After 60 seasons in the Dodger broadcast booth, Vin Scully says next year will most likely be his last.
The announcement shook the Dodger universe with the magnitude of a 7.1 earthquake.
Scully is the poet laureate of baseball. For decades he has worked in the booth alone, creating an intimate atmosphere and a connection between himself and his listeners. When the team first moved from Brooklyn, tens of thousands of fans took their new transistor radios to games at the Los Angeles Coliseum every night to listen to Vin and familiarize themselves with their new home team. Radio engineers went crazy trying to deal with the feedback from the portable radios.
Scully has called perfect games, no-hitters and Hank Aaron’s 715th home run. He did that by not saying a word for almost three minutes -- letting the crowd noise tell the story. He is widely credited with coaxing Kirk Gibson out of the trainer’s room, on the air, during Game 1 of the 1988 World Series and into the batter's box for his monumental home run.
Scully has been voted Most Valuable Dodger several times. The list of his honors goes on for pages.
At the first game at Dodger Stadium after 9/11, Scully’s soothing words on the Dodgervision screen let everyone know it was okay to resume normal life and enjoy a ballgame.
Will Scully make good on his claim to retire after the 2010 season? One of his favorite phrases is, "Wanna make God laugh? Tell him your plans!."
