Vin Scully was a Veteran of the United States Navy [Opinion]

Vin Scully, the 67-year voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers has died. Growing up in Southern California in the sixties and seventies as a baseball fan, Vin Scully was heard on radio every Dodger game.

You tuned in on your radio, along the Dodger radio network, and you got to see the Dodger game on the radio. Vin Scully painted a picture of a strikeout, a double play, or a come backer to the mound.

Scully was a complete and total gentleman. He treated everyone he came in contact with at the stadium with kindness and respect. From the concession stand to the dugout he made you feel like a friend.

Vin Scully was also a Veteran of the United States Navy. Recently, he was helping bring awareness to the plight of our Homeless Veterans along the Gold Coast. He donated his legendary voice and time to help out his fellow veterans.

The Fordham graduate won many awards for his baseball broadcasting. As an American legend in broadcasting, he was also decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Obama.

Vin Scully lost his son in a helicopter crash just after the Northridge Earthquake and his first wife years earlier. He had great empathy for those suffering from a loss and he was a devoted member of the Catholic faith.

Every Vin Scully fan has great memories. For me it was being in the press box at the 1989 All Star Game at Anaheim Stadium. I was fortunate to see President Reagan and Vin Scully work an inning together calling the game. That memory was courtesy of Tom Mead, now a retired Angel executive and former MLB Hall of Fame President.

The last was courtesy of Marion Ashley and a night out at Dodger Stadium. We are sitting in a suite and in walked the legendary Scully. Dodger great Tommy Davis and Tom Lasorda were signing baseballs for everyone in the box. Friend and colleague Emilio Ramirez mumbled …. “Vin Scully.” The smile in Emilio’s face could light the world around us. “ER” as we called him was a Vin Scully and Dodger lover. Makes me smile just seeing him meet Mr. Scully.

We will never have another talent near as good a man as Vin Scully. Humble, intelligent, kind, and the man who allowed so many million to see the game on the radio. Surely, he is in heaven getting ready to call another game.

Mr. Scully, thank you for so many unforgettable moments in the lives of so many and for your service to our nation in the United States Navy.

Funeral arrangements are pending, and he has earned full military burial honors by virtue of his service.

 

Image Sources

  • Vin Scully: Facebook