MLB umpires express admiration for retiring Scully

It's not just the players who get chills down their spines when Vin Scully calls their games.

Yes, even the umpires - those notorious arbiters who are paid to not have favorites - get a special feeling when they walk out to officiate a Los Angeles Dodgers game knowing the broadcasting legend is saying their names up in the press box.

"(Scully) calling my name made me feel like I finally made it," umpire Jim Reynolds told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com recently.

Scully often shares stories and anecdotes about the lives of players and managers, but makes sure to do the same for the otherwise anonymous umps. In one very famous instance during a Dodgers game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1960, Scully noticed it was an umpire's birthday and instructed the crowd - listening in on their transistor radios - to sing "Happy Birthday." The crowd complied, surprising third-base umpire Frank Secory, but making his day nonetheless.

"He does use that media guide, and he recognizes the umpires for whatever they're doing," veteran umpire C.B. Bucknor said. "Whether they have a foundation or a special interest or a special instrument they play, you can usually find out a lot about an umpire when you listen to a Dodger broadcast."

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

The respect umpires have for the 88-year-old announcer can be seen briefly at the beginning of each game Scully broadcasts. In a gesture that began thanks to now-retired umpire Bruce Froemming in the early 2000s, all four crew members make sure to turn to the press box and tip their caps to Scully - who salutes them right back - before the game begins.

"Every crew I've been on the last 15 years has taken time before the game to turn around and salute Vin out of respect for him," Reynolds said. "One of the things that makes Vin so unique is he celebrates all aspects of the game - the players and how they play the game and even the umpires. He is very educated on who we are and our importance to the game."