewell Vin would eventually bid us, and bade us Tuesday night.

So as the game gets closer and we know that you have to move up to the press box, don’t mind us as we turn in our seats to look one more time…. We will forgive you if your thoughts wander during innings. You can always stop thinking about the past and just look around. You’re our George Bailey, and it has been a wonderful life.

Vin, it is yours. Yours is real. It is possible to find your path, your purpose. It was hard work. You were fair and didn’t take advantage. This helped you reach the highest levels of your field. So we promise, we promise, we won’t be sad for you. What could possibly be worse? We’re only sad for ourselves, because we would all like to retire someday, too.

Don’t blame us for wanting to push the sun back up into the sky one more time, for asking God to give us extra innings and a Dodger win. You can’t blame us for trying to hold on to you as long as we can, and you can’t stop us from saying that we love you. So live your life, Vin. Live your life.

And Vin did — he stayed by Sandi’s side until she succumbed to ALS in 2021. He did the regular things he couldn’t when he was traveling with the team. Sandi was with him at the Costco. The opening speeches he gave to the Little League were well received by their players who were equally as starstruck as his parents. He enjoyed time with his family and his parish in Westlake Village.

He told the LA Times’ Plaschke, “The main thing, I want people to remember me as a good man, a good husband, a good father, a good grandfather,” he said. “That’s the most important thing of all.” Oh, we do, Vin. We do.

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