Vin Scully's passing a reminder to celebrate legendary broadcasters and the moments they immortalize
Broadcasters are part of the soundtrack of sports. They guide you through every game, big and small, throughout a season, a decade, a lifetime.
They join you in your living room, talking to you through your television. They speak to you through your radio as you listen to games on the go. They keep you company when you’re driving down a lonely highway. They add to the atmosphere of a party, serving as a most-welcome guest.
The perfect call of the perfect play can give you chills, whether you’re watching at home or listening in your car driving with the windows down on a 100-degree day in the South.
No one was better behind the microphone than Vin Scully, the legendary Dodgers broadcaster who sadly passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94. Scully will be remembered forever in Los Angeles and across the country as a whole.
Perhaps the best example of his unique way with words came when he called the ninth inning of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game:
“There’s 29,000 people in the ballpark and a million butterflies” — Vin Scully
The entire call of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965 was brilliant, but the ninth inning was pure poetry.
I was 25 years from being born in 1965. Heck, my dad was only 7 years old when Scully made that brilliant call. He would have had no idea back then that, in 30-some years, he’d be listening to another all-time great broadcaster, Jack Buck, calling St. Louis Cardinals games while driving his son home from his Little League games. The same Jack Buck his dad, my grandfather, listened to on evenings spent on the farm.
Yet, even with all those years between Koufax’s perfect game and now, I still get goosebumps listening to Scully describe Koufax fussing with his hat.
My wife’s grandmother (or Yia-yia, as she comes from a very Greek family) is 97. She would have been around 3 years old when Scully was born in the Bronx in 1927. Yia-yia, born in New Jersey, grew up in Brooklyn, a stone’s throw from the then-Brooklyn Dodgers’ stadium. Now, as her memory fades, she has a habit of repeating stories.
She associates me with sports (an association I’m more than happy to have), so she’s told me on numerous occasions about how she’d listen to Dodgers games on the radio, even though her parents told her baseball wasn’t for girls.
She’s told me dozens of times how she used to sneak out of school early to watch the Dodgers play. She’d spread her schoolbooks out across the bleachers to save seats for her friends, who weren’t as bold as her and waited until school ended to head to Ebbets Field.
Did she ever cross paths with a young Vin Scully? Scully didn’t take over as the Dodgers’ broadcaster until 1950, when he was 23 and Yia-yia was 26. But, maybe, just maybe, a young Scully sat near my wife’s grandmother in the stands at Ebbets Field on a sunny weekday afternoon when both of them should have been in school.
Yia-yia has told me those stories again and again, and I’ve listened to them intently every time. Because they make me feel like part of her family. And because eventually, like the unique voice of Scully, I won’t be able to listen to them anymore.
Scully had the ability to span generations.
He also had the ability to span sports. His voice took us through “The Catch” by Dwight Clark:
“Dwight Clark is 6-4. He stands about 10 feet tall in this crowd’s estimation!” — Vin Scully
Oh, and let’s of course not forget that Scully got his start calling the wonderful sport of college football:
On this day in 1949 at Fenway Park, Vin Scully makes his professional debut. A College Football game: Maryland-B.U. pic.twitter.com/NsiAUhhIwd
— Vin Scully (@VinScullyTweet) November 13, 2013
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Scully’s passing and the tributes being paid to him are a good reminder to celebrate those who help make sports so great. So, let’s take a look at some of the most iconic SEC football calls of all time:
“There goes Davis!” — Rod Bramblett
The Kick Six was an iconic game. Fortunately, the legendary Bramblett was up to the moment:
“No-sir-ree!” — John Ward
This memorable call ends with Ward saying “Pandemonium reigns!” That line is just as great as “No-sir-ree!”
“Tyrie Cleveland! Oh my! I don’t believe what I just saw!” — Mick Hubert
Hubert, who recently retired as the Voice of the Gators, is another SEC legend who had so many great calls. But, this Hail Mary to Tyrie Cleveland to beat Tennessee in 2015 stands out to me:
“Run Lindsay!” — Larry Munson
Munson had so many great calls behind the mic for Georgia, including the “Hobnail Boot.” But this one takes the cake. Munson not only describes breaking his chair, his steel chair — he also delivers the memorable “Man, is there going to be some property destroyed tonight,” line. Incredible:
Vin Scully’s craftsmanship influenced Larry Munson’s greatest call.
Wrote about those legends today (h/t @MrCFB for sharing):
🗣🎙 https://t.co/tccHpHpzkN @DawgsHq pic.twitter.com/jKhPxnNthr
— Wes Blankenship (@Wes_nship) August 3, 2022
"MAN, IS THERE GONNA BE SOME PROPERTY DESTROYED TONIGHT! 26-21, DAWGS ON TOP!!!"@UGAAthletics #SECNTakeover pic.twitter.com/9Iliv6Gh47
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) July 21, 2017
“Oh my gracious! How about that?” — Verne Lundquist
Uncle Verne was the voice of the SEC on CBS for a long time. Naturally, that meant he called some incredible moments. Perhaps the best were his calls of Johnny Manziel doing Johnny Manziel things (check out the 6:00-mark of the below video for that):
“I don’t believe it!” — Keith Jackson
No college football broadcasting highlight reel would be complete without the estimable Keith Jackson, who was on the call for so many of the sport’s biggest plays. Here he is calling a blocked punt at the end of the Alabama-Georgia game in 1985:
“And that’s McGaffie breaking free!” — Brent Musburger
No, Mizzou wasn’t in the SEC when this moment happened. But, indulge me for a minute, as this was a highlight of my college days. Gahn McGaffie running that opening kickoff back against No. 1 Oklahoma to set the tone for the Tigers’ upset was the loudest I’ve ever heard Faurot Field get. I’m glad Musburger was on the call for it:
It’s not unreasonable to think that all of the great broadcasters included above were influenced by Scully in one way or another. It’s almost impossible not to be.
I’m sure there are plenty of great calls I’ve missed. If you have a memorable call you want to recognize, mention it in the comments.
Legendary broadcasters should be celebrated and thanked. Scully’s passing gives us a chance to remember and celebrate his brilliance, yes. But, it also serves as a reminder to appreciate the joy and pain, love and loss, that great announcers are able to make us feel even more intensely.
Great memories!
Vin Scully is a great loss. He was the best. There are none like him. The greatest baseball voice in history.
As far as college football goes… I would put Keith Jackson at the top. Of course I’m a Larry Munson fan as well. John Ward was right there with him.
Nice article, Adam. Makes me a little sad. Rest in piece, titans of the broadcasting worlds.
Thank you for this Adam. I am old enough to remember when the radio was the only way you could “see” the game. Munson, Ward, Scully, Hubert, Gold, all legends. Sorry I didn’t list them all here, but respect to all.
John Forney was the voice of Bama football through the Bryant era and a little after. I love Eli, but my childhood was with Forney.
Those guys just had something. Their command of language. The way they painted a picture with their words.
You are so right CD. You could see every play, every pitch, every hit in your mind. You could smell the grass and dirt. They were/are the true legends of broadcasting. They also knew the importance of silence. The ones today spew verbal vomit in a never ending stream.
I will be 63 in 4 months, and I cannot tell you how many memorable sports moments in my life included Vin Scully. RIP sir.
Listen… I love my Braves. But Vin Scully did more to make you feel at the game than Chip, Paul Byrd, and Brian Jordan together. Not busting on those guys… Vin was special.
I, of course, grew up listening to the Braves. The first broadcaster for the Braves that I listened to was Milo Hamilton.
Me too.
Sorry to sound like the “get off my lawn” guy, but I don’t hear the next legendary voice of the next generation. Every time I turn on a baseball game it’s a pair of clones from the same school of sounding like Will Ferrell imitating Harry Caray. Harry, his son Skip, Red Barber, Mel Allen, Vin Scully, etc etc. They didn’t blind you with statistics and clichés. They talked to you. They painted a beautiful picture of the moment.
All gone.
^^^This
There are some good college announcers still, but they don’t connect with the fans like they used to because of TV. People no longer listen to radio unless they are in the car.
Announcers I believe are the best today in national media: Chris Fowler for college football, Boog Sciambi for baseball, Jim Nantz for NFL football and golf. Hubie Brown for NBA color
An enjoyable article but I wish it had been college football announcers only. Some greats not mentioned are Eli Gold/Bama, Jack Cristil/Msu, Al Ciraldo/ Ga Tech, Bob Fulton/S Carolina
Some of us are old enough to remember when even great teams were on TV only 1 or 2 times a year. Only 1 0r 2 games on TV each Sat( pre 1980s). The radio and great broadcasters brought the games to life. They were the soundtrack of Southern Saturdays for generations of college football fans. As a kid, I used to spend fall Saturdays turning the radio dial listening to as many games as possible. The minute I heard the announcers voice, I knew who was playing.
The essence of Scully with two of his greatest calls, the Clark catch and Hank hitting 715, is that he went silent and stayed quiet for nearly 30 seconds in both. That never would happen with the nimrods called announcers today. Idiots like Joe Buck or Chris Fowler would blabber over the historic moment.
I know it’s popular to rag on Joe Buck, but go back and listen to his iconic “we will see you… tomorrow night!” call after David Freese hit the walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. That call was a beautiful tribute to his dad, Jack, and Joe was silent for nearly a minute afterwards as Freese rounded the bases.
One of the greatest calls of this generation.
The broadcasters of today are so in love with their voices that they spew a constant verbal vomit just to keep from having a moment of silence. I bet if you added up the amount of time that Kirk, Chris, or the sideline reporter is not talking during an entire broadcast, it would not add up to over 5 minutes.
Great man and truly my favorite to listen call a ballgame. Never forget when Gibson hit that homerun. Just had my first born and was rocking him to sleep when it happened. Hank Aaron homerun to pass Babe Ruth was genuine yet no overstated. “People a Black man is getting a standing ovation for brealking a record from an all time great”.
Love the image of you rocking your boy while Vin is doing the call.
Takes me back just thinking of Gibson and his iconic stroll around the bases pumping his arm repeatedly.
When Ray Knight scored, Scully said “…. and the Mets WIN!”
Then he didn’t say another word for nearly two full minutes. He let viewer soak in the pandemonium. He let the moment breathe. He let it be about the game, not about him.
Scully was a true announcing genius and it’s unfortunate that so many announcers today just NEVER SHUT UP.
It’s unfortunate in my opinion that Munson has become so well known for the hobnail boot call. It wasn’t a great call, certainly not one of his best.
It’s so well known because it came late in his career and he was famous by then.
Munson saying “Look at the sugar falling out of the sky… look at the SUGAR falling out of the SKY!” when UGA made a goalline stand in Jordan-Hare in 1982 (and UGA fans were throwing sugar from the upper deck above the press box) is, IMO, his best call.
I think SDS should create a new “asset” called Rap Session or something. They introduce a topic like this one a week. Then all of the poster AND THE WRITERS get to comment together. Rules would have to apply or it would all fall apart. No personal attacks… insults… just good discussion. Make a case, but dont attack anyone else’s. It would be fun.
CD that would be difficult. Today’s generation does not believe in discussion when they disagree. They are either going to turn nasty or try to metaphorically shout you down to drown your opinion.
Caywood Ledford, Ralph Hacker.
yep. Two of the best