Vin Scully enjoyed a remarkable career that spanned over six decades and multiple sports, earning him recognition as one of best broadcasters of all-time. Scully was not only revered by Los Angeles Dodgers fans, but of other teams as well.
No more was that evident than after announcing his intention to retire. Scully was visited in his broadcast booth at Dodger Stadium by opposing players and managers during the 2016 season. The San Francisco Giants installed a plaque at Oracle Park in his honor.
Scully has now been retired for three seasons and spoken fondly of his time away from the game at every opportunity. That’s made it all the easier for Scully to respectfully decline invitations to return to the broadcast booth for special occasions.
Now days ahead of turning 92 years old, Scully reflected on changes in game broadcasts and shared why he believes the game has advanced beyond his level of expertise, via David J. Halberstam of the Sports Broadcast Journal:
“Today on TV you have the expert analyst who himself generally played the game. There’s a tendency to talk after every pitch or after every play. I don’t know. Maybe he has to justify his role, his reason for being in the booth.
“And today they get into areas where I am totally lost. They spend an awful lot of time on how to throw a certain pitch. I’m basically simple minded. If I’m watching a game, I don’t need to know how to throw a certain pitch.
“The launch angle! I heard that and it almost knocked me off the chair. Analytics have passed me by 100 miles by now.”
Although Scully’s time in the broadcast booth certainly was prior to the explosion of analytics, his longevity is evidence of being able to adapt to any era.
And though his style undeniably was to never attempt to hijack a significant moment with his commentary, Scully always had a knack for knowing when to provide dialogue. Furthermore, his ability to wax poetic about any given player or topic still resonates with fans.
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