Perfect Eloquence: An Appreciation of Vin Scully
Editat de Tom Hoffarth Cuvânt înainte de Ron Rapoporten Limba Engleză Hardback – mai 2024
When Vin Scully passed away in 2022, the city of Los Angeles lost its soundtrack. If you were able to deliver a eulogy for him, what might it include? What impact did he have on you? What do you carry forward from his legacy? Sixty-seven essayists—one representing each season of his career calling games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, from 1950 through 2016—reflect on the ways his professional and private life influenced them. The contributions include a range of stories and remembrances from those who knew and followed him. The consensus of the contributions is that Scully’s actions spoke louder than his well-recognized words.
This collection includes fellow broadcasters as well as historians, players, journalists, celebrities, and others connected to the game of baseball, with each piece introduced by sports journalist Tom Hoffarth. Readers can consider Scully’s life through common themes: his sincerity, his humility, his professionalism, his passion for his faith, his devotion to his family, his insistence on remembering and giving context to important moments in the history of not just the game but the world in general, all wrapped up in a gift for weaving storytelling with accurate reporting, fellowship with performance art, humor, and connection.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9781496238788
ISBN-10: 1496238788
Pagini: 288
Ilustrații: 38 photographs, 6 illustrations, 1 chronology
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 15 mm
Greutate: 0.59 kg
Editura: Nebraska
Colecția University of Nebraska Press
Locul publicării:United States
ISBN-10: 1496238788
Pagini: 288
Ilustrații: 38 photographs, 6 illustrations, 1 chronology
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 15 mm
Greutate: 0.59 kg
Editura: Nebraska
Colecția University of Nebraska Press
Locul publicării:United States
Notă biografică
Tom Hoffarth is an Associated Press award-winning journalist with more than forty years of experience reporting in Southern California, focusing on sports and the media. He has written for the Southern California News Group, the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, Angelus News, National Catholic Reporte, Los Angeles Business Journal, and Sports Business Journal. He is a coauthor (with Tom Kelly) of Tales from the USC Trojans Sideline: A Collection of the Greatest Trojans Stories Ever Told. Ron Rapoport worked as a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than twenty years and is the author of Let’s Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks and the editor of The Lost Journalism of Ring Lardner (Nebraska, 2017).
Extras
Bob Costas
Hall of Fame network broadcaster
As a Christmas present when I was fifteen, I received a box set of three
books called the Fireside Books of Baseball. It was a wonderful and eclectic
collection of literature, newspaper and magazine pieces, poetry, comedy,
lyrics, first-person recollections of long-ago people and events, all connected
to baseball.
Included was a transcript of Vin Scully’s radio call of the full ninth inning
of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in September of 1965. At first, the fact it was
a transcript escaped me. As I read it, I honestly thought it was a very well-written
piece, designed to evoke the moment-by-moment atmosphere and
to build tension and excitement as Koufax approached and then achieved
perfection. If that had been the case, it would have been worthy of praise.
But no. It was a word-for-word transcript of the live broadcast. In the
moment, extemporaneously, Scully composed a masterpiece in the booth
equal to Koufax’s on the mound: a perfect game somehow elevated by a
beyond-perfect description.
That ninth inning is one of the best-remembered examples of Scully’s
unique brilliance. It’s all on display: the pleasing and distinctive voice, the
command of language and phrasing, the grace notes, the eye for the telling
detail, the sense of the moment, and the ability to capture and enhance it
without ever resorting to shouting.
Which brings us to this: To truly appreciate Scully’s mastery, it’s not
enough to replay standard highlights. Other great broadcasters have also
risen to big moments in memorable fashion—the climactic home run, the
great catch, the last out of a World Series. What set Scully apart was the
framing of those moments—the buildup, the payoff, and then the postscript.
Listen to that entire Koufax ninth inning, to the entire extended at bat
that culminates in Kirk Gibson’s impossibly theatrical pinch-hit homer
in the 1988 World Series, and then the coda: “In a year that has been so
improbable, the impossible has happened!”
Or listen to the call of Henry Aaron’s 715th home run, the one that took
him past Babe Ruth to the top of the all-time list. The call is exciting and
precise, but the aftermath is a first draft of history.
Nearly thirty years ago, I interviewed Ray Charles for the nbc newsmagazine
Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric. When the cameras and
microphones had been shut off, we continued to converse. At one point,
Ray said, “You know who I would really like to meet? Vin Scully. Could
you introduce me to him?”
Well, sure I could. But this was Ray Charles. He must have met countless
interesting and accomplished people. Why Vin?
“Well, I love baseball. And you have to understand, Bob, the pictures
mean nothing to me. It’s all the sound. And Vin Scully’s broadcasts are
almost musical.”
I called Vin, and we arranged to have the two of them meet and spend
time together before a game at Dodger Stadium. Vin came into the booth,
and as he walked toward Charles, he said, “Ray, my name is Vin Scully, and
it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He might as well have said, “A pleasant good
evening to you wherever you may be,” because that’s how it struck Ray. They
sat down, and we had a combination baseball and music discussion. Vin
had a nice experience. And Ray Charles—and I mean this sincerely—had
one of the great experiences of his life.
Given his surpassing talent and approach, Vin Scully would have been
unforgettably great with any team at any time. But the circumstances
of his career can never be equaled. And those circumstances amplified
his greatness.
The big moments Vin described so well resonated in a way comparable
moments perhaps no longer do. Vin called sports other than baseball, of
course. His golf and football work was—no surprise—excellent.
Still, it was baseball that called forth the full range of his abilities and
sensibilities. The game’s rich history, much of which he witnessed, with
its gentle rhythms and leisurely pace, all played to Vin’s many strengths.
In the closing seasons of his career, Vin’s broadcasts were simultaneously
present and nostalgic—the story of that night’s game and a flashback to
every game or time in your life his voice transported you to. In a world
of seemingly fewer constants and enduring connections, that was deeply
appealing. No matter how things around him changed, Vin was grandfa-
thered in.
If, somehow, a twenty-two-year-old broadcaster with talent comparable
to Scully’s was to materialize today, that broadcaster would surely wind
up in the Hall of Fame, would surely be celebrated. But the circumstances
that shaped that broadcaster, as a person and a professional, and shaped
how sports are presented and received, would never be close to the same.
For so many reasons, there will never be another Vin Scully. He wasn’t
once in a generation or once in a lifetime. He was once in forever.
Hall of Fame network broadcaster
As a Christmas present when I was fifteen, I received a box set of three
books called the Fireside Books of Baseball. It was a wonderful and eclectic
collection of literature, newspaper and magazine pieces, poetry, comedy,
lyrics, first-person recollections of long-ago people and events, all connected
to baseball.
Included was a transcript of Vin Scully’s radio call of the full ninth inning
of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in September of 1965. At first, the fact it was
a transcript escaped me. As I read it, I honestly thought it was a very well-written
piece, designed to evoke the moment-by-moment atmosphere and
to build tension and excitement as Koufax approached and then achieved
perfection. If that had been the case, it would have been worthy of praise.
But no. It was a word-for-word transcript of the live broadcast. In the
moment, extemporaneously, Scully composed a masterpiece in the booth
equal to Koufax’s on the mound: a perfect game somehow elevated by a
beyond-perfect description.
That ninth inning is one of the best-remembered examples of Scully’s
unique brilliance. It’s all on display: the pleasing and distinctive voice, the
command of language and phrasing, the grace notes, the eye for the telling
detail, the sense of the moment, and the ability to capture and enhance it
without ever resorting to shouting.
Which brings us to this: To truly appreciate Scully’s mastery, it’s not
enough to replay standard highlights. Other great broadcasters have also
risen to big moments in memorable fashion—the climactic home run, the
great catch, the last out of a World Series. What set Scully apart was the
framing of those moments—the buildup, the payoff, and then the postscript.
Listen to that entire Koufax ninth inning, to the entire extended at bat
that culminates in Kirk Gibson’s impossibly theatrical pinch-hit homer
in the 1988 World Series, and then the coda: “In a year that has been so
improbable, the impossible has happened!”
Or listen to the call of Henry Aaron’s 715th home run, the one that took
him past Babe Ruth to the top of the all-time list. The call is exciting and
precise, but the aftermath is a first draft of history.
Nearly thirty years ago, I interviewed Ray Charles for the nbc newsmagazine
Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric. When the cameras and
microphones had been shut off, we continued to converse. At one point,
Ray said, “You know who I would really like to meet? Vin Scully. Could
you introduce me to him?”
Well, sure I could. But this was Ray Charles. He must have met countless
interesting and accomplished people. Why Vin?
“Well, I love baseball. And you have to understand, Bob, the pictures
mean nothing to me. It’s all the sound. And Vin Scully’s broadcasts are
almost musical.”
I called Vin, and we arranged to have the two of them meet and spend
time together before a game at Dodger Stadium. Vin came into the booth,
and as he walked toward Charles, he said, “Ray, my name is Vin Scully, and
it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He might as well have said, “A pleasant good
evening to you wherever you may be,” because that’s how it struck Ray. They
sat down, and we had a combination baseball and music discussion. Vin
had a nice experience. And Ray Charles—and I mean this sincerely—had
one of the great experiences of his life.
Given his surpassing talent and approach, Vin Scully would have been
unforgettably great with any team at any time. But the circumstances
of his career can never be equaled. And those circumstances amplified
his greatness.
The big moments Vin described so well resonated in a way comparable
moments perhaps no longer do. Vin called sports other than baseball, of
course. His golf and football work was—no surprise—excellent.
Still, it was baseball that called forth the full range of his abilities and
sensibilities. The game’s rich history, much of which he witnessed, with
its gentle rhythms and leisurely pace, all played to Vin’s many strengths.
In the closing seasons of his career, Vin’s broadcasts were simultaneously
present and nostalgic—the story of that night’s game and a flashback to
every game or time in your life his voice transported you to. In a world
of seemingly fewer constants and enduring connections, that was deeply
appealing. No matter how things around him changed, Vin was grandfa-
thered in.
If, somehow, a twenty-two-year-old broadcaster with talent comparable
to Scully’s was to materialize today, that broadcaster would surely wind
up in the Hall of Fame, would surely be celebrated. But the circumstances
that shaped that broadcaster, as a person and a professional, and shaped
how sports are presented and received, would never be close to the same.
For so many reasons, there will never be another Vin Scully. He wasn’t
once in a generation or once in a lifetime. He was once in forever.
Cuprins
List of Illustrations
Foreword by Ron Rapoport
Preface
A Vin Scully Timeline: 1927–2022
First Inning. “The Shelf Where I Live”: Mastering the Craft
Bob Costas, David J. Halberstam, Andy Rosenberg, Jeff Proctor, Tom Villante
Second Inning. “I’m With Them”: Family and Faith
Ann Meyers Drysdale, Steve Garvey, Kevin O’Malley, Brian Golden, Fr. Willy Raymond, Tim Klosterman, Lisa Nehus Saxon, Dale Marini, Pablo Kay
Third Inning. “That’s the Story, Morning Glory”: The Voice of a Storyteller
Joe Davis, Chris Erskine, Ross Porter, Ben Platt, Dan Durbin, T. J. Simers
Fourth Inning. “I’m The Last Person Who Should Ever Complain”: Humility and Sincerity
Orel Hershiser, Eric Karros, Derrick Hall, Boyd Robertson, Tim Mead, John Olguin, Jill Painter Lopez
Fifth Inning. “Be Quiet and Eat Your Cookie”: Building Connections
Peter O’Malley, Al Michaels, Jessica Mendoza, Kevin Fagan, Sammy Roth, Joe Saltzman, Emma Amaya
Sixth Inning. “It Was Trust Well Placed”: Kindness and Friendship
Jaime Jarrin, Fred Claire, Ned Colletti, Bruce Froemming, Bob Miller, Dennis Gilbert, Steve Dilbeck, Brent Shyer, Doug Mann
Seventh Inning. “God Bless Us in Our Effort, God Bless America”: History and Patriotism
Josh Rawitch, Gil Hodges Jr., Joe Buck, Michael Green, Paul Haddad, Will Leitch, Bud Selig
Eighth Inning. “I’m Not Hollywood”: Celebrity and Fame
Patt Morrison, Bryan Cranston, Harry Shearer, Bill Dwyre, J. P. Hoornstra, Dennis McCarthy
Ninth Inning. “The Tao of Vin”: Inspiration and Influence
Ken Levine, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Leykis, Jim Hill, John Ireland, Ken Korach, Brian Wheeler, Mike Parker, Josh Suchon, Paul Vercammen, Jon Weisman
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes on Sources
Contributors
Foreword by Ron Rapoport
Preface
A Vin Scully Timeline: 1927–2022
First Inning. “The Shelf Where I Live”: Mastering the Craft
Bob Costas, David J. Halberstam, Andy Rosenberg, Jeff Proctor, Tom Villante
Second Inning. “I’m With Them”: Family and Faith
Ann Meyers Drysdale, Steve Garvey, Kevin O’Malley, Brian Golden, Fr. Willy Raymond, Tim Klosterman, Lisa Nehus Saxon, Dale Marini, Pablo Kay
Third Inning. “That’s the Story, Morning Glory”: The Voice of a Storyteller
Joe Davis, Chris Erskine, Ross Porter, Ben Platt, Dan Durbin, T. J. Simers
Fourth Inning. “I’m The Last Person Who Should Ever Complain”: Humility and Sincerity
Orel Hershiser, Eric Karros, Derrick Hall, Boyd Robertson, Tim Mead, John Olguin, Jill Painter Lopez
Fifth Inning. “Be Quiet and Eat Your Cookie”: Building Connections
Peter O’Malley, Al Michaels, Jessica Mendoza, Kevin Fagan, Sammy Roth, Joe Saltzman, Emma Amaya
Sixth Inning. “It Was Trust Well Placed”: Kindness and Friendship
Jaime Jarrin, Fred Claire, Ned Colletti, Bruce Froemming, Bob Miller, Dennis Gilbert, Steve Dilbeck, Brent Shyer, Doug Mann
Seventh Inning. “God Bless Us in Our Effort, God Bless America”: History and Patriotism
Josh Rawitch, Gil Hodges Jr., Joe Buck, Michael Green, Paul Haddad, Will Leitch, Bud Selig
Eighth Inning. “I’m Not Hollywood”: Celebrity and Fame
Patt Morrison, Bryan Cranston, Harry Shearer, Bill Dwyre, J. P. Hoornstra, Dennis McCarthy
Ninth Inning. “The Tao of Vin”: Inspiration and Influence
Ken Levine, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Leykis, Jim Hill, John Ireland, Ken Korach, Brian Wheeler, Mike Parker, Josh Suchon, Paul Vercammen, Jon Weisman
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes on Sources
Contributors
Recenzii
"[Perfect Eloquence] is constructed of individual essays penned by 67 peers that Scully impacted. And because of that, it's overflowing with warmth, appreciation, and admiration for one of baseball's most iconic voices."—Jeff Scott, Sports Illustrated
"A wonderful and long-overdue tribute to a man whom many consider the best sports broadcaster who ever lived."—Library Journal, starred review
"Perfect Eloquence is a thumbs up sign for all the Dodger fans who still miss his voice and smile."—Dennis McCarthy, Los Angeles Daily News
"Hoffrath deserves a lot of praise for being able to not only collect all these wonderful stories, but also weave them together in a great book that does justice to one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all time."—Guy Who Reviews Sports Books Blog
"Hoffarth offers some wonderful perspective in a fine collection of essays."—Bob D’Angelo, Sports Bookie
“Vin was more than a broadcaster, he was my friend.”—Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher
“With his mellifluous voice, razor-sharp analysis, and expert storytelling, Vin Scully became the singular voice of the Dodgers for generations of fans. His talent and class were cherished, and he is dearly missed. This book reminds us of all that—and keeps his voice always in our ears and his spirit in our Dodgers-blue hearts.”—Annette Bening, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award–nominated actress
“Vin Scully wasn’t just the voice of the Dodgers, he was the voice of Los Angeles, a city many said has no center. They are wrong. Scully was the center of sprawling, diverse, complex LA for more than half a century. This remarkable collection of essays attests to his brilliance and impact.”—Ron Shelton, Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the film Bull Durham
“This is the Vin Scully book you’ve been waiting for. Tom Hoffarth’s creativity and deft touch, the ringing of old and new voices, and the return of comforting memories team up for an unforgettable journey. Turn the pages and feel the spirit of the game. Of the Dodgers. And of Vin.”—Tim Brown, New York Times best-selling coauthor of The Phenomenon
“For twenty-nine of the thirty Major League teams there are lively debates about who was ‘the face of the franchise’ over the years. Although the Dodgers have had many—Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Sandy Koufax—who have deserved that designation at various times, for sixty-seven years the face of the franchise was a voice: Vin Scully’s. This volume shows why.”—George F. Will, author of the New York Times bestseller Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball
Descriere
Perfect Eloquence is a tribute to Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully in the words of writers, broadcasters, and others who knew him and celebrate him not just for his sixty-seven years calling games for the Dodgers but for his values, actions, and contributions away from the game.