“Vin”
“Vin”
Before I knew his name, I knew the game. Before I knew the game, I knew his voice. To some, as he painted the game with the sound of his illustrious voice, the sounds of the game were nothing more than radio noise.
I did not speak the language when I first heard his voice. For some unexplainable reason, to me, his voice was much more than radio noise. To millions, especially after his departure from the game, the thought of having him announce one more inning fills us with excitement and causes us to rejoice.
In his youth, he studied broadcasting and journalism and he even played the game at Fordham University. After joining the Dodgers in 1950, he worked with Jackie Robinson, who, by breaking the baseball color line, to the MLB brought racial diversity.
Before every game, from the umpires, he received a salutation. Minutes later, his distinctive voice treated millions to the game of this great nation. Thousands still drive to the Dodger Stadium while many others, with their radio in hand, on a bus, arrive from Union Station.
With his unique style and grace, he told stories about many baseball greats. He recalled his youth and told us when he met Babe Ruth. On April 25, 1976, in the fourth inning, stunned and surprised by the unfamiliar action in the outfield, he seemed almost speechless as he watched Rick Monday save the American Flag, our country’s shield. Among many others, he referred to Clayton Kershaw as one of the best he and the game ever saw.
In 1949, at Fenway Park, a college football game was his first big broadcasting gig. Since then, his magical voice and stories have inspired us in many ways. On September 25, 2016, the day of his last game at Dodger Stadium, in the booth where inning by inning, he slipped out of his youth, he met with his all-time favorite player, Willie Mays.
Vin. After sixty-seven years, on October 2, 2016, from San Francisco, we heard his last broadcast, which brought his seemingly endless career to an end. Vin. Before he left Dodger Stadium for the last time, with a fairytale ending of a walk-off home run, Charlie Culberson sealed Vin’s marvelous career with a win.
Vin. Without him, the game does not feel quite the same. It hurts to say, but without the decorations of his colorful voice, Opening Day feels like just another game day. We love him. We remember him. We miss him, especially on Opening Day.
