At age 22, Fordham University graduate Vin Scully joined the Brooklyn Dodger broadcasting booth with (L-R) Connie Desmond and Red Barber.

by Mark Langill

Vin Scully can’t remember the details of his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers — April 18, 1950, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park — but he’ll never forget the lessons he learned from Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber, who took the Fordham University graduate under his wing and planted the principles that fueled a 67-year career behind the microphone.

“The important thing was knowing Red cared about this kid joining a Major League franchise,” Scully said. “He wanted me to succeed and I was so fortunately to have such a teacher.”

In the beginning, Barber was a stern taskmaster. Scully had landed the №3 announcing job through a series of unlikely events. A mixup in 1949 at Boston’s Fenway Park forced Scully as a freelance reporter to cover a college football game from the roof in blustery 40-degree conditions instead of from the warmth of the press box. Scully’s refusal to complain either on the air or to Barber, the CBS sports director, made a positive impression.

When future Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell left the Dodgers after the 1949 season to join Russ Hodges in the New York Giants booth, Barber decided he’d like to groom a young broadcaster. Veteran Connie Desmond was also a member of the Dodger broadcasting team, so there would be little air time for Scully.

Barber had arrived in Brooklyn in 1939 at the invitation of team president Larry MacPhail — Barber’s boss in Cincinnati from 1934–38 — and his conversation style and Southern accent became popular among Brooklyn fans. A successful businessman hired to rebuild a crumbling Dodger franchise mired in bankruptcy, MacPhail ended a five-year “radio ban” among the three New York teams — the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees — even though other owners feared broadcasting games on the radio would hurt home attendance.

Barber was the star of the Brooklyn airwaves and represented the Dodgers in a way Scully duplicated in Los Angeles. Barber fashioned himself as a reporter, not a cheerleader. In 1935, when Barber called the first of 13 World Series, Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis called together the broadcasters from all the networks (there were no exclusive broadcast rights in those days) and said, “Don’t editorialize — report!”

Jackie Robinson’s arrival to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as the first African-American player of the 20th century briefly left Barber wondering how to cover such a storyline. But the Landis edict inspired Barber to treat Robinson no different than any other player.

Barber also liked to work alone in the booth, which was common in the industry during the 1940s and 1950s. He felt he was talking directly to the fan, something Scully wanted to preserve when other teams began adding multiple voices to the radio and television broadcasts.

Scully joined a Dodger franchise that had been to the World Series in 1947 and 1949 and had a starting lineup that featured four future Hall of Famers: catcher Roy Campanella, second baseman Jackie Robinson, shortstop Pee Wee Reese and center fielder Duke Snider. The manager was Burt Shotton, who at age 65 wore street clothes along with a Dodgers jacket and cap. Because he didn’t wear a uniform, he wasn’t allowed on the field during games.

Barber made sure Scully not only knew the starting lineups, but also if players were nursing any injuries. Scully went to the clubhouse before each game and did his homework.

When Barber spotted Scully having a beer with his lunch in the press box before a game, it was time for another lesson. Barber warned about the perception of having a drink in front of sportswriters. What if Scully made a mistake on the air?

Barber also cautioned Scully to take care of his ears, focus on the task at hand and not be distracted by listening to other big-name announcers such as Mel Allen, Ted Husing or Graham McNamee.

“You bring something into the booth that no one else brings in — yourself,” Barber said. “If you listen to other broadcasters, either by design or without thinking about it, you’ll begin to adopt some of their intonations, some of their expressions and phrases.”

Barber left the Dodgers after the 1953 season and broadcast Yankees games for the next 13 seasons. Scully stayed in touch with his mentor, calling Barber every year on his birthday. Barber remained active after baseball, writing books and giving weekly commentary on National Public Radio. He passed away at age 84 in 1992.

When Barber’s pupil finally retired in 2016, the collective sentiment from generations of baseball fans matched the sage advice to a young broadcaster once in search of his on-air identity — there is only one Vin Scully.