To nobody's surprise, Vin Scully topped a recent Fangraphs poll that asked readers to rate each club's TV broadcast crew. As Fangraphs' Carson Cistulli put it, "Vin Scully has been an excellent broadcaster since that time in our nation’s history when men wore fedoras unironically." 2012 will mark Scully's 63rd season calling Dodgers baseball.
Some more news about L.A.'s blue team…
- Jared Kushner has dropped his bid to buy the Dodgers, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Kushner, the owner and publisher of the New York Observer, withdrew despite an invitation to either restructure his bid or to join another of the seven remaining groups vying to buy the club from Frank McCourt.
- Matt Kemp had no problems looking past the Dodgers' ownership issues to sign his long-term extension with the team, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. "This is where I wanted to be," Kemp said. "It happened kind of fast. They started talking about the numbers, and, 'Oh my God, for real?' It was kind of cool. It was a fun process, but I also had to ask myself, 'Am I really in this position right now?' All I could think about was being a sixth-round pick, not sure if I even wanted to play baseball, and now I was getting a long-term deal. For me it was a dream."
- Also from Gurnick's piece, Clayton Kershaw said his recent two-year extension "was just the terms and the years," and had nothing to do with any concerns about the ownership sale. "As far as I'm concerned, I can play baseball for two years, and I'm good with that," Kershaw said. "You've just got to perform no matter what the contract is." Kershaw's two-year contract means he will still be eliglble for arbitration following the 2013 season and free agency after 2014.
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can’t believe we’re almost rid of McCourt. hopefully colleti follows him out the door.
One of the coolest things about baseball is how good announcers become as much a part of the viewing and listening experience as the game itself is. Scully is great, and I still remember him doing the Game of the Week when I was younger.
As a Phillies fan, Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn transcended the medium for me. I like our crew now, but no one will ever come close to the chemistry of those two.
It’s sad how so few announcers today even try to emulate Scully’s example. His secret is to focus on the game and players, and to talk directly to the fans. The latest crop of announcers are too busy gabbing with each other to even notice that a game is going on half the time.
If there’s anything that the Dodgers should keep in their franchise it’s Scully. The closest thing New Yorkers have to Scully it’s Gary, Keith and Ron.
Vin Scully is bar none the best announcer the game of baseball, or any sport for that matter, has ever seen.
My goodness… to say that he’s been doing this since the Dodgers were in Brooklyn, he’s like the Michael Jordan of baseball announcers. Scratch that, I should be saying how Michael Jordan is the Vin Scully of basketball players.
The man is undeniably a legend among legends.
How did I even get here after reading about ownership, Kemp, and Kershaw?