Saturday, June 05, 2010

Vin Scully, on John Wooden

Vin Scully, from last night's telecast:

Friends, I interrupt the ballgame, and I come to you with a heavy heart, to make the announcement that at 6:45 p.m. tonight, Coach John Wooden passed away at Ronald Reagan UCLA hospital.

The great coach at UCLA was ninety-nine years old, would have been one hundred in October. Those of us who knew him and knew him well are the ones who were blessed by his life. And as usual, when it gets down to it, Shakespeare said it best:

    His life was gentle, and the elements
    So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up
    And say to all the world [Vin winks] 'This was a man!'

And you know, John was a big baseball fan, so I know he does not want you to be down. He wants you to get back to the ballgame. That's exactly what we'll do, in his honor. [...]

So John Wooden has left us, but I think we could quote members of his family, saying he and Mom are united again, the beloved Nell.

photo by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

4 comments:

Kyle Baker said...

It was soothing to hear Vin address the crowd last night, where during a moment of sorrow he navigated us through with his words of wisdom and comfort. A moment I won't soon forget.

Kyle Baker said...

Via TBLA:

"John Wooden and Vin Scully conversation to be rebroadcast for the first time, Monday night on Prime Ticket

"Scully & Wooden For The Kids", the fund raiser for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA conceived by the Los Angeles Times sports columnist T. J. Simers that was held on June 13, 2008 at the Nokia Center in Los Angeles will be rebroadcast for the first time ever on Monday night, some time following that evening's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Set your DVRs now people; those of us that missed this the first time should not miss it again."

http://www.truebluela.com/2010/6/5/1502886/john-wooden-and-vin-scully

rbnlaw said...

I know I'm going to watch that, and I know I'll probably want to start bawling like a baby. It's hard to realize a man like John Wooden would ever pass away from us.

To leave a fraction of what he left behind would make any life a success.

RIP, Coach. 10 National Titles; not one by way of a vote.

Eric Stephen said...

I completely missed Vin winking to the camera during this. Both Scully and Wooden, so cool.