Vin Scully recalls learning of attack on Pearl Harbor
Vin Scully is more than a broadcaster or a baseball play-by-play man, he’s a storyteller on a level matched by few others through time.
At 88 years old, Scully has plenty of stories to share too. That’s just one of the reasons fans have been tuning into his Dodgers broadcasts for 67 seasons, and it’s perhaps the biggest reason he’ll be missed when he walks away following the 2016 season.
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Scully’s stories are always beautifully woven into his baseball telecasts, but they’re not always about baseball. Sometimes he’ll reflect on a personal moment or a moment in history that fits the occasion. During Wednesday’s broadcast, it was actually both, as Scully recalled how he learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Not surprisingly, a then 14-year-old Scully was glued to his radio listening to a New York Giants football game when news of the attack broke. As he so often does, Scully put his viewers in that moment with him as he goes through each thought that flashed through his mind between each and every word.
It’s a day he’s obviously relived and recalled many times, but the feelings still felt fresh. He also makes sure to note that was the only time he ever recalls hearing his father swear, which drives home the emotions that were flowing in wake of that tragic day in history.
Scully’s personal story was inspired by a special guest in attendance at Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
As they do at each home game, the Dodgers honored a veteran for their Military Hero of the Game program. On this day, Corporal Noboru “Don” Seki was chosen for the honor. Seki, a WWII veteran, decided to enlist after the Pearl Harbor attack and went on to fight with the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which is recognized as the most decorated unit in American military history.
We thank Corporal Seki for his service, and we again thank Scully for painting a picture that put his heroism into perspective.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
