The legendary voice of Dodgers baseball will be back for one more year, as the team announced that Vin Scully will be back in the booth for the 2014 season. It will be an incredible 65th year behind the microphone for the legendary broadcaster, something that workers in any profession would be hard pressed to replicate (nor would many want to).
‘‘I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that I have always felt that I am the most ordinary of men who was given an extraordinary break of doing what I love to do at a very early age,” Scully said on Friday. ”I pray that I’ll be allowed to do it for at least one more year.
”As far as I’m concerned, it could have been one line in the note sheet tonight. But I don’t take any of it for granted in any way, shape or form. I know that this miracle was given to me, and I could lose it in 30 seconds between the time I leave here and go up to the booth. I’m just so blessed to be doing what I love to do and full of thanks.”
The 85-year-old Scully went on to say that the Dodgers incredible run which has seen the team go from last place in the NL West to a commanding lead in the division over the course of just 50 games was a major factor in his decision to come back for one more year.
‘‘I do think that the success of the team had something to do with it,” Scully said. ”These last 50 games, coming to the ballpark and watching them pull out some miraculous victories, it was so thrilling – even for someone who had seen however many games I’ve seen before.
”It became so much exciting again and so much fun. I don’t really know how I would have felt had they stayed in last place with 30 some-odd games left. I probably would have come back, anyway, because I love it so much, but this made it pretty easy. And as long as I feel the emotion, I feel like I should be here.”
To put things in perspective, when Scully began his broadcasting career he was calling games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950.
”The Dodgers are overjoyed to have Vin back with the team in 2014,” Dodgers Chairman and Owner Mark Walter said. ”Vin IS Dodger baseball. The Dodgers, the sport of baseball and the city of Los Angeles are extremely fortunate to have him in our midst.”
Scully will call all Dodger home games, as well as all road games in California and Arizona, excluding national telecasted games. He will call all nine innings for the team’s television broadcasts, with the first three innings simulcast to radio.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave your comments below, follow our baseball department on twitter @LastWordMatt, @Nvincelli and @lastwordmark. You can also follow the site while you are at it – @lastwordonsport.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
Main Photo Credit: officialvinscully.com
