Vin Scully: My thoughts on Gil Hodges

LA Dodgers' website ^ | November 29th, 2021 | Vin Scully

[ifinnegan]

Thanks.

[Hebrews 11:6]

He was certainly memorable.

[Vigilanteman]

Gil Hodges was a fine gentleman and great ballplayer as this article points out. Phil Rizzuto, who had a lower batting average in an era dominated by batters, was less of ballplayer in every statistical category and was put in the Hall of Fame in 1994, simply because he played for the Yankees and not the Dodgers.

[Jolla]

“Once they moved, they were dead to me.”

I like the old Brooklyn joke:

If you had Hitler, Tojo and O’Malley in a room and gun with two bullets who would you shoot?

O’Malley, two times.

[foreverfree]

bump

[Luke21]

Gil managed the 1969 Amazing Mets, a worthy achievement and title winning team.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I can never escape comparing Gil with his last Dodger manager, Walter Alston.

[Inyo-Mono]

I saw a few Dodgers games when they played at the Coliseum (for old guys like me, do you remember the high left field screen/fence?). Those were great times: Gil Hodges; Sandy Koufax; Duke Snider; Don Demeter; Wally Moon; Ron Fairly; Charlie Neal; just to name a few.

I remember that and Don Drysdale rookie Frank Howard too.

[willk]

My mom was a big baseball fan. She saw all the greats like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. When she married my dad they moved to California from New York. But she never forgave the Dodgers for moving to LA. She spent her remaining years rooting for any team playing against the Dodgers. I remember her listening on the transistor radio in the evenings to Vin Scully’s play by play and telling me he was the best. I became a Dodgers fan around the age of 13. To me, Vin Scully was the voice of baseball. Even I remember the name of Gil Hodges though he was before my time. If Vin Scully says Gil Hodges should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame then it should be.

[Hebrews 11:6]

The irony is that Vinnie grew up a Giants' fan, and Mel Ott was his idol.

Scully makes an interesting point I've not heard elsewhere: character cuts both ways. I find his argument persuasive.

[vigilence]

...Drysdale, Peronoski, Sherry, Roseboro, Gilliam...man, those were good times. My first major league game was in 1959 when we defeated the White Sox. Also saw the Reds, Braves and Giants. Wally Moon made a living fading a 9 iron like fly over the left field screen batting left handed on a regular basis. Saw Frank Torre of the Braves silence a drunk heckler behind the screen with a wicked liner into the screen for a double that would have hit the heckler if the screen hadn’t been there. Used to have a crystal radio set as a boy and would listen to Vin and Jerry on KFI when I was supposed to be asleep. Maybe that’s why I got such poor grades in school? Nah!

[Rockingham]

My uncle Phil was Gil Hodges’ paper boy in Brooklyn. He describes Hodges and his family in glowing terms.

[Roccus]

PING!!!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Hard to find anyone who has anything negative to say.

[hattend]

Thanks! Good luck Gil!

[Hebrews 11:6]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GIL HODGES, HALL OF FAMER, joining teammates Duke, Roy, Jackie, PeeWee, Sandy, Don and Tommy.

[HKMk23]

YYYEESSSSSSS!

You got to know Vin scully’s advocacy had quite a bit to do with that. Makes me kind of Misty thinking of all the times I spent listening to him call Dodger games back in the 70s. When ol’ Vin finally kicks the bucket I think the Earth is going to fall off of its axis and spiral down the nearest black hole. Vin Scully is just one of those Earthly fixtures that just seems indispensable. A saint in his own right, and an absolute Titan of Major League broadcasting; I can’t imagine this place without him.

[Roccus]

Thanks for the up-date.

First they name a bridge for him, then they finally put him in the HoF..’bout time!

[Hebrews 11:6]

Someone has to call heaven's ballgames.

[Robert DeLong]

Yes indeed, good news. 🙂