Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times said it's impossible to imagine the Los Angeles Dodgers without longtime play-by-play broadcaster Vin Scully, 87.
"Vin Scully claimed to be 'the most ordinary man you've ever met' and insisted he knows little about poetry. But anyone who has heard him during his 66 seasons as a Dodgers broadcaster knows he's an extraordinary person and a poet, a storyteller, at heart," Elliott wrote.
"It was while discussing his decision to return next season -- likely his finale, which he has said before but not with as much apparent certainty as he did Saturday -- that Scully cited Welsh poet Dylan Thomas to explain his approach to the end of his remarkable professional journey.
"He wrote, 'Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And I guess in a way that's what I'm doing. I'm raging against the dying of my career, which has to be around the corner now,' " said Scully, who will be 88 on Nov. 29. " 'But at least for the God-given time that I have left, I'll be raging. Because I've never minded getting older. In fact, when you get to where I am, you're very grateful that you've gotten to be that old. But I never wanted to be old. Ever.' "
"Scully's lyrical calls and vibrant anecdotes will never be old. For most of us, he has always been there, the soundtrack to millions of childhoods, a link to a time and to places few remember."
What's next?
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel is curious to see where Dwight Howard will end up after next season.
Howard, currently with the Houston Rockets, is a free agent after the 2015-2016 NBA season.
"[James] Harden is clearly The Man in Houston, leaving Howard as his designated rebounder at times. Maybe Dwight can live playing the part of the sidekick for the rest of his career. Teams like the New York Knicks and the [Dallas Mavericks] will keep tabs," Schmitz wrote.
"If Dwight has expressed his undying love for Houston like he did for Orlando -- 'Me and Mickey Mouse will be here forever,' he once said -- then I (and Google) missed it.
"Then again Superman strangely flies under the radar these days."
They said it
From the satirical sports website sportspickle.com:
• "Dan Snyder fires Jay Gruden, installs RG3 as player-coach"
• "NFLPA pushing for 0-game season to cut down on injuries"
• "Little League announces LLWS will move to new $400 million stadium in Los Angeles"
He said it
From Brad Dickson of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald:
• "In the championship game of the Little League World Series, Japan defeated the U.S. 18-11. 18-11? What, are they hitting the ball off tees now?"
• "The [Nebraska] football season begins Saturday. Per tradition, the first three plays of the Husker season will be called by Adidas executives."
• "In a locker room fight, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith's jaw was broken by a then-teammate. Contrast that with major league baseball bench-clearing brawls, where the worst injury to occur is usually a hangnail."
• "The [Buffalo] Bills tied rookie Ronald Darby to a goalpost and doused him with ice water. At first I thought, 'The commissioner's attempt to make PATs more interesting is pretty lame.' "
• "The University of Nebraska-Omaha men's basketball team returned from a trip to Italy. You know you've graduated to Division I when your summer ball is played in Europe instead of across the street from the Corn Palace."
SPORTS QUIZ
When was the last time the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series?
ANSWER
1988
Sports on 09/01/2015