I ocToBER 73,7985 frssAngelea@irn wtrll agazin e PEOPLE. PLACES. PLEASTJRES

Vin Extraordinaire:Scullvb \ brld SeriesPrimer Hwto%tch aBascballGame Vin Scully's Primer for Neophytes and Connoisseurs BY HENRY \TEINSTEIN

e's been California fans. Then in called "The 7982, he became one of six Bard of the Base broadcasters enshrined in the Paths." "The Velvet Hall of Fame at Coop- Voice of the Dodgers." erstown, N .Y. His fame has grown "The Babe Ruth of Sportscasting." considerably since then, ifr part be- He is Vincent Edward Scully,who for cause he now handles baseball's "Game 35 yearshas been captivating millions of of the Veek " for N B C as well as Dodger baseball fans around the country-be they games. He's a surprisingly well-known public rookies, seasoned observers or outright ad- figure. In hotel lobbies, in airport waiting rooms, dicts-with his descriptionsof the national pastime. boarding the Dodger bus on the way to a game,ger- Since he startedas an assistantto Red Barber,one of ting of the bus on arrival at the ballpark or jump- baseball'slegendary broadcasters, at Brooklyn'sEbbets ing into a cab when leaving the stadium, scully is be- Field in 1950,Scully has announcedthousands of games, sieged by well-wishers, beseeched by autograph seekers. including 13 no-hitters, tvro perfect games, a dozen Fifty years zgo, scully was the autograph hound. That's \forld and the breaking of Babe Ruth's career when his romance with baseball began. At the time, he home record by Henry Aaron. was an 8-year-old boy rooting for the Dodgers' archrivals, vin scully became the chief broadcasrer for the Dodg- the New York Giants, the team nearest his family's apart- ers in the mid-'50s when Barber left the team after a ment. scully collected rerurnable soda pop bottles to contract dispute. But he really his stride after the raise the 55 cents he needed for admission to the bleach- team moved to Los Angeles in 1958. ers of the Giants'home field, the cavernous polo soon, his highly descriptive, fact-packed radio accounts Grounds, a stadium that is no longer of Dodger games not only won wide praise but also were But in the mid-1930s, sitting 483 feet from home plate, deemed responsible for the creation of a new subspecies in seats no had ever reached, scully, 'lwor- of humanity-the transistorized fan. such people are so shiping frorn afat," noticed something curious. ';I would into baseball that they hold small radios to their ears and see the batter hit the ball. I would see the ball in the air. listen to a Dodger game wherever they are, be it a bus I would see the ball leave the . . Then ir's on stop, a Bar Mitzvah or even the ballpark itself. the way to the , then I hear the crack of the bat." In 1975, Scully was voted "the most memorable Dodg- After that happened several times, Scully grew more personality er of the century " in a poll of southern puzzled and turned to a man in the bleachers and asked hi- to eTplain. "He gave me a lesson in elementary physics, that light travels at a speed considerably faster rlleinstein, Henry a staff writer wbo specializes in labor than sound. Ir's nothing, but ro me it was a big itrrill. I relations, bas been listening to Scully since 1955. was charmed."

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARLENE \TALLACE WALL/FENCE

FOUL LINE FOUL LINE

THIRD BASE COACH4 *}ntnsr BAsEcoAcH

Scully still finds base- an 8-year-old boy at the ball charming, if hardly sim- Polo Grounds. There's the ple. He has watched more than matter of " following the ball, " games,says he's still learn- BATTER HOME for example. "Let's say it's the 5,000 PI,ATE ing about the sport and managesin CATCHER T]MPIRE bottom of the ninth in a close game broadcaststo combine the enthusiasm and a hitter is up," Scully of a boy with the wisdom of his years. hypothesizes." The fan wants a home run Scully said he still gets goose bumps watch- badly. The fellow hits a fly ball, just an ordi- ing a greatpitching duel, ? dazzling DifrhBndnary fly ball, and as soon as he hits that fly ball play, a home run .at a climactic moment. Now he the crowd goes bananasbecause they think that sits much closer to the action, and he agreedon the they're going to see what they want and it's just a eve of the \forld Seriesto sharesome of his insights fly ball. If I broadcastthat way, I'd drive people crazy. into how to watch a baseball game. His suggestions A broadcastercan only afford to follow the ball when it's ranged from the specific to the cosmic. on the ground or when it's a low line drive. \flhenever a fly ball is hit, the first person I have to look at is the The Essenttal Nature of the Experience outfielder. He tells me whether it's just an ordinary fly "You can't compare sports," Scully begins. "You can't ball or whether it's a fly ball that iust has a chance.And compare baseball,for instance,with basketballor foot- sometimeshe tells me immediatelyit's a home run." ball. Basically,basketball is like playing 2L: two cards. So does he advisea fan to avoid followi ng a fly ball? Hit me. Bingo. You made it or you didn't. Constantac- Absolutelynot. "It would be impossible.The fan is see- tion. Action. Action. Turnover.A lot of people like 21. ing things with his heart, and why not? That's fine. That's Other people like gin rummy; it takessome more think- what the roar of the crowd is all about anyway.But my ing. Then there's that group that loves chess." responsibility is to see things with my eyes." t$7ithbaseball, Scully says,it could simply be a group Still, most of the ways that Scully watches aballgame of fans going to the park to relax and have a good time are also accessibleto the fan. "and then somebody hits one over t.hefence and it's 21. If you're a gin rummy player, baseball might be gin Preliminary Observations rummy. But if you're really into it and you're looking to The first thing Scully does when entering a ballpark is see 'Are they holding the runner on?;this might be a precisely what the players do: He looks at the outfield hit-and-runplay,' then suddenly it's chess.It's like beau- flags to see how much wind there is and which way it's ty: It's in the eye of the beholder." blowing. Wind is rarely the factor in a game at Dodger Scully's philosophy is that baseballshould be savored Stadium or Anaheim Stadium that it can be in a number before being dissected-and there's a hint of regret that of other parks, but the breeze can be an early indication he can no longer watch the game as he did when he was of whether it's going to be a / Continued on Page 54 ITTUSTRATIONBY EARTH SURFACEGRAPHICS rg Scully's Primcr

Continued from Page tg / good day cally what kind of hitter the hitter is One key with all pitchers, though, for hitters (wind blowing out) or a and how they plan to him. If Scully says,is control. "The really good day for pitchers (wind blowing you know you've got a very powerful good pitcher, when you keep watch- in). He also considers atmospheric hitter, and yet you see they're shad- ing him-that first pitch is invaria- conditions. ing him the other way (away from bly a strike, or at least most of the "If it's a very hot afternoon, a ball his power), that tells you they're go- time. He's in charge. If you see a will have a tendency to travel a long ing to try to keep the ball away from pitcher 'pitching backward,'as they distance, compared to a cool eve- him; they're not going to let him try say-if every time you look, it's two ning. In the old days they used to to pull the ball." balls and no strikes or three balls talk about the home team, if they and one strike, you know he's labor- were playing a home run-hitting At the Plate i.g, you know there's a problem." team they would put the The initial confrontationsberween A lot of fans try to tell what type in the icebox to keep them cold so a pitcher and one of the power hit. of pitch is being thrown-, then they wouldn't travel as far dur- ters-generally the third, fourth, curve, . But it's simply ing the game." He has had no indi- fifth and sixth hitters on a team- not alwayspossible to be sure, even cation that this is still happening, may give an indication of how good from Scully's excellent vantage but it's an example of some of the the pitcher is. There's a natural ten- point in the press box. "A lot of hidden strategy at play in baseball. dency to try to keep the ball away times I'll saybreaking ball becauseI just cannot be sure whether it was a Opening Moves from a hitter, particularly a power hitter, so that it's more difficult for or a (a variation of As the game begins, Scully exam- the batter to get a fat piece of the the curve which breaks away sharply ines the field alignment. "Let's say ball with his bat. just before it gets to the batter)." you have no idea playing. "Let's power who's sayyou have a hitter Keep an Eye on the Catcher Let's say the leadoff man (first hit- up there. You're going to find out ter) is a left-handed batter. The first what kind of pitcher you have out Becausethe catcheris so much at thing I do with a left-handed batter there. You have to come inside. I the center of the game and gets play is see where the is. Is don't care if he's the greatesthome startedby signaling to the pitcher the third baseman even with the run hitter-Babe Ruth, H€nry Aar- what kind of pitch he wants, Scully (third base) b^9, or is he way in on on-sooner or later you've got to recommendswatching that player the grass? . If the third baseman come inside, becauseif you keep periodically. "Most of the time the is playing in on the grass, the word pitching away,they'll kill you the catcherwill set up where he wants in the league is that this fellow likes other wzy," becausethe batter will the ball, sometimesinside, some- to . So right away you've adjust his stanceto compensatefor times on the outside.So, there's an- learned something: You've learned the type of pitches he's being other cat-and-mousegame-a lot of that this team thinks this fellow thrown. the hitters would like to peek just might bunt anytime and they've set "If a guy can come inside to a before the pitch. If they can see the up for him." real power hitter and throw strikes, catcher sitting on the outside part of The same type of diagnosis ap- that tells you he's got a pretty good the plate, the hitter is now thinking plies to right-handed batters. In one fastball plus the guts, the confi- outside part of the plate. But good late-August game in New York, the dence to challengea hitter," Scully catchers-as they give the sign and Dodgers stacked their entire infield says."f n other words, don't give in as they're shifting, they're looking at toward the left side of the field to him; don't be afraidthat if I don't the hitter to see if he's peeking. And when Met catcher Gary Carter, a throw hard enough he'll hit it on if you get a hitter who's a peeker, right-handed pull hitter (one who top of the roof. You can't play in the they'll drive him crazy.They'll give frequently hits the ball to the left big leaguesthat way." the indication to the pitcher ',I.want side of the field) came to bat. Third Perhapsjust as important is know- a fastballinside' and they'll sit out- baseman Enos Cabell was almost in ing in advancewhat style of pitcher side. That's a horrifying experience, foul territory; Mariano is working in a particular game. becauseif the hitter thinks it'll be Duncan was playing deep "in the \fith a sinkerball pitcher such as outside and he leans outside, and hole" toward third base, and second Orel Hershiser of the Dodgers, here comes the pitch inside. " baseman Steve Sax was stationed be- whose goal is to keep the ball low, At best, the hitter must alter his hind the second base bag. The "if he's really sharp,you will see a swing at the last moment to com- Dodgers conceded virtually the en- lot of ground balls. If you seea lot pensatefor the pitch coming where tire right side of the infield to Cart- of fly balls, you know there's some- he doesn't expect it; at worst, he'll er. And their outfielders were in a thing wrong with the pitcher." be forced to duck to avoid being hit. similar configuration. "If you knew \fith a classic fastball pitcher, The cat-and-mousegame between nothing about what kind of hitter such as the Mets' Dwight Gooden, the hitter and the catcher can be Carter was, even if you just landed it's not surprising to see hitters sim- carried quite far, Scully says.Once from Mars and had never seen a ply swinging and missing or perhaps in a while, if a catcherwants to trick baseball game before, you'd have a hitting foul balls straight back or a batter into thinking an inside real. good idea what the Dodgers awayfrom their strength. "But if pitch is comirg, the last thing he'll were expecting." they're swinging and pulling it foul, do as he's getting in a crouch is to \Tatching the fielders move I'm startingto think that either his pound his glove, reasonablynear around provides more clues, Scully location is not right or his velocity the hitter's ear. "That sounds inside. says. "The fielders will tell you basi- is not what it normally is." But then the catcher / Continued

54 LOS ANGELESTIMES MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 13, 1985 Homeowner "Peace Of firefighter, who watches many of Mind" Class'A' Scully's Primcr Hernandez's games on television. Fire Protection ,el According to Scully, Hernandez's father said: 'I don't see the 1 any- more.' Keith replied: '\7hat do you Continued / will sit on the outside mean?' His father said that watching part of the plate. So there are won- the center-field camera shot of Keith derful games going on all the time , he'd normally see part of besides players just throwing, hit- the 1 as well as the 7 on the back of ting and catching the ball. You can his uniform (number I7), but that be anywhere in the ballpark and he didn't see the 1 anymore. Keith Class A' Fire Protection watch these things." immediately realized he wasn't clos- The fan can also look into the ing up enough (had his front foot RE-RO(DF dugouts to see if the or a too far away from the plate). As your home with beautiful MONIER is giving any signals to the LONGLASTINGTILE coach soon as he changed-base hit." fielders on where they ought to be Although much of baseball is a "For I Adds Value positioning themselves. exam- game of individual battles, particu- ToYour Home. ple, if (Atlanta Braves slugger) Dale LowerInsur- larly the hitter against the pitcher, it ance Rates Murphy is hitting and the first pitch is also a team sport. A well-executed I Virtually is ball one, I'll look in the Maintenance cutoff play is a prime example of Free,Lifetime and then I'll look back out. You'll good baseball teamwork in action Beauty see a coach moving an outfielder, an and can be a joy to watch. For exam- I Rated just Fire-. ; it might be a couple ple, io a late-August gaffi€, with Class"A of steps. Protection Gary Carter on first base, Darryl "Then if is hit, have I Re-RoofOver the ball 1lou Strawberry of the Mets hit the ball ExistingWood, tremendous satisfaction in one of Shakeor sharply into left-center field. Dodger Shingle two ways. He'll hit it where they Guerrero fielded the I Firm.S0-Year moved the fielder, or they'll move a ball, moving to his left, made a full Manufacturer's LimitedProduct guy and he'll hit the ball where the turn and threw the ball toward the Warranty fielder had been and it's a base hit. cutoff man, shortstop Duncan. It was WEWILL ANNANGE FNEEESTIMATE INWUN HOME Now you can understand the frustra- Duncan's role, as cutoff man, to take GAttI8!! l-90 0-421-9795 tion either of the bench or the Guerrero's throw and decide instant- g MoNIERRooFTILE pitcher because supposedly they set ly whether there was a chance to get the defense up according to the way Carter with a relay throw to third the pitcher wants to pitch the hitter. base or whether there was another Then you would infer that the pitch- play to be made. er, not the bench, made a mistake. In this instance, Duncan caught And that's the fun of this game. If the ball, whirled and threw to sec- you're watching these things, 1lou ond baseman Sax, who tagged out can see it all unfold." Strawberry, who was trying for a double. "strawberry had Subtleties every rea- son to think he had a double, be- Still, it's virtually impossible from cause in that situation Guerrero rypi- even the best seats or the press box cally would throw to third, trying for to pick out some details that can be the lead runner." But Guerrero had critical in how a game is played. For decided, because of where the ball example, teams with mediocre in- had been hit, that there was little fielders often let the grass grow chance to get Carter. So the Dodg- long on their home field to slow ers got Strawberry out and saved down ground balls, making them themselves at least one run. easier to handle. A hitter may have "The mark of a good player is that FREEB?|iI8*UERchanged his stance to get out of a he anticipates, and then when it Prime goosedown coats and comforters, . For example, when Pedro happens, he's ready to do what he's fine woolens,unique accessoriesfor Guerrero suddenly went on a hot anticipated," Scully says. "This was home and travel...theseare the kinds streak in June, he told Scully he had a wonderful play because there v/as of treasures you'll find in the brand lowered his hands a bit at the plate. anticipatio A, ? gre at decision and new Eddie Bauer catalog.Every item is "It was a matter of inches. Nobody great execution." Similar situations guaranteed 100%satisfactory or your could see that." arise in virtually every game. money back. Send for your free catalog. On the other hand, a small but Sometimes, you can even glean WRITETO EDDIEBAUER, DEPT.JLA, critical detail might be spotted by something about the game by FIFTH& UNION,SEATTI.E, WA 98124 an observant fan, even one watching watchi ng a player who's not directly Name a game 3,000 miles away on televi- involved in the action. "Let's say it's sion. Earlier this summer, Met first a base hit into left-center field with Address baseman Keith Hernan dez, normally a runner on first. Is the center field- City an excellent hitter, was mired in a er hustling over to back up the left slump. "He was really struggling. fielder? \7here is the pitcher? Is the State Zip - He took extra batting practice. He pitcher standing on the mound like tried this; he tried that. Nothing was a spectator, or is the pitcher racing working." TheD, oneday, he got a to cover behind third in case of a call from his father, a San Francisco bad throw?" / Continued on Page 62

56 LOS ANGELESTIMES MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 13, 7985 GARDtr,NJOBS ru HARMON M Cool Is Kind The large trumpet vari- Several wild or "spe- id mass but rather look M eties of daffodils are not cies" tulips have been like wildflowers blooming particularly adapted to very successfully grown in here and there because it Southern California. They our are takes about three years for thrive in such places as siAnA, T. saxatilis and T. a bulb to build up the the British Isles and our syluestris. Al l three can strength to flower a sec- own Pacific Northwest, now be planted without ond time. This tulip ap- where rains continue into pre-chilling. Tulipa clu; parently does equally well the summer and keep the siana have been in my in inland valleys and at bulbs well supplied with garden for more than 30 the beach. I pamper mine moisture while they devel- years; the bed has spread by giving the plants extra op. tVe have to provide six or seven feet on either water during the growing such moisture with sup- side of the old row. This season, to compensate for plemental watering. Keep tu lip, commonly called the sandy soil. I in mind that these daffo- the candlestick or lady tu- dils are subject to basal lip, has alternating red plate rot when the soil and white petals and a temperature exceeds 7 0 dark center blotch. Being degrees Fahrenheit. Plant- a wild tulip, it is not as ing them seven to eight large as the hybrids-only inches deep helps keep one foot taII, with a slen- them cool. Or, plant them der flower that is star- under deciduous trees shaped when it's wide (where they will get plen- open. Each subsequent ty of sun in the spring but yeat, many more of these adequate shade during the plants-with their narrow, summer) or under ground red-edged leaves-emerge covers or bedding plants on their own and bloom. that shade the ground. They don't bloom as a sol-

ILLUSTRATION BY G\rEN ROBINSON

early days of baseball; Roger Kahn's Lynch was rolling along, pitch ing a Scully'sPrimcr "The Boys of Summer," a memoir of shutout for five . "You might the 7950s- e ra Dodgers, and ''Bang say: 'I'll run out and get a hot the Drum Slowly," a novel about an dog.' " All of a sudden the Dodgers ill-fated catcher, by Mark Harris.) got five straight hits, scored four runs; you would have missed the Page Continued from 56 / Those When lt's Safe to Get Up turning point of the contest. "That's moves would indicate if a team has and Go for a Beer the great thing about this game. You schooled its players in the funda- don't take anything for granted, and mentals that can make the differ- Although baseball is played at a you don't turn you r back on any- ence between winning and losing. leisurely p ace that's found in no thing either." And for Scully, checking on those other competitive team sport, Scully Even so, Scully says,there are no seemingly periph eral but often es- says there are only a few occasions hard -and-fast rules on how to watch sential moves is a key part of what when it's opportune to leave your game. And he at the idea he loves about baseball: "That's the seat and get a hot dog and a beer- ^that there might be an essential part" fun of it, the tapestry of the game- and even those moments don't oc- of the game that fans commonly all the shadings and the colors, rath- cur in every game. "The only time I miss. After all, baseball games are er than just the impact of some- would make any severe quick move- for relaxing and having a good time, thing's that hung on the wall." ments is when the manager is bring- and he doesn't want to tamper with (For more of the tapestry, Scully ing in a new pitcher from rhe bull- that pleasure. suggests a book or two to get the pen. You've got the time for his "It shouldn't be work. You're go- flavor of the baseball world. He rec- walk in from the and his ing there to have fun. The last thing ommends "almost anything" by eight warm-up pitches. A pitching I would want to convey to any fan Roger Angell, author of "The Sum- change will take a minute and a half (with these comments) is: 'I want mer Game," who periodically writes to fwo minutes." you to go to the ballpark and do tbis about the game for The New Yorker; Other than that, there's no safe .' Baloney! I don't want to sound "The Glory of Their Times" by Law- time to get away. One night in New like some stern taskmaster. Holler rence S. Ritter, reminiscences of the York, for example, Met pitcher Ed and have a ball." tr

62 LOS ANGELESTIMES MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 13, 1985