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If it seems like Vin Scully has been doing Dodger games forever, that's because this is his 50th season broadcasting LA Dodger games (1958-2007) and his 57th as a Dodger announcer.
He's one of the few major broadcasters who works alone in the booth. No color man needed, no ex-jocks, no sidekick. The only problem with that is sometimes he can casually blow you away with precise diction and perfect tone, and sometimes the message can get lost in that smooth, beautiful song.
The Cubs are playing the Dodgers this weekend and Vinny just made a sweet point while calling the bottom of the third on Prime Ticket. We are very lucky to have Vin, and hopefully you aren't taking him for granted. Not only is his style unmatched in these days of the phony and wacky, but his perspective of having been around the block a few times is priceless. Not many of today's broadcasters had just turned 17 the week before Pearl Harbor was attacked, but our Vinny did, and this is his take:
A little fly ball to shallow left, Soriano comes up and makes the catch. So we have one out here in the third inning. All of us have our own thoughts about Memorial Day and I'm sure if you talked to the Chicago Cubs' second baseman, whose name is Ryan Theriot, you would then know what's on his mind. Because his great uncle served in the Navy and was a survivor at Pearl Harbor, December the Seventh, 1941. And certainly he's thinking about his great uncle today.
The fastball to Brady Clark is swung on and missed, and the count: 0 and 1.
There are so many John Philip Sousa marches, and of course "America The Beautiful", and the national anthem.
Strike one pitch is punched on the ground to Theriot, and Ryan makes the play. Two down.
But if you really wanted to get, not the spirit, but the mood of Memorial Day, they oughtta play "Taps".
If there was ever a melody that is haunting - the poignant, single sound of a trumpet playing "Taps" - and you hear that song, then you realize what Memorial Day is all about.
