“It’s time for Dodger baseball!"
How many times have I heard that? It’s been less than 24 hours since I heard it, live, for the last time. Yesterday marked the end of Vin Scully’s 67(!)-year career as the voice of the Dodgers and, for us, Dodgers fans, the voice of dreams, of hopes, of joy and sometimes sadness, when we collectively thought “just you wait ’til next year!”.
Since yesterday, it will be no more. The voice of the Dodgers spoke to us for the last time in the final game of the 2016 season. A 5-1 loss to the Giants, no less. We are still NL West champs, hoping to finally break the World Series drought, but the voices that will go on this road with us will be different. They have the biggest boots to fill and I’m sure they will fill them in their own way, but it’s too early for any of us not to miss the voice that has been our companion and friend, in my case for all my life
That in itself it’s mind-boggling. Vin was working as the voice of the Dodgers longer than I have been on this planet, and i’m not a young person. If that doesn’t say lots about how good he really is, I don’t know what will. As a matter of fact, come to think of it, there are no words that can do him justice.
Baseball will never be the same. No matter. As long as Vin’s happy, we owe it to him to move forward ourselves.
As you said it yesterday (masterfully as always), “Don’t be sad because it ended. Smile, because it happened”.
Thank you, Vin. Godspeed and farewell. If life gives me a chance, I would feel honored to meet you someday and shake your hand, just to say thanks. You said you needed us more than we needed you, but I, speaking for myself, although I think it won’t be too hard to find a lot of people who feels the same, don’t believe that’s true.
As you used to say, “Let’s go back to this one”.
