The Greatest of All Time Top Dog Vin Scully entertained Dodger fans — even between innings By Mark LangiLL o what exactly is Braunschweiger? That might be the only question remaining from Vin Scully’s broad- Scasting career for those who have listened to his commercial pitches during Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodger games over the past 67 seasons. Everything else seemed self-explanatory — the automobiles, gaso- line, soda, beer, airlines, savings and loans, house paint, hi-fi stereos, televisions and shaving products that companies have only been too grateful to have him promote. duced as ‘Farmer John’ himself. Naturally, In the 1970s, Vin teamed with broadcast we can’t think of a bigger compliment.” partner Jerry Doggett for those wonder- But the most memorable product Vin fully hokey TV commercials for upcoming touted was Dodger baseball. Although in-stadium promotions, including Camera admittedly impartial on the air, Vin nev- Day with Vin taking a photo of the smiling ertheless made every game sound spe- Doggett and saying, “Gotcha!” Whenever cial. His pregame greeting to listeners the Dodgers were giving away a baseball, was charged with anticipation and ex- Vin advised kids to play with the ball and citement, even if a fourth- and fifth-place not stick it on a shelf to gather dust. Vin team were going to battle on a muggy af- also touted the “Danny Goodman Spe- ternoon with pitchers whose credentials cials” from the longtime Dodger Stadium weren’t exactly Easternmost in quality merchandise director, who packaged his nor Westernmost in flavor. leftover inventory into $2 deals. Urban legend says the Union Oil Com- As for the food, Vin could make anyone pany of California (which memorably want to run to the grocery store sponsored $20 of “auto script” after and start a barbeque with every Dodger home run a gen- Farmer John products, add- eration ago) wasn’t prepared to ing an “mmmm, mmm” sound loan the Dodgers money in effect to rival Sheriff Andy Taylor the early 1960s for their new praising Aunt Bee’s apple pie. For the re- ballpark construction until Vin cord, Braunschweiger is a type of liverwurst. was signed to a 10-year contract. Because The Farmer John company website ex- the standard radio contracts didn’t extend plains the magnitude of its most famous past seven years due to union rules, three spokesperson: “Dodger Dog hot dogs have option years were added. become synonymous with the crack of the So if the popularity of home-run hitting bat and the smell of the grass. So much Babe Ruth led to a new Yankee Stadium in so, in fact, that legendary announcer Vin 1923, Dodger Stadium in a sense became Scully, a proud endorser, was once intro- “The House That Vin Built.” 2016 DoDger InsIDer 61 061_HS12.indd 61 9/8/16 11:38 AM.