Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Vin Scully Is Back For The Postseason!

Rejoice, Dodger fans:

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that Hall of Fame broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrín will call much of the action on the radio for the National League Division Series starting Wednesday, October 7. Dodger broadcasters Rick Monday, Charley Steiner, Fernando Valenzuela and Pepe Yñiguez will also be on the air for the Dodgers' broadcast partners, KABC 790 and KHJ La Ranchera 930.

[...]

Scully, who just completed an unprecedented 60th season behind the microphone for the Dodgers, will call the first three innings and the last three innings exclusively on KABC 790. Monday and Steiner will host the pregame show and call the middle three innings of action.

Wow, if there was ever an incentive to play extra innings, just to hear more of the yarns spun by the master, then this is it. Not that I wouldn't appreciate blowout victories where the Dodgers have a 25-run lead in the fourth inning, either. I'm just saying.

11 comments:

Fred's Brim said...

excellent - MLB.com still has the radio broadcasts, right? I can't imaging what schlubs they will have for the TBS games so I will be listing to Vin while watching on mute. I hope I can get the DVR to match the pictures with the sound

Josh S. said...

Yeah FB, the syncing was a problem for me last year, too. I had trouble because the radio was ahead of the TV, and sadly, no one sells the radio equivalent of a DVR. MLB.com used to allow you to pause games and pick up where you left off, but that functionality disappeared this season.

Dusty Baker's Toothpick said...

TBS should put Vinny on for the national broadcast. TBS is lame.

rbnlaw said...

If you have XM Radio, you'll get the home broadcasts for the first two games. Their audio should match up with the TV.

I remember Chick Hearn telling Laker fans to turn down the set when Dick Stockton and Fat Tommy Heinsohn were doing the commentary for CBS. Everything used to match up wonderfully. Thanks to satellite TV and DVR's, that's not the case anymore.

Kyle Baker said...

RB, you got me a little weepy thinking about Chick and about watching Lakers broadcasts with the TV sound down and Chick's call through the radio. Usually it was mostly sunced, but in later years w DVR technology I would get very specific by using the pause function to sync dat shit up exactly right. That was time well spent (despite what Mrs. Dusty ever said about the practice).

Kyle Baker said...

Mentioned this earlier in another thread, but the WSJ has a great article on Vinny today (10/6). I love this point it makes:

"Unlike many of today's commentators, he understands that what has happened is more important than what might happen."

Exactly. I haven't before been able to boil the issue down as succinctly as that, but that's it. When I listen to Joe Morgan or Tim McCarver or Joe Buck, they spend 98% of their time predicting what will happen, guessing what the pitcher will throw, whether the batter is thinking changeup, blah blah blah. They spend none of their time actually telling you what is happening in the goddamn game! They'd rather spread their opinion, cause oh lord do they know all, than just call the game.

And that distinction makes all the difference.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

@Dusty - Announcers are always trying to give their opinion, analyze the stances and the batting, get inside the head of the manager, etc.

If you asked Vin what he did, he would most likely say he is telling stories. And therein lies the difference.

Fred's Brim said...

And this is why I like the Mets broadcast (when they are not doing games vs the Dodgers anyway). Keith and Ron are really good about giving great stories about when they played and how they reacted in similar situations, as opposed to predicting what might happen

Kyle Baker said...

That's exactly it, FB.

theunwrinkledear said...

any news on vin announcing the NLCS? surely they can't stop now...

Kyle Baker said...

I haven't heard yet, but good question, theunwrinkledear.