"In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened."
June 13, 2012 9:38 AM Subscribe
The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup on Monday night. This morning, a local radio station (KSPN 710 AM) had on the team's hall-of-fame announcer Bob Miller to be interviewed and take calls. A certain special caller turned out to be another hall-of-famer -- long-time Los Angeles Dodgers baseball announcer, Vin Scully, who has been with his team for over 60 years. The audio is special.
The only thing missing, as they mention, would have been the Los Angeles Lakers' hall-of-fame announcer Chick Hearn, who passed away in 2002. I think the picture of the three of them that Scully and Miller discuss is this one.
The only thing missing, as they mention, would have been the Los Angeles Lakers' hall-of-fame announcer Chick Hearn, who passed away in 2002. I think the picture of the three of them that Scully and Miller discuss is this one.
One correction - it was yesterday morning, not today.
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:48 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:48 AM on June 13, 2012
Vin Scully. Best voice that ever called a ball game. And the perfect announcer's name.
posted by philip-random at 9:57 AM on June 13, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 9:57 AM on June 13, 2012 [5 favorites]
My Angeleno heart is bursting! Thank you for posting this.
posted by pazazygeek at 9:57 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by pazazygeek at 9:57 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Listening to this only confirms that Vin Scully could do play-by-play of people buying groceries and I'd listen with rapt attention.
Best voice that ever called anything ever.
posted by dry white toast at 10:02 AM on June 13, 2012 [4 favorites]
Best voice that ever called anything ever.
posted by dry white toast at 10:02 AM on June 13, 2012 [4 favorites]
Also, excellent title for this post. Geez, how does he always come up with those perfect pithy summaries of amazing moments??
posted by dry white toast at 10:04 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by dry white toast at 10:04 AM on June 13, 2012
Bob Miller had this to say in 2006 when got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:
J. Quick, D. Brown, A. Kopitar, and S. Bernier have exorcised that demon for you.
------------------
Miller's call of the night before last's win (NBC held exclusive broadcast rights; Miller and his partner Jim Fox recorded all three potential Cup clinching games to tape for eventual release/sale later).
Miller's call of Gretzky's record setting point.
Bob Miller relives the Miracle on Manchester.
posted by notyou at 10:06 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
My greatest fear is that I retire and the Kings win a Stanley Cup the next year.Fear no more, Bob.
J. Quick, D. Brown, A. Kopitar, and S. Bernier have exorcised that demon for you.
------------------
Miller's call of the night before last's win (NBC held exclusive broadcast rights; Miller and his partner Jim Fox recorded all three potential Cup clinching games to tape for eventual release/sale later).
Miller's call of Gretzky's record setting point.
Bob Miller relives the Miracle on Manchester.
posted by notyou at 10:06 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Vin Scully. Best voice that ever called a ball game. And the perfect announcer's name.
A boy growing up in California years ago considered Vin Scully "the voice of God". And that's how Vin Scully became the namesake for one of that boy's best characters years later, when that boy went to work in television.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:10 AM on June 13, 2012 [6 favorites]
A boy growing up in California years ago considered Vin Scully "the voice of God". And that's how Vin Scully became the namesake for one of that boy's best characters years later, when that boy went to work in television.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:10 AM on June 13, 2012 [6 favorites]
I am spoiled. Growing up with Scully and Hearn.
In my little burg, the "Voice of the Ducks," a guy who's been here forever, and calls all of the major Oregon sports, is legendary, but he's just awful, and always has been.
posted by Danf at 10:38 AM on June 13, 2012
In my little burg, the "Voice of the Ducks," a guy who's been here forever, and calls all of the major Oregon sports, is legendary, but he's just awful, and always has been.
posted by Danf at 10:38 AM on June 13, 2012
This is probably my own hometown bias, but I really think that Phillies-Dodgers games between 1971 and 2009, with Scully calling LA's broadcast and Harry Kalas in Philadelphia's booth, represent an all-time high point for sports announcing.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:44 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:44 AM on June 13, 2012
/Vin Scully*/
Interesting thing about Juan Yer-ee-bay... he's dynamite with the Yo-Yo!
/*Vin Scully/
That gets some laughs in the basicchannel household.
posted by basicchannel at 10:46 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Interesting thing about Juan Yer-ee-bay... he's dynamite with the Yo-Yo!
/*Vin Scully/
That gets some laughs in the basicchannel household.
posted by basicchannel at 10:46 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Didn't Vin Scully start with the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn and made the move out to Cali with them? That's some memories right there I'm sure.
posted by spicynuts at 11:17 AM on June 13, 2012
posted by spicynuts at 11:17 AM on June 13, 2012
Didn't Vin Scully start with the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn and made the move out to Cali with them? That's some memories right there I'm sure.
Yep!
Yep!
Scully accompanied the Dodgers to their new location beginning with the 1958 season, and quickly became popular in Southern California. During the Dodgers' first four seasons in Los Angeles, the fans had difficulty following the action in the cavernous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and it soon became customary for them to bring transistor radios to the games to hear Scully and partner Jerry Doggett describe the action. This practice continued even after the team's move to Dodger Stadium in 1962. Radio and television engineers often had difficulty compensating for the sound of Scully's play-by-play reverberating through the stands at Dodger home games.posted by Celsius1414 at 11:31 AM on June 13, 2012
In 1964, the New York Yankees offered Scully the opportunity to succeed Mel Allen as their lead play-by-play announcer. Scully chose to remain with the Dodgers, however, and his popularity in Los Angeles became such that in 1976 the team's fans voted him the "most memorable personality" in the history of the franchise.
Nothing sounds like summer more than Vin Scully's voice on a transistor radio.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:48 AM on June 13, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by eyeballkid at 11:48 AM on June 13, 2012 [4 favorites]
Joe Posnanski wrote an excellent article on Scully, entitled "The Heart Of Los Angeles". The Sports Illustrated web site doesn't seem to have it any more.
Summary: when Scully moved to Los Angeles, he was concerned because he couldn't find the heart or essence of the city. Posnanski's conclusion: the heart of Los Angeles is Scully's voice.
I remember his call of Kirk Gibson's home run in 1988. He's not just an American treasure, but a world treasure (I'm posting this from Canada).
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 11:58 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Summary: when Scully moved to Los Angeles, he was concerned because he couldn't find the heart or essence of the city. Posnanski's conclusion: the heart of Los Angeles is Scully's voice.
I remember his call of Kirk Gibson's home run in 1988. He's not just an American treasure, but a world treasure (I'm posting this from Canada).
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 11:58 AM on June 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Listening to this only confirms that Vin Scully could do play-by-play of people buying groceries and I'd listen with rapt attention.
So lucky to have him calling Game of the Week when I was a kid. Sport is America is insistent on replacing any sort of uniqueness with a standard Announcer Voice and we're worse for it. Which is why I treasure moments like today when I get to hear Ian Darke call Netherlands v. Germany. And my love of British announcers always makes me think of the Simpsons' episode "Dead Putting Society":
So lucky to have him calling Game of the Week when I was a kid. Sport is America is insistent on replacing any sort of uniqueness with a standard Announcer Voice and we're worse for it. Which is why I treasure moments like today when I get to hear Ian Darke call Netherlands v. Germany. And my love of British announcers always makes me think of the Simpsons' episode "Dead Putting Society":
"Good afternoon everybody, and welcome to the finale of what has already been a stirring afternoon of miniature golf. The cream has risen. The wheat has bid farewell to the chaff. And now, we approach the championship match where but two warriors remain: The heretofore unknown Bart Simpson and Todd Flanders, one of the most skilled ten-year-olds to ever take back the blade."posted by yerfatma at 12:12 PM on June 13, 2012
One of the great Scullyisms I remember:
A middle relief pitcher was making the trek in from the bullpen. I forget the name. He was tall and skinny and Scully goes, "It looks like he got to the ballpark on a raft."
posted by Danf at 1:10 PM on June 13, 2012
A middle relief pitcher was making the trek in from the bullpen. I forget the name. He was tall and skinny and Scully goes, "It looks like he got to the ballpark on a raft."
posted by Danf at 1:10 PM on June 13, 2012
I'm not normally a fan of American accents, I usually only listen to Americans if the content is interesting. But you Mr Scully are making my ears happy.
I have absolutely no clue what this celebration's for though!
posted by fearnothing at 1:22 PM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
I have absolutely no clue what this celebration's for though!
posted by fearnothing at 1:22 PM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
I have absolutely no clue what this celebration's for though!
The Stanley Cup is the trophy passed around to the annual champion of the National Hockey League*. This week, the LA Kings won the trophy for the first time in their 45-year history.
* the NHL is rather confusedly named, although it consists of hockey teams from both Canada and the US.
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:12 PM on June 13, 2012
The Stanley Cup is the trophy passed around to the annual champion of the National Hockey League*. This week, the LA Kings won the trophy for the first time in their 45-year history.
* the NHL is rather confusedly named, although it consists of hockey teams from both Canada and the US.
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:12 PM on June 13, 2012
It occurs to me that my 73-year-old dad grew up listening to Vin Scully call Brooklyn Dodgers games on the radio. That's a pretty impressive career.
posted by dfan at 5:17 PM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by dfan at 5:17 PM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Our friend Dan Scully is an architect whose father Vin(cent) is probably the greatest architectural historian in American history. (This article says he's maybe the greatest lecturer ever to teach at Yale.) Dan was on an airplane one time when the stewardesses got all excited about him being Vin Scully's son. "Why do they care so much about architecture?" he wondered, but then, of course, the truth came out — they were Dodger fans.
posted by LeLiLo at 10:27 PM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by LeLiLo at 10:27 PM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
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posted by Celsius1414 at 9:38 AM on June 13, 2012 [1 favorite]