Hi, Vicky,
Thanks so much for this great article. That's really neat Ray Charles
got to meet Vin Scully. I'm gonna pass this on to the Wayner.
Rosie
On 9/23/2016 11:21 PM, Vickie wrote:
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Bob Costas shares great story of introducing Ray Charles to Vin Scully Nate Scott , USA TODAY Sports Vin Scully. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Vin Scully will end his career calling Dodgers games at the conclusion of this regular season, his 67th consecutive season working the games. In a wonderful oral history
put together by ESPN , Scully's colleagues and contemporaries in the broadcasting world recount their favorite stories about the legendary announcer. My
favorite story comes from Bob Costas, who shares the tale of the time he introduced Scully to a star-struck Ray Charles. Here's Costas: "Somewhere around
1994, '95, I was interviewing Ray Charles for an NBC news magazine and probably spent a couple of hours talking with him. ' Then, when we're done and the
cameras had been turned off, he says to me, 'You know who I would really like to meet? And I'm thinking, 'He's Ray Charles. He could have met just about
anybody he'd wanted to have met throughout the course of his life. Who might it be? ' 'Vin Scully. And I say, 'Why? And he says, 'Well, because I love
baseball. But you have to understand, to me the picture means nothing. It's all the sound. And Vin Scully's broadcasts are almost musical, so I enjoy baseball
so much more listening to him.' ' So I set it up with Vin and took Ray to Dodger Stadium. I was sitting across from Ray, and there was an empty seat awaiting
Vin's arrival, and Vin came walking through the door wearing - as I remember - a royal blue jacket, the way he is always turned out for a baseball broadcast.
And as he walked toward Charles, he said, 'Ray, my name is Vin Scully, and it's a pleasure to meet you. He might as well have said, 'A pleasant good evening
to you wherever you may be,' because that's how it struck Ray. And then they sat down, and we had a combination baseball and music discussion. Vin had
a nice experience. And Ray Charles - and I mean this sincerely - he's Ray freaking Charles - I believe he had one of the great experiences of his life.
The entire oral history is really wonderful, and you should read the entire thing over at ESPN .
