Friday, September 2, 2016

When George Will Writes On Baseball - Vince Scully


I don't normally read George Will on politics, but when he writes on baseball I go out of my way to read him.  He is absolutely brilliant on baseball.  I was fortunate to attend a number of games at Nats stadium in the lower section near where George Will's season tickets are located.  I never had the great privilege of meeting him, but I did see him on a number of occasions.

He writes a fantastic article on the great Vince Scully called,  "Baseball’s storyteller, our friend".

I love these stories that Mr. Will tells regarding Vice Scully:

"In recent years, Scully has not accompanied the Dodgers on the road. Hence this recent tweet quoting an 8-year-old Dodgers fan, Zoe: “I hate when the Dodgers have away games. They don’t tell stories.”

When the Baltimore Orioles visited Dodger Stadium in July, Scully’s listeners learned that the father of Orioles manager Buck Showalter fought from North Africa to Italy to Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge. Whenever the Orioles come to town, Scully dispenses nuggets about the War of 1812. On June 6 broadcasts, they learned something about D-Day. His neighbor once was Ronald Reagan."

Below is a classic example:

"On Opening Day this year, before the season’s first pitch, Scully was the center of attention on the center of Dodger Stadium’s diamond, standing on the pitcher’s mound with various retired Dodger stars, including pitcher Don Newcombe. Newcombe, now 90, was the starter in the first game Scully participated in broadcasting — Opening Day, 1950, in Philadelphia. Scully knew players who knew Ty Cobb. Scully’s listeners today include the great-great-grandchildren of earlier listeners. Baseball, more than any other American institution, and Scully, more than any other baseball person, braid America’s generations."

It is a great read....