04/25/24
September 22, 2016
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Don't forget George Bell! The long lost Bell brother
posted by NoMich at 10:36 AM on September 22, 2016
I watched the ESPN game last night during which they simulcast an inning of Vin Scully's broadcast. The thought occurred to me that while all other broadcasters use a color commentator, Scully works alone. Thus, he has the time and space to give us the musings of his most fertile mind. Perhaps he is the only play-by-play broadcaster who is good enough to pull this off. As an example, he was speaking of a player who frequently slid head first, and he told of how the belt buckle scoops dirt off of the infield and usually deposits it down the pants. He then mentioned that this player, should he ever hit an inside the park home run, might be said to have hit an "under the park" home run. We mortals can only wish we had such a command of language.
posted by Howard_T at 09:52 PM on September 22, 2016
So after David Bell, we come to a bell end?
posted by owlhouse at 11:26 PM on September 22, 2016
Oh owly. No need to be a dick.
posted by NoMich at 06:56 AM on September 23, 2016
The thought occurred to me that while all other broadcasters use a color commentator, Scully works alone.
Chuck Kaiton, the radio play by play guy for the Hurricanes, works alone. I love hearing just him during the game play. On the TV side, the 'Canes have John Forslund calling the action, who I like, but they have the awful Tripp Tracy as his color guy. Makes me appreciate Chuck and the letter K working alone all the more.
posted by NoMich at 07:00 AM on September 23, 2016
The thought occurred to me that while all other broadcasters use a color commentator, Scully works alone.
Like his "under the park" home run quip, almost everything Scully says sounds better than anything any ex-ballplayer colour guy could come up with. I so much want to listen to him broadcast a game than anything, even more than my favourite sounding announcer (Dan Shulman).
If you get a chance, listen to Scully paint the picture for Sandy Koufax's last three outs of his perfect game.
posted by grum@work at 09:01 AM on September 23, 2016
After listening to Scully's call of Koufax's game, I was trying to describe what and how he did that made him special and in short he was a poet.
...and you can almost taste the pressure now
Koufax lifted his cap
ran his finger's through his black hair
then pulled the cap back down
fussing at the bill
So much imagery in so few words. If you did not know any better you could mistakenly say the above text came out of Casey At The Bat instead of a live broadcast
posted by prof at 09:48 AM on September 23, 2016
Scully works alone.
It used to be far more common and still happens in soccer. I've definitely seen some announcers who said they want to Greta Garbo it (Al Michaels and Martin Tyler spring to mind) but sports produces assume we are all dumbasses who want to listen to the insights of a former player no matter how addled their brain.
posted by yerfatma at 12:45 PM on September 23, 2016
How long has Vin Scully been part of broadcasting Dodgers games?
The same year that Scully began working on Dodgers broadcasts (1950), Ken Griffey was born.
The same year that Scully stops working on Dodgers broadcasts (2016), Ken Griffey's SON was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He's broadcasted the entire career of three generations of baseball players:
Gus Bell - 1950-1964
Buddy Bell - 1972-1989
David Bell - 1995-2006