Like so many kids who grew up in the Los Angeles area in the ’80s (or the ’60s, or the ’70s, or the ’90s — well, you get the picture), for me, Vin Scully was the voice of summer. Yes, the Dodgers were our boys of summer, but the names on the backs of the jerseys frequently changed. Vin Scully, and the traditions he started and maintained, were our stability, our reassurance in turbulent times.

It wasn’t just that Vin was a great announcer. As is widely acknowledged – even by Yankees, Giants, and RedSox fans – Vin was the GOAT. He was also the embodiment of the type of brother, dad, uncle, grandfather, or friend we would all like to have, and the type of quiet leader. //

Vin Scully was a bit of an enigma. He was exceedingly approachable, but also a man no one wanted to disappoint. He was so kind and welcoming to Dodgers players regardless of how the fan base felt that one could conclude that he was a bit of a pushover, yet he survived for 67 years in a cutthroat business, and with the same organization that employed the famously explosive Tommy Lasorda.