13 Vin Scully Highlights Captured in Southern California Archives
Since 1958, you and I have grown up together through the good times and the bad. The transistor radio is what bound us together. Were you at the Coliseum when we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to an umpire? Were you among the crowd that groaned at one of my puns? Did you kindly laugh at one of my little jokes?Vin Scully
Vin Scully wrote these words as part of his one-page goodbye letter given to fans at Dodger Stadium's Vin Scully Appreciation Night on September 23, 2016. The evening was one of the many ways Angelenos said goodbye to the beloved voice of the Dodgers upon his retirement six years ago. It was hard to say goodbye then and heartbreaking to say it now.
With the passing of Los Angeles' iconic voice of summer, many Angelenos are digging into their personal family archives and sharing photos and ephemera related to their favorite Vin Scully and Dodger moments. In that spirit, here are photos, videos and ephemera from Southern California archives to add to the collective celebration of one of the best sportscasters in history.
Scully wasn't born an Angeleno. He was born in 1927 in the Bronx and grew up a New York Giants fan. He loved to watch them play at Polo Grounds. "When I used to sit in the bleachers, you could look over at the press box. If you look at a photo of the old Polo Grounds, the press box is right on the façade of the second deck, right above home plate. So, I would sit there and look up and think, 'Boy, I would love to sit there and watch a game or broadcast a game,'" he told the Library of Congress in 2017.
In 2017, the Library of Congress added a Scully recording from 1957 to its prestigious National Recording Registry "as an aural treasure worthy of preservation." The recording features Vin Scully calling the last game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants at the Polo Grounds on September 8, 1957 in which the broadcaster famously cautioned the eager players:
I don't know how you feel about it at the other end of these microphones, whether you are sitting at home, or driving a car, on the beach or anywhere, but I know sitting here watching the Giants and Dodgers apparently playing for the last time at the Polo Grounds, you want them to take their time.
Scully started with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 and the Herald Examiner used this photo of the young broadcaster at Ebbets Field in 1979 to mark his 30th anniversary with the organization.
In 1958, Scully arrived in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, the first Major League Baseball team to play in Los Angeles. From its expansive sports library, the LA84 Foundation shared this copy of the Los Angeles Dodgers 1958 Yearbook. Scully and his broadcast partner Jerry Doggett were listed along with all the journalists covering the team from the press box.
Scully and Doggett were also included in the book "Play by Play: Los Angeles Sports Photography 1889-1989." As author David Davis explained, Scully "became the mellifluous voice of the Dodgers, a word-poet whose storytelling style so captivated Angelenos that many brought transistor radios to the stadium."
Throughout his life, Scully was bestowed with many awards and accolades. When he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, he was given the Ford C. Frick Award. "I want to sing. I want to dance. I want to laugh. I want to shout. I want to cry and I'd like to pray," said Scully in his acceptance speech, "I'd like to pray with humility and with great thanksgiving. I have a lot of thanks to give." That same year, Scully received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
One of Scully's best calls took place on that 1988 night when the Dodgers caught lightning with Kirk Gibson's famous World Series home run. The Los Angeles City Archives shared a digitized audio from the Dodgers Day Rally after the 1988 World Series in which Scully was the MC and welcomed everyone with a "Good afternoon ladies and gentleman! And a very pleasant day to you on cloud nine."
When Scully was given an honorary doctorate at Pepperdine's commencement for Seaver College graduates in 2008, the university had a surprise for the sportscaster. When the announcement was made "Hats off to Dr. Scully," the graduates switched their square-shaped graduate caps for blue Dodger caps with the words "Vin Scully" embroidered on the back. The lovely moment was documented on video along with his commencement speech in which he starts, "When I was eight years old, shortly after the discovery of fire…"
More recently, the Baseball Reliquary inducted Scully into its Shrine of Eternals, also known as the People's Hall of Fame. An L.A.-based nonprofit devoted to the national pastime, the Baseball Reliquary blends "wonder and whimsy with deep reverence." Vin Scully's Shrine of the Eternals plaque is currently on display in the Los Angeles Public Library's "Something in Common" exhibit.
These images, videos and audio capture just a few moments in the amazing life of Vin Scully. No doubt more stories will pour out as Angelenos look through their albums and find old Dodger mementos. And surely those fans at Vin Scully Appreciation Night added his goodbye letter to their own archives. On that 2016 night, after the speeches from Mayor Eric Garcetti, Sandy Koufax, Jaime Jarrín and Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully stood up to address his fans cheering at a packed Dodger Stadium. He told the audience how he fell in love with the roar of a stadium crowd when he was a kid. "When you cheer, when you roar, when you are thrilled, for a brief moment, I'm 8 years old again."
A heartfelt farewell and thank you to the incomparable Vin Scully! As he looks down from blue heaven, may he smile every time he hears the roar of the crowd at Dodger Stadium.
