RADIO TIME

The Los Angeles Dodgers are bringing back Vin Scully to broadcast games in 2015.  This will be Scully's 66th season (all with the Dodgers) doing play-by-play and deservedly so as he continues to set the "gold standard" with his elegant calling of baseball games. Scully has a plaque in Cooperstown.

Vin Scully of the Dodgers   (officialvinscully.com)

There was a time when my lifeline to real-time MLB games was listening to AFRTS ( American Forces Radio and Television Service) on short-wave radio beamed to US servicemen overseas.  Their almost daily radio broadcasts of baseball games gave me the opportunity to listen to the great broadcasters of the time:  Mel Allen, Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Bob Prince, Don Elson, Ernie Harwell, Curt Gowdy and of course Vin Scully.  We received some late issues of "The Sporting News" ( the Baseball Bible), but radio was "king". 

The now 86 year old Scully and his then sidekick, Jerry Doggett, delighted Dodgers' fans from 1956 to 1987.  Vin painted such a picture of the game with his clear expression and command of the language it was a pleasure listening to him despite not being a Dodgers fan.

We developed an almost religious following of the MLB game without watching any games just listening to radio broadcasts.
 

Pedro Ramos of the Cienfuegos Elephants  (cubanbeisbol.com)

Curveball king Camilo Pascual   (twinstrivia.com)

On the Spanish-speaking side, I remember listening to games from "Estadio El Cerro" in Havana, Cuba, between Habana, Almendares,
Cienfuegos and Marianao.  Games were called by Rafael "Felo" Ramirez and Cuco Conde on Radio CMQ.  This was the era of Camilo Pascual, Pedro Ramos, Tony "Haitiano" Gonzalez and Leonardo Cardenas among many others including imports like Rocky Nelson that made this the strongest Caribbean winter league.
With the Cuban "diaspora" Felo Ramirez became a Latin American broadcaster trekking through Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Nicaragua, etc. becoming the best of his craft in Spanish.  A Ford Frick Award winner in 2001 with a plaque in Cooperstown, the 93 year old Ramirez continues to do games for the Miami Marlins in 2014.

Felo Ramirez of the Miami Marlins  (palabranueva.net)

Frequent World Series meetings between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees in the 1950's were transmitted by the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (Cabalgata Deportiva Gillette) by legendary Buck Canel, Ford Frick Award winner in 1985, and Felo Ramirez in Spanish for Latin America.  This was the era of Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, etc.  This was the "Golden Age" of radio broadcasts to Spanish- speaking countries. Current ESPN Spanish broadcasts leave a lot to be desired.  

Organizations have to be careful choosing their broadcast teams.  There are quite a few sub-standard teams out there.  Some believe the more you talk the better it is.  Au contraire, measured talk with relevant information is music to the ears. 

Radio has lost its position but back then it was everything and played a vital role in spreading the great game.  Like good wine, Vin Scully and Felo Ramirez are still going strong.  Two fine gentlemen of the "National Pastime" and two great "radio voices".