“One of the best ways to develop oral skill is to read aloud and pay attention to the best oral presentation outside the pulpit. Baseball radio announcers are an excellent example of vivid speech, which engages the listener. In a visual age their skills are tested to the limit. They are well paid to hold attention, with words, which stimulate the imagination so that the hearer visualizes the game. These announcers were often English majors in college and former English teachers. “That hard grounder to the short stop ate him up … He roped one over the head of the second baseman into right field … He crushed that one and sent it into the stands in center field … He had a notion, but checked his swing … A one-two-three inning ending double play.”

Gregory Edward Reynolds, “On the Matter of Notes in Preaching”

Listen to a few of Vin Scully’s best calls.

Hank Aaron hits his 715th home run.