Vin Scully Reminded Us That If Baseball Is Good, So Is Everything Else
I don't remember much from the beginning of the pandemic—other than wake up, work, eat, repeat. I didn't take comfort in The Sopranos, or whatever the hell else we did. (Tiger King? Remember that?) But there was one story I read, truly the only one, that gave me comfort. I still think of it now.
For a piece published in the Los Angeles Times on March 22, 2020 (eek!), Bill Plaschke did something beautiful. Plaschke, already a great to me, faithfully watching Around the Horn since the days I had math homework, called another legend: Vin Scully. The Hall of Fame broadcaster whose iconic voice soundtracked exactly 67 summers of Dodgers baseball had been retired for a few years at that point. Plaschke, as he put it, needed"a sound of spring," staring down the certainty of a spring with pin-drop quiet stadiums. I'll never forget the simplicity of what Scully told the longtime columnist.
“From depths of depression we fought our way through World War II, and if we can do that, we can certainly fight through this," Scully said. "I remember how happy and relieved and thrilled everybody was … when they signed the treaty with Japan, and the country just danced from one way or another. It’s the life of the world, the ups and downs, this is a down, we’re going to have to realistically accept it at what it is and we’ll get out of it, that’s all there is to it, we will definitely get out of it.”
On Tuesday, Scully passed away at his Los Angeles home at the age of 94. No cause of death was provided. Scully's legend as the longest-tenured broadcaster with a single team in the history of professional sports outsizes any amount of words that can be written about him. The man offered his singular voice, whip-smart baseball IQ, and gift for storytelling over a period of time that saw Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Don Sutton, Mike Piazza, and Clayton Kershaw all take the field in front of him. We're left with what he reminded us during every bit of those 67 summers, and then some—that if there's baseball, then things can be good. And if things aren't very good, then we'll find a way to make it all right.
“If baseball starts up, we’ve got this thing beat and we can go about our lives,” Scully said to Plaschke. “Baseball is not a bad thermometer, when baseball begins, whenever that is, that will be a sure sign that the country is slowly getting back on its feet.”
Here's how the sports world is memorializing Scully and the legacy he left behind.
Dusty Baker grew up listening to Vin Scully as a kid in Riverside, Calif. and later got to know him while he played for the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/LGnCVzlFnk
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 3, 2022
Vin Scully was more than a broadcaster, he is a baseball legend. My heart goes out to the Scully family, the Dodgers organization, and all the fans who loved him. https://t.co/Nz4S1ReXkw
— Hunter Pence (@hunterpence) August 3, 2022
Back in 2016, David Ortiz went up to the broadcast booth at Dodger Stadium to visit Vin Scully.
Both had decided to retire after the season.
The respect and affection players had for him was a cool thing to see. pic.twitter.com/zcMn6XyXyy— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) August 3, 2022
Don Larsen's perfect game during Game 5 of the 1956 World Series wouldn't have been the same without Vin Scully's unforgettable voice. pic.twitter.com/2wxdJKnnCq
— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2022
Years ago, I went to pregame Mass at Dodger Stadium. I volunteered to do one of the two readings and the priest said, “Would you mind if the guy behind you did the first reading?”
Turned around and Vin Scully was smiling at me. That voice reading Old Testament was wonderful.— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) August 3, 2022
Column: He was the soundtrack of a city, the muse of millions, the voice of home…
Vin Scully is gone, but his summer serenade will never be silenced…
RIP, old friend. https://t.co/X7LWbEsVME— Bill Plaschke (@BillPlaschke) August 3, 2022
October 2, 2016. Vin Scully signs off for the final time. 💙 pic.twitter.com/R85tgy1bHB
— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2022
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 3, 2022
RIP Vin Scully 🙏🏾 An incredible ambassador of this game. Thank you for everything.
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) August 3, 2022
The Yankees join the baseball community in mourning the loss of our legendary storyteller, and we celebrate the lifetime of memories he so graciously and eloquently shared with all of us. pic.twitter.com/FyqWIjhMP1
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 3, 2022
Vin Scully, voice of the @Dodgers, has died.
He was a true sports storyteller & his #Dodgers career lasted 67 years, the longest tenure of any broadcaster w/a single team in pro sports history.
Our deepest condolences to his family. Rest easy, @TheVinScully. You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/wSbMf6NYtX— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) August 3, 2022
Rest in Power. A City of Angels icon. Another great one who made sports so damn special. #LoveLA💙 https://t.co/zHPD78KEsE
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 3, 2022
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