Vin His Own Words

1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Vin His Own Words 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Entering his 65th season 2001 2002 with the Dodgers, the most 2003 remarkable figure of his 2004 profession, Vin Scully, takes 2005 2006 us through his life and career. 2007 So pull up a chair ... 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers 3 2014 JON SOOHOO 1950 1950 1951 1951 1952 1952 1953 Vin His Own Words 1953 1954 1954 1955 1955 1956 1956 1957 1957 1958 1958 1959 1959 1960 NO TROUBLE AT ALL 1960 1961 1961 1962 osh, I wasn’t really a trouble kind of kid. When I was in high school 1962 1963 1963 at Fordham Prep, they had a thing called JUG. It was mindless, 1964 1964 which is what made it such a pain in the neck. And I was I’m sure 1965 1965 guilty of laughing (or) talking in class, and so I was consigned to 1966 1966 JUG, which meant walking up and down outside this building. 1967 1967 That’s all, just walking up and down. And several other bad boys would now be 1968 G 1968 1969 in the group. So one day, we were all walking up and down and I decided, ‘Let’s 1969 1970 sing.’ So we were singing, ‘Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah,’ that kind of 1970 1971 thing. And the discipline priest came out, stopped everything and said, ‘Who’s 1971 1972 singing?’ And they all pointed to me. So he told the others, ‘You can all go.’ And 1972 1973 then he said to me, ‘You stay, you walk and you sing.’ And for about an hour, I 1973 1974 had to walk up and down outside the building on the campus, singing. That was 1974 1975 about as bad a thing as I ever did. 1975 1976 1976 1977 1977 1978 1978 1979 1979 1980 1980 1981 1981 1982 1982 1983 1983 LAKE COUNTY MUSEUM/GETTY IMAGES 1984 1984 1985 1985 1986 1986 1987 1987 1988 1988 1989 CHILDHOOD 1989 1990 1990 1991 rowing up, Mom, Dad, myself and my baby 1991 1992 sister, we lived in a fifth-floor walkup apart- 1992 1993 ment in Washington Heights in New York. 1993 1994 Close-knit, just four of us. We didn’t do too 1994 1995 much together because we didn’t have any 1995 1996 Gmoney. My father had spent a lifetime at sea. He was 1996 1997 English, he had been in the British Navy and the Mer- 1997 1998 chant Marine, and eventually he married my mother 1998 1999 who was widowed – my father had passed on. And so 1999 2000 suddenly, he was indeed a fish out of water. And he was a 2000 2001 doorman, and you don’t get a lot of money when you’re 2001 2002 a doorman. But it was a great, warm, happy life. On a 2002 2003 Sunday we would walk across the George Washington 2003 2004 Bridge – it didn’t cost anything – and if we had had a 2004 2005 good week, we’d have an ice cream cone at the Jersey 2005 2006 side, and then turn around and walk back and ride the 2006 2007 Fifth Avenue bus, up on top without the roof. Basically, 2007 2008 2008 those were the simple pleasures of a very simple life. Fordham Prep baseball photo 2009 2009 2010 First communion 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 4 Los Angeles Dodgers 2014 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers 5 2014 1950 1950 1951 1951 1952 1952 1953 Vin His Own Words 1953 1954 1954 1955 1955 1956 1956 1957 1957 1958 1958 1959 ‘VERY, VERY AVERAGE’ 1959 1960 1960 1961 was an average student. I enjoyed going to school. I think 1961 1962 I enjoyed the camaraderie of my fellow students more than 1962 1963 anything else. I prepared out of fear, because I didn’t want 1963 1964 to fail – I didn’t want to be held up to ridicule. I’ve always 1964 1965 done that – researched out of fear of sounding dumb. I read, 1965 1966 I would not say, anything more than the average fellow. I read a little 1966 1967 I 1967 bit more as I got into college, and I tried to retain a few things – that’s 1968 difficult in itself. (But) I’m not a highbrow; I’m not one of those intel- 1968 1969 lectuals at all. I’m very, very average. 1969 1970 1970 1971 1971 1972 1972 1973 1973 1974 1974 1975 1975 1976 1976 1977 1977 1978 1978 1979 1979 1980 1980 1981 1981 1982 1982 1983 1983 1984 1984 1985 1985 1986 1986 1987 1987 1988 1988 1989 1989 1990 1990 1991 1991 1992 1992 1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 1996 1996 1997 1997 1998 Racing Jackie Robinson on skates during a trip in the Catskills 1998 1999 1999 2000 2000 2001 2001 2002 2002 2003 INTRODUCING JACKIE ROBINSON 2003 2004 2004 2005 ou didn’t know anything really about him – little stuff that you might have read in the pa- 2005 2006 per. And you didn’t have the intimate details that television (would have) brought out. And, 2006 2007 when I got out of school, I left New York ... and then went on to Washington D.C. to begin 2007 2008 my career. So I kind of lost track of Jack, but only for a year. And the next thing I know I’m 2008 2009 in Spring Training with him, and we became good friends, yeah. 2009 2010 Fordham University yearbook photo (top), honored by Fordham with honorary doctorate — and special uniform — in 2000 (above) Y 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 6 Los Angeles Dodgers 2014 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers 7 2014 1950 1950 1951 1951 1952 1952 1953 Vin His Own Words 1953 1954 1954 1955 1955 1956 1956 1957 RED 1957 1958 1958 e did have an impact on me for sure – he was strict. 1959 1959 He was a disciplinarian. In retrospect, (that) meant 1960 1960 1961 he cared. I wasn’t just another body in the booth. I 1961 1962 think in some ways, I might have been the son he 1962 1963 never had, and maybe the red hair had something 1963 to do with that. He had a lovely daughter, but he treated me like a 1964 H 1964 1965 son. (But) every now and then, if he thought I stepped out of line ... 1965 1966 I remember one time, early, first or second year maybe, I was 1966 1967 raving about Willie Mays, and I mentioned he’s one of the great- 1967 1968 est players I’d ever seen, and after the broadcast Red said, ‘Young 1968 1969 Scully’ – which is sometimes the way he would address me – ‘you 1969 1970 haven’t been around long enough to talk about the greatest players 1970 1971 you’ve ever seen.’ And immediately, it drew me back a little bit, and 1971 1972 he would do that along the way. But again, it’s because he cared. So 1972 1973 he had a tremendous influence, especially on preparation, because 1973 1974 he would always pepper me with questions before the game. ‘Why 1974 1975 is this fella hitting ahead of this fella? Yesterday he hit behind him.’ 1975 1976 And I had to find out all these answers before I went on the air. So 1976 1977 he helped me immeasurably. 1977 1978 1978 1979 1979 1980 1980 1981 1981 1982 1982 1983 1983 1984 1984 1985 1985 1986 1986 1987 1987 1988 1988 1989 1989 1990 1990 1991 1991 1992 1992 1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 1996 1996 1997 1997 1998 With Walter Alston and 1998 1999 Connie Desmond 1999 2000 2000 2001 2001 2002 2002 2003 LAUNCHING A CAREER 2003 2004 2004 2005 t was a 50,000-watt station, which means the big leagues – you can’t get any bigger in the United 2005 2006 States. And I was going directly from a campus radio station at Fordham University. And the 2006 2007 names that had been at WTOP, people like Eric Sevareid and Edward R. Murrow, Charles Colling- 2007 2008 2008 wood, Arthur Godfrey – so many big names had been there, so I was pretty overwhelmed. But the 2009 2009 station people were wonderful and took very good care of this kid out of campus who’s suddenly 2010 2010 doing all these network and around-the-world shows. 2011 I 2011 2012 2012 With Red Barber and Connie Desmond, 1950 (top), with Barber (above) 2013 2013 2014 8 Los Angeles Dodgers 2014 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers 9 2014 1950 1950 1951 1951 1952 1952 1953 Vin His Own Words 1953 1954 1954 1955 1955 1956 1956 1957 1957 1958 1958 1959 1959 1960 1960 1961 JOB INSECURITY 1961 1962 1962 1963 h, I had no idea. In all honesty, in the 1963 1964 beginning, I just prayed I’d stay day to 1964 1965 day. I had no idea. I was on a one-year 1965 1966 deal, and then (after) the change of 1966 1967 ownership when Branch Rickey left and 1967 1968 OWalter O’Malley took over, I really didn’t know about 1968 1969 my future and I was quite worried about my present.

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