In his 67th and final season in the broadcast booth, Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully is the trademark of not only the Los Angeles Dodgers, but also an icon whose wisdom and insights have captured the game of baseball.
Since beginning his career in 1950, Scully has mesmerized his audience with captivating tales that only he can execute so flawlessly. While Dodger faithful understand that his historic career is coming to an end, both the fans and the Dodgers themselves want to send him out on the right note.
The portion of Elysian Park Avenue that runs between Sunset Boulevard and Dodger Stadium Way was renamed to Vin Scully Avenue. The Dodgers promotional schedule includes a Vin Scully Avenue t-shirt giveaway and Vin Scully Appreciation Day.
Beyond that, a petition was created on the White House website, which declares that in his last season, Scully should be rewarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama:
Vin Scully, is quite simply, a national treasure. This year marks his 67th and final season as a Dodgers broadcaster, starting his career when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. He is our national pastime’s greatest ambassador, an educator who imparts fans with the wealth of knowledge about the game and its players that he has accumulated over his illustrious career, and the voice of not just Dodger baseball, but all of baseball. No person living today more perfectly symbolizes what is great and admirable about our national pastime, and for this, we request that President Obama honor his indelible contributions to American culture with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The goal of the petition is to hit 100,000 signatures by May 15 deadline for the White House to officially receive the document. The requirement for the freely submitted petition is that it must reach 100,000 signatures in 30 days.
This vast outreach of support is attainable, seeing as how Scully has impacted the lives of so many baseball fans over the years. While the legendary broadcaster certainly wouldn’t expect he be recognized in such a manner, the Presidential Freedom Award would be another well-deserved honor for a historic career.
