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In the middle of last night's contest against the Atlanta Braves, the fans at Dodger Stadium were treated to the only news better than hearing the Giants were losing (again): Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully would be returning to the booth next season.
After the top of the second inning, a faux "BREAKING NEWS" alert flashed on the jumbo screens at the park and SportsNet LA reporter Alanna Rizzo was on the scene in the Dodgers press room, introducing Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig, and infielder Justin Turner. Ryu and Puig each gave the news in their native tongues first, leaving Turner to make the announcement in English last.
The fans in Dodger Stadium reacted to the news with jubilation, giving the 86-year old broadcaster a standing ovation. Appropriately enough, it happened on the night that they gave away replica microphones in celebration of 65 seasons of Scully providing his dulcet tones to the team.
Because of his age and lengthy tenure with the Dodgers, the question of retirement has lingered the past few seasons with Vin Scully. "Naturally there will come a time, when I will have to say goodbye, but I've soul-searched and this is not the time," Scully said in a statement, according to the Dodgers official website.
In modern sports where free agency and quick roster turnover has turned us into fans of laundry, Vin Scully was a rarity. Having been with the Dodgers going back to their final years in Brooklyn and taking over after the departure of fellow Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber, Vin Scully has been there for almost every major moment in the franchise's storied history: the majority of Jackie Robinson's career, Sandy Koufax's brief but phenomenal run, the move to Los Angeles, Fernandomania, the tumult of the Frank McCourt regime, and all six of the team's World Series Championships. Players come and go, and even switch allegiances (Orel Hershiser played a season with the Giants!), but Vin Scully was a constant that had been there for literally generations.
So in returning to the broadcast booth next year—only for home games and road games in California and Arizona as he has done for almost a decade now—Vin Scully will embark on is 66th season as the voice of the Dodgers, continuing the longest tenure ever of a broadcaster with a single team. "I wanted to wear Yasiel Puig's jersey," he joked with SportsNet LA (Puig wears number 66). "It's really my home away from home. And... one of the things I've tried to do is to have Sandi come and share some of the experiences, meet some of the really nice people," he added, speaking about bringing his wife to the games with him. Although Sandi's input was important to Scully when it came to making his decision to return, he wanted to make clear that she wasn't calling all the shots:
The one thing I know Sandi is very sensitive about is that she doesn't want to let people think that she's making a decision as to whether (I come back or not). But we try to do everything together that we possibly can. And I've been enriched by the fact that she's been coming to more games—sitting in the booth—and I've loved that. We sat and we thought, 'OK, let's try it one more time at least,' and so, here we go again.
Here's to hoping for a few more.
