It’s completely unfair to compare 39-year-old Eric Collins to the legendary Vin Scully. But when you are going to be picking up as a Dodger broadcaster as Scully steps away, that’s the comparison that comes.
The Dodgers have hired Eric Collins as a KCAL and PRIME TICKET television broadcasting partner for Steve Lyons on the 38 road games outside the division that Hall of Famer Vin Scully misses.
Collins, 39, has experience with Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and women's softball. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for NBC in its baseball coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. For the past five years, he has called ESPN's College Baseball Super Regionals, and also performed radio and television play-by-play for the Chicago White Sox on occasions in 2004 and 2008.
Speculation already has surfaced that the hiring of a new broadcaster is a precursor to the eventual retirement of Scully, who, at age 81, is entering his 60th year as the voice of the club. Scully has not said if he will continue on the air beyond 2009.
The Dodgers are a premier, big market franchise that should have an iconic, big market voice as their lead announcer. Maybe Collins can become that. But if you watched what the Lakers did after Chick Hearn retired — now with the solid but not great Joel Meyers as the man — you can see how hard that process is. Hopefully the Dodgers can manage it better.
