L.A. Traffic Still Sucks, But Vin Scully Avenue Rules!

Vinny, you are the best!

No caption necessary.

The best Dodger news this winter came across my computer yesterday: The city of Los Angeles will be honoring longtime Dodger broadcaster, Vin Scully, by re-naming the street that leads to Dodger Stadium, Vin Scully Avenue! No true baseball fan can deny that Scully is arguably the best baseball broadcaster of all time. Who else has the nerve to sit in the booth alone; these days, every MLB broadcasting booth has wall-to-wall talking heads vying for their airtime blather. Not Vinny's booth: As he has for the better part of his 66 years with the team, Scully sits solo, delicately guiding listeners and viewers through the intricacies of the game. The man is now 88 years old and still never misses a moment on the field and has a fascinating tale to tell at just the right time. Every time.

I got to hang in Vinny's office last summer.

One of my favorite parts of listening to a Scully game is when he isn't talking--he understands when to let the sounds of the game tell the story, which is beautiful. I still get chills watching re-plays of Kirk Gibson's game-winning World Series homer against the Oakland A's in 1988, not just from the huge victory it sealed or the drama of watching Gibson hobble to the plate, but from Vinny's non-call of the moment. He went on radio-silence, and let the roar of the crowd fill the airwaves and complete the picture. 

Word is that Vinny plans to call the final game of his illustrious career at San Francisco's AT&T Park on October 2. He won't be traveling much during the season, mostly working home games, but it sounds like he wants to end it presiding over the rivalry he has witnessed from Day 1. Perfect swan song for sure. To no surprise, the L.A. City Council voted 12 - 0, in favor of giving Scully his due leading up to his "so-long" season. I, for one, can't wait to drive along Vin Scully Avenue to Dodger Stadium this summer. I won't even mind the traffic.