Perfect Eloquence

Tom Hoffarth is an Associated Press award-winning journalist with more than forty years of experience reporting in Southern California, focusing on sports and the media. He has written for the Southern California News Group, the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, Angelus News, National Catholic Reporte, Los Angeles Business Journal, and Sports Business Journal. He is a coauthor (with Tom Kelly) of Tales from the USC Trojans Sideline: A Collection of the Greatest Trojans Stories Ever Told. Ron Rapoport worked as a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than twenty years and is the author of Let’s Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks and the editor of The Lost Journalism of Ring Lardner (Nebraska, 2017).

"[Perfect Eloquence] is constructed of individual essays penned by 67 peers that Scully impacted. And because of that, it's overflowing with warmth, appreciation, and admiration for one of baseball's most iconic voices."-Jeff Scott, Sports Illustrated "A wonderful and long-overdue tribute to a man whom many consider the best sports broadcaster who ever lived."-Library Journal, starred review "Perfect Eloquence is a thumbs up sign for all the Dodger fans who still miss his voice and smile."-Dennis McCarthy, Los Angeles Daily News "Hoffrath deserves a lot of praise for being able to not only collect all these wonderful stories, but also weave them together in a great book that does justice to one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all time."-Guy Who Reviews Sports Books Blog "Hoffarth offers some wonderful perspective in a fine collection of essays."-Bob D’Angelo, Sports Bookie “Vin was more than a broadcaster, he was my friend.”-Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher “With his mellifluous voice, razor-sharp analysis, and expert storytelling, Vin Scully became the singular voice of the Dodgers for generations of fans. His talent and class were cherished, and he is dearly missed. This book reminds us of all that-and keeps his voice always in our ears and his spirit in our Dodgers-blue hearts.”-Annette Bening, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award–nominated actress “Vin Scully wasn’t just the voice of the Dodgers, he was the voice of Los Angeles, a city many said has no center. They are wrong. Scully was the center of sprawling, diverse, complex LA for more than half a century. This remarkable collection of essays attests to his brilliance and impact.”-Ron Shelton, Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the film Bull Durham “This is the Vin Scully book you’ve been waiting for. Tom Hoffarth’s creativity and deft touch, the ringing of old and new voices, and the return of comforting memories team up for an unforgettable journey. Turn the pages and feel the spirit of the game. Of the Dodgers. And of Vin.”-Tim Brown, New York Times best-selling coauthor of The Phenomenon “For twenty-nine of the thirty Major League teams there are lively debates about who was ‘the face of the franchise’ over the years. Although the Dodgers have had many-Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Sandy Koufax-who have deserved that designation at various times, for sixty-seven years the face of the franchise was a voice: Vin Scully’s. This volume shows why.”-George F. Will, author of the New York Times bestseller Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball

• List of IllustrationsForeword by Ron RapoportPrefaceA Vin Scully Timeline: 1927–2022First Inning. “The Shelf Where I Live”: Mastering the CraftBob Costas, David J. Halberstam, Andy Rosenberg, Jeff Proctor, Tom VillanteSecond Inning. “I’m With Them”: Family and FaithAnn Meyers Drysdale, Steve Garvey, Kevin O’Malley, Brian Golden, Fr. Willy Raymond, Tim Klosterman, Lisa Nehus Saxon, Dale Marini, Pablo KayThird Inning. “That’s the Story, Morning Glory”: The Voice of a StorytellerJoe Davis, Chris Erskine, Ross Porter, Ben Platt, Dan Durbin, T. J. SimersFourth Inning. “I’m The Last Person Who Should Ever Complain”: Humility and SincerityOrel Hershiser, Eric Karros, Derrick Hall, Boyd Robertson, Tim Mead, John Olguin, Jill Painter LopezFifth Inning. “Be Quiet and Eat Your Cookie”: Building ConnectionsPeter O’Malley, Al Michaels, Jessica Mendoza, Kevin Fagan, Sammy Roth, Joe Saltzman, Emma AmayaSixth Inning. “It Was Trust Well Placed”: Kindness and FriendshipJaime Jarrin, Fred Claire, Ned Colletti, Bruce Froemming, Bob Miller, Dennis Gilbert, Steve Dilbeck, Brent Shyer, Doug MannSeventh Inning. “God Bless Us in Our Effort, God Bless America”: History and PatriotismJosh Rawitch, Gil Hodges Jr., Joe Buck, Michael Green, Paul Haddad, Will Leitch, Bud SeligEighth Inning. “I’m Not Hollywood”: Celebrity and FamePatt Morrison, Bryan Cranston, Harry Shearer, Bill Dwyre, J. P. Hoornstra, Dennis McCarthyNinth Inning. “The Tao of Vin”: Inspiration and InfluenceKen Levine, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Leykis, Jim Hill, John Ireland, Ken Korach, Brian Wheeler, Mike Parker, Josh Suchon, Paul Vercammen, Jon WeismanEpilogueAcknowledgmentsNotes on SourcesContributors