Proudly boasting “I never say `we.’ Never, ever,” Scully is the stylistic antithesis of outspoken home-team rooters Harry Caray and Bob Prince, and perhaps the most highly praised announcer in ML history. The consummate professional, he is as knowledgeable as he is lyrical, weaving accurate play-by-play with understated color in a calm resonant voice that is a joy to hear. After playing centerfield for Fordham in the late 1940s, Scully joined Red Barber in the Brooklyn Dodgers‘ booth in 1950 and by 1954, at the age of 26, had become their top announcer. He called Brooklyn’s only World Championship the following season, but it would be in Los Angeles where he would earn his greatest renown. Scully’s voice captivated Southern California, where millions of fans, starved for ML baseball, followed the Dodgers on radio from the freeways and beaches. He was helped to his vast audience by the Dodgers’ reluctance to televise games. By 1976, it was Scully, and not a Dodgers player, who was named the club’s Most Memorable Personality in a fan poll. He joined CBS as a reporter in 1975, adding national football, tennis, and golf broadcasts to his local Dodgers duties, and in 1983 returned to national baseball broadcasts as NBC’s number-one play-by-play man.
