Dodgers' tribute to Vin Scully needs to be a home run

While the Dodgers' acquisition of a top starting pitcher before the trading deadline remains woefully uncertain, one thing has become wonderfully clear.

They just got their ace.

Vin Scully, thought to be retiring this winter after 60 seasons, said this week he is planning on coming back for one more summer.

Scully, 81, said if he continues to feel well he will work past his landmark year and retire after the 2010 season.

"God willing, I will probably come back for one more year," Scully said in a phone interview. "At this moment, my health is excellent, and I'm leaning toward one more year."

And then retire?

"Yes, that makes sense," he said.

That makes sense? That makes magic.

We now have 15 months to hang on to every syllable, cherish every story, embrace his hellos as we prepare to say goodbye.

"Hi everybody, and a very pleasant evening to you, wherever you may be."

OK, Dodgers, the microphone is now yours.

You've got 15 months to plan a way to properly honor the most beloved employee in franchise history.

More enduring than any player, more impactive than any manager, more intertwined with this city than the color blue, Scully is not only the voice of the team, but its soul.

How the McCourts handle this will say much about not only their credibility as Dodgers owners, but their place among Los Angeles citizens.

Scully's goodbye tour next year will be so fraught with emotion, well, last week people were crying just at the thought of him leaving in October.

Did you see the unveiling of the new Dodger Stadium video that played between innings during the night of Manny Ramirez's Bobblebomb?

It featured Scully's favorite song, "It Had To Be You," sung by Betty Hutton, accompanied by clips from his long career, from the early years as a redhead to his later years as, well, a redhead.

By the end of it, many in the stands were in tears. Up in the booth, Scully was in shock.

"I had no idea they were doing anything, I was writing in my scorebook when I thought, 'My, that's a nice song,' " Scully said. "Then I looked up and saw the scoreboard and thought, 'Oh, goodness.' "

After the song ended and the scoreboard showed him sitting there stunned, the place erupted in the first of what will be 15 months worth of farewell standing ovations. "I was kind of overwhelmed," Scully said.