I grew up in LA, and so you might think that I'm biased when it comes to rating or ranking sportscasters and when I say that Vin Scully is without a doubt the greatest sportscaster of all time. Of course, I am biased. But that doesn't mean that it is impossible for me to be right or to have compelling reasons for my belief. It is sort of like the saying, I guess, that just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.
Anyway, the reason Vin Scully is the best is because he is a fine human being. I would sum up Scully's greatness with just one word: charity. This word doesn't mean that he excels in alms-giving, although I can imagine that he does that as well. No, this word, 'charity', means that he has a loving heart that seeks to find the good and bring out the best in everybody. It is the opposite of being narcissistic. While other sportscasters try to impress you with their knowledge of the game, Scully is way past that and focused on something much more important. He is more interested in the players of the game, more precisely, in the people of the game. For Vin Scully loves people. Period. Yes, he can weave fascinating stories about these people, because he loves these people. He cares about people. You will never hear him say anything derogatory about anybody. He roots for every player on the field, not just for the Dodgers. And the Dodgers and their fans love him for that.
I have experienced baseball, the American sport, through the eyes of Vin Scully since the 1950s when the Dodgers moved to LA. My Dad took my brother and me to the Roy Campanella night in the Coliseum, when they turned off the lights and had everybody light a match or lighter (a LOT of people smoked back then) as a show of support for Campanella and he was wheeled out in a wheelchair. It still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Recently Scully reminded us of that night in one of his between-inning vignettes. I was transported back in time and realized that he loves not only today's players but also all the players who have gone before us. Time doesn't change his charitableness. Back then Scully was the voice of baseball and I didn't even know that other announcers were different until much later. He provide a fine example of a good human being.
But the thing I like most about Scully is that he inspires me to be a better person, to look past my petty squabbles and pet peeves and look at the other person as someone who is special and worthy of being lifted up. Vinnie does that with every batter who comes to the plate, with every pitch that is delivered, with every home run that is hit. He tells you about all the players, where they grew up, whom they idolized, what their hopes and dreams were. And if a story takes several plays to deliver, well, it just does. He'll interrupt his story to call the play and add to your excitement of the game, but then he'll get right back to the story until it has been told.
To be sure, Vin Scully can call a game like nobody else, probably because he cut his teeth in the days of radio broadcasting before television. He can paint the picture of the game better than anyone else. In the old days of transistor radios nearly everyone in the stands would have one with little ear plugs to hear him call the game.
Vin Scully brings out the best in everybody because he sees the best in everybody. And that's why I love him and why I suspect millions of others love him as well.
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