19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

VINDICATIONS
Sirs:
Robert Creamer's The Transistor Kid (May 4) was a wonderful article about a truly great baseball announcer, Vin Scully. In San Diego we are so well entertained by Scully's broadcasts that if Vinny sent us a bill at the end of the year I think we would pay it.
DAN S. KENNEY
San Diego

Sirs:
Two things happened when I was trying to play ball at Fordham that have always left me leary of the printed word. One concerned the only home run I ever hit—which was in truth a misjudged fly ball. It was in a college game, and a photographer for the Bronx Home News was present. I gave it the real home run trot and even tried to hang in midair over the home plate so that he could take the proper picture. The next day I went out eager to buy every paper I could get my hands on. The first one I bought featured a picture on the sports page which showed a blurred figure who could not possibly have been recognized by blood relatives, and the caption: "JIM TULLY scoring on his home run."

The other shock to my system was administered by Lou Effrat of The New York Times. He covered a game that was probably the only one in my career in which I got three hits in four times at bat. The other time I had struck out. We won the game and, since I had contributed to the victory, I eagerly purchased the Times the following morning to read Effrat's glowing report of my contribution. The only time my name was mentioned was at the head of the third paragraph, which began, "After Scully fanned..."

This is a long preamble to tell you all that has been washed away. Everyone connected with the Scully family wishes to thank you and Robert Creamer for as nice a write-up as a man could ever wish to have.
VIN SCULLY
Houston

Sirs:
Boosting Vin Scully in New England is as popular as putting tomatoes in clam chowder, but I have been his great admirer for many years.

I lived for a time in both New York and Philadelphia, and most of my life near Boston, so I have heard, at length, seven broadcasting teams from these cities. Day in and day out there is no one better to listen to than Scully, regardless of which team you are rooting for. The Barber, Desmond, Scully threesome is without equal in the history of baseball on radio.
BILL RAUTENBERG
Brockton, Mass.

Sirs:
Until I inadvertently tuned in his "pleasantly nasal baritone" one Sunday afternoon two years ago, I utterly abhorred baseball. As an English teacher, I am generally offended by the grammar employed by announcers. Not so with Vinny. He is both grammatically correct and colorful.

Some of my fellow baseball fans don't root for the Dodgers the way I do now, but "everybody" is for Vinny out here.
SHEILA W. HARKER
Santa Ana, Calif.

Sirs:
Robert Creamer's article on Vin Scully was excellent, but one very important factor was not covered. There are thousands of violent Dodger haters in southern California, and as far as the great majority of us is concerned, the one good thing about the Dodgers, the one thing to be really admired, is Vin Scully.

He never antagonizes us. We have only to listen to any other baseball announcer in either league to fully appreciate how superior Scully is.
JIM LAMHOFER
Long Beach, Calif.