Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully remembered for eloquence, class behind the mic

NEW YORK — Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully passed away Tuesday night at the age of 94.

He was known as the voice of the Dodgers, but he grew up in New York City.

As CBS2’s Steve Overmyer reports, the man is considered to be one of the greatest sportscasters of all time. More than the voice of baseball, he was a national treasure.

Scully was on the mic for one of the greatest Mets moments. He had a style all his own. Rooted in radio, his brand of broadcasting favored storytelling.

“What distinguished Vin was that he brought that touch of elegance and eloquence to everything he did,” Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas said.

Starting in 1950, Scully was the voice of the Dodgers for 67 years. As a national broadcaster, too, he called some of the most iconic games in sports history. When he was with CBS, he called “the catch.”

Scully became a Baseball Hall of Famer in 1982. He’s also one of the few broadcasters to ever win the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But the New York native’s career began at Fordham University in 1947.

“His fingerprints are all over WFUV Sports,” WFUV sports director Bobby Ciafardini said. “Obviously, the legacy from that period of time, calling the games and setting the standard for play-by-play … Throughout the years, being able to come back and work with the students at workshops and be available to them for critiques and analysis and words of encouragement.”

By the time he retired in 2016, he had called more than 9,000 games. 20 no-hitters and three perfect games, including the most famous one of all by Yankees pitcher Don Larsen.

Over the years, technology changed, but the smooth voice of Scully remained. With a lyrical majesty, Scully always found the perfect tone for the biggest moments, including Hank Aaron surpassing Babe Ruth.

“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep south,” he said.

Scully stamped the game with his imprimatur of class, but the greatest wordsmith said it best when he said nothing at all.

Never wanting to intrude on a moment, Scully waited nearly a minute after Kirk Gibson’s home run in the World Series to put a bow on it.

“In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened,” he said.

Scully was labeled the voice of summer. After 94 years, his voice ran out of summers, but will echo through history.

Ciafardini told CBS2 he spoke with Scully the week before he passed away, saying Scully knew his time was coming and wanted to call all the people he knew to say goodbye.