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“Voices We Will Hear Forever”

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It is a week of farewells in baseball, with the final games on the schedule to be concluded this weekend.,

They will be leaving the press boxes of their lives this weekend too.

Vin Scully, the artist, the voice of the Dodgers. Dick Enberg, the professor, TV voice of the Padres.

They have graced us for decades with style, class, storytelling, color, flair, and brilliance.

Both are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Scully thrilled an 8-year old boy growing up on Long Island. I remember his early days on radio at the old WMGM with Connie Desmond and Jerry Doggett.

I was forever hooked on baseball on radio at that point, and of course spoiled too, because the Yankees had Mel Allen-Red Barber-Phil Rizzuto. And the Giants gave us Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons, I listened to them all, all the time.

It was indeed the era of D’em Bums, the Bronox Bombers and the Gints.

Enberg was the king of Los Angeles. So popular as the Voice of the Angels on KMPC, during the Gene Autrey-Nolan Ryan-Frank Tanana days. Of course, he is forever linked too with John Wooden-UCLA-Pauley Pavilion era of excellence in basketball..

And then there was Breakfast at Wimbledon and the US Open and his great stories abroad. Add in the Olympics and Super Bowls and NFL network TV.

If he was broadcasting it, it was a big event.

Time marches on. The Dodgers and Giants broke the hearts of Gotham and moved West. The old memory I have is of walking the sands at Jones Beach on the south shore of Long Island, and never missing a big play on Sunday afternoon, because everyone had transistor radios listening to the Dodgers or Yankees.

And much the same at Chavez Ravine, with Scully’s brilliant calls, or the fans reactions to something he said on the air. in the stadium.

And it was the equal to the eloquent voice of Enberg on TV, hearing-listening to him describe McEnroe-Bjorg, Connnors-Nastase. So many big NFL games teamed with Merlin Olson. And ditto describing all the electric no-hit moments of the Halos and the Von Ryan Express.

Curt Smith, the noted baseball historian has written so many great books about baseball and broadcasting, highlited by his book “Voices of the Game”. His chapters on Vin and Dick detail excellence.

Close your eyes, hear those voices. Back in the day memories that will forever be part of baseball fans scrapbrooks going forward.

So pleased to have known them, interviewed them, been friends with them.

So thankful for Vin Scully’s invite to me one day at Vero Beach “pull up a chair”. So excited to steal Dick Enberg’s words, to describe his career “Oh My”

And the best of all, their plaques in the Hall of Fame wing honoring the media for all they have done.

For in Cooperstown, their names, and those voices will resonate thru the hallways, as part of the grand old game.. The Hall of Fame honor is ‘forever’.

Scully-Enberg. Great broadcasters. Greater people.

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