Perfect Eloquence

“Perfect Eloquence” is a Vin Scully tribute book. The author of this book has stories about the master storyteller Vin Scully. Most of these stories are ones I didn’t know - from acts of kindness Mr. Scully did out of the ballpark to Mr. Scully being, well, a gentleman and being so incredibly kind in general. One of the things I so enjoy about Mr. Scully is that seemingly no one has ever said a bad word about him - such a rarity. As a huge SF Giants fan, I’ll admit to loving our current broadcasters - but it didn’t dawn on me that Mr. Scully announced solo - so when he was talking about the game or telling his stories, he really was talking to you - the listener, not a partner in the booth with him. I’ll be honest - the reason I requested this book was because Vin Scully was one of my son’s favorite announcers and I know my son would’ve wanted to read this book. This was an amazingly touching tribute to an amazingly sweet and generous man - both on and off the diamond.

This was an interesting collection of stories, many of which I haven't heard. The book was well written, laid out nicely, and flowed really well. Highly recommend to others. Brought back a lot of awesome memories!

It’s difficult to add any more praise and adulation for Vin Scully that hasn’t already been said, but this book by Tom Hoffrarth does just that. Scully was the broadcasting voice of the Dodger, covering them both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, for 67 years. Imagine doing a job you love, with millions listening to you, for that long. Whether you are a big fan of the Dodgers or know practically nothing about baseball, the chance to meet or talk to Scully was a memorable moment for those lucky enough to do so. This book is a collection of stories from people of all walks of like who were able to do so.

That is why this book is not only such a joy to read but is also one that must be given credit for accomplishing a difficult task – namely to share insights into the man that were not already shared either during his last year of broadcasting in 2016 or after his death in 2022. By interviewing various people – from fans to baseball personnel to other celebrities – Hoffrath was able to compile a great selection of stories on many different aspects of Scully’s life. To a person, everyone that Hoffrath gathered information from said the same thing about Scully – that he treated them with kindness, listened to them and expressed sincere pleasure in meeting them.

This went well beyond his broadcasting excellence. Many of the stories were about Scully’s faith and how that shaped his personality and how he interacted with people. While the book stayed away from politics unless the person sharing the Scully story mentioned it, his leanings in that topic were shown. But even then, if the person had a different viewpoint than Scully, it didn’t affect the kindness and grace they showed in their feelings on him. That was very refreshing given today’s landscape.

Of course, there is baseball and Scully broadcasting moments in the book as well, but they were not the biggest takeaways from the book. Whether your favorite call of Scully’s was his description of the perfect game by Sandy Koufax in 1965, his description of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run (my personal favorite) or the miraculous home run by Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series, fans of the sport and of Scully will not only recall those great moments, but they may also learn more about the man himself. 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.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press and NetGalley for providing a review copy. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

First off, thank you University of Nebraska Press/NetGalley for providing this book for me to review.

A few months ago, I was on a YouTube binge of classic MLB moments when I saw one that stuck out. It was Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, and I remember very clearly how the camera suddenly panned to a man with a limp. That man was Kirk Gibson, someone who had helped my Tigers win the World Series in 1984. During this famous call, he had been swaddled with leg injuries, but that didn't stop hitting him from a walk-off home run against Dennis Eckersley.

However, the thing I remember the most from that was the call by the announcer who was Vin Scully. I don't know why either, maybe it was how he used vivid language or how he let the crowd speak. However, that stuck with me permanently, and I decided to read this book because of it.

Now with the book. This was a beautiful book, and it perfectly encapsulated his life and how he affected people's lives perfectly. It covered everyone from professors to other announcers. I found it interesting how many generations were featured in this novel and spoke of him; Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z all spoke of him fondly. I found the unique style of chapters in this book interesting, and I felt that the author hit the perfect length in chapters and interviews to keep the reader hooked.

Even if you never heard of Vin Scully, I would recommend this book to anyone, as he was someone whose faith, kindness, and humility touched everyone. The interviews beautifully touched on every aspect of his personality, and if anything, I could feel the spirit of Vin coming to me from the book.

After reading about 30 pages of Perfect Eloquence by Tom Hoffarth you feel as if you know that Vin Scully, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball team is the most wonderful man ever to walk the earth. As you make your way through the nonstop praise from a variety of sources it becomes clear that Scully is universally loved.

Scully is not only an excellent broadcaster whose voice has entertained sports fans for over 63 years, he ie renown as a famous man who is kind, humble, and incredibly affable.
Scully greeted people he met for the first time as if they were old friends and made everyone feel like they were the most important person in the room.
You do not have to be a Dodger fan to be impressed by the praise heaped on Vin Scully. The book may inspire you to behave like Scully so that you are remembered for you good deeds.