Thoughts on Vin Scully, Life-Long Learning, and the Development of Rare Expertise

Maybe I’m feeling a little defensive. I feel out-skilled by the young adults all around me. I fumble with learning new apps, new software… And I am so far away from being a knowledgable techie.

And, (yes, this is embarrassing), there are now singers winning awards that, not only do I not recognize their songs, I’ve never even heard their names.

But, here’s a thought. Maybe the millennials could benefit from some of the breadth of experience found in the not-so-young still around. And, maybe, the experience of a long-at-it genuine expert is still something to be honored and recognized (and, maybe, rewarded).

These are some of my thoughts as I read the praise seemingly everywhere written about Vin Scully, age 88, and still the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This guy has been at it a while. He called his first baseball game in April, 1950, seven months before I was born. So, he has literally been doing play-by-play for my entire life.

I listened to him plenty when I lived in Southern California. Of all the tributes I have been reading about him in this, his last season, here’s one that is especially important: he has an instantly recognizable voice. When you hear Vin Scully, you know instantly that that is the voice of Vin Scully – never a doubt.

But, there is so much more. He reads books, and he weaves so much of his life-long reading into his broadcasts. He just knows stuff – not just baseball, but so much more.

(By the way, that may be a real key – maybe everyone should strive to know so much more than just their own field).

What has especially gotten around recently is his riff on the number 13. It is a typical, everyday masterpiece by Vin Scully! You can listen/watch the video here.

Vin Scully does not tweet, and is probably about as far behind with the modern technology as one can be. But he is the best there is at what he does, and plenty of folks say that he is the best there has ever been.

I like all these smart millennials. But maybe some of us long-timers have “other” things to offer. I’m no Vin Scully, in any field. But some of us have read, and pondered, and worked, and developed our knowledge base for decades. Surely that is worth something.

And, by the way, someday, those millennials will be the ones who developed skills and knowledge over a lifetime, and they too will then be valuable to the next Gen? coming along.

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