Tim Peterson
By Tim Peterson
I’m not one to get emotional – especially when it comes to sports – but it was sad to see an era come to an end on Sunday.
When Vin Scully said “Hi everybody and a very pleasant good afternoon to you wherever you may be” it hit me that that was the last time I would hear that.
67 years? Who stays at a job (any job) for 67 years? Everybody talks about the call of Kirk Gibson’s World Series home run as maybe Scully’s best ever and it probably is but there are so many more moments. By the way do you realize that was 28 years ago?
Scully called the Dodgers winning the World Series in Brooklyn. He was there when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier for the Dodgers. He called Sandy Koufax’s no hitters and later Clayton Kershaw’s. He was there when the Dodgers fell to the mighty New York Yankees in the Series in 1977 and ’78 and also was on hand to call the Dodgers breaking through to knock off the Yanks in the 1981 World Series.
Yes he had to make some tough calls as well – The Cardinals’ Jack Clark hitting a playoff game winning home run off of Tom Niedenfuer in 1985 and the Giants’ Joe Morgan’s shot off of Terry Forster in 1982 that knocked the Dodgers out and gave the NL West title to the Atlanta Braves.
There are way too memories to recall but then came 1988, the Series win over Oakland and Scully’s call of “In the year of the improbable, the impossible has happened!” after Gibson’s shot heard ’round Los Angeles.
Joe T.’s High School football novel is available through Amazon.com
“A literary snapshot of what goes on over the course of a high school football season…an awesome read and a story that truly will transcend time.”—Jim Singiser, AD/HC Arroyo Knights Football
“Thrill, dread, anxiety, love, agony, success, and failure; basically all the emotions you feel as a football player/coach as you do in life, all wrapped up in a single book.”—Marc Paramo, HC Rosemead Panthers Football
“I read the book and really enjoyed it a great deal. I would think coaches and parents could Learn a lot.”—John “Coach” Kentera, former sports talk host at Mighty 690 & Mighty 1090
What made the call so incredible is that Scully, in a split second, came up with that. There was no way that could be scripted. Now it will go down as one of the greatest calls of all time.
And of course Vin Scully will go down as the greatest announcer of all time. I mean, really, is there a question?
Enjoy your retirement Vin, and a very pleasant good afternoon/evening to you wherever you may be.
**
It seemed like everybody was on bye this past week. As I was searching through the schedule of games last week the stench of a dog with fleas kept coming up. But there were some games that mattered. St. Francis showed its mettle with a victory over Buena Park at home. The Golden Knights will move up in the polls while Buena Park will move down. What does this say about the Coyotes? Anthony White has done a great job of turning the once moribund program around, but they’re not quite there yet with the St. Francises, La Miradas and Sierra Canyons of the world.
**
Yes there has been suspensions and some controversy, but Arroyo is still the best team in the Mission Valley League. And according to MVS Editor Joe Torosian the future is bright.
“That sophomore quarterback, Ernesto Camacho, is legit,” Torosian said at the office last Friday night after covering the game.
**
There’s a four-way time for first in the Pacific League and not one of them is named Muir.
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com or on Twitter @tspeterson40.
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