Vin Scully - Catch Him While You Can

Few things can keep me up until almost 2:00am on a weeknight.  83 year-old Vin Scully broadcasting a baseball game will do it.

As Vin Scully might say, "it is the true artist who can wrestle through a crowded day and turn a mid-May baseball game into a symphony."

 That's just what he did.

 There was nothing special about the Milwaukee Brewers against the Dodgers on Monday, May 16th.  But in his 62nd season of calling Dodgers baseball - every game Vin Scully broadcast is special.  It's hard to imagine the game without him, but we'll have to deal with that next year.

"It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the old-timers game." - Vin Scully, 1980.

This game featured one of my favourite pitchers, Sean Marcum.  A poor man's Greg Maddux who's clever, subtle pitching style was perfect for Scully's prose honed over thousands of games.  Scully broadcast his first Dodger game in 1950.  On this night, it's impossible to imagine he couldn't go on for years.  He used statistics perfectly - when it was relevant to the game.  His voice is still silky smooth and soothing.  He missed nothing on the field but also used the monitor beautifully to talk to the viewers.  I'm sure Vin Scully could have been a manager but I'm also sure Mozart could have sold tickets to the opera.  Why waste great art on such mundane things?  

Vin gives life to any game with beautiful words.

"That Marcum change-up just died of exhaustion on the way to the plate."

Great stories.

"At the age of one, Prince Fielder weighed 50 pounds."

..and just a little bit of baseball experience.

"The infield shift is common now, but it was big news in the 40's when Lou Broudreau first used it against Ted Williams."

 The game was not a work of art as the Brewers stranded 14 runners but held on to a 2-1 win.  The broadcast, which Scully still does without a colour analyst, was another masterpiece.  The great Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax once said, "this might sound corny, but I'd rather listen to Vin Scully broadcast a game, than play in one."  So true.

Catch him while you can and make sure you have a chance to really listen.  You will know baseball a lot better and love it more.