Above: Vin Scully talks in 2008 about meeting John Wooden.
Vin Scully has an interview in the March issue of Golf Digest (for now, I believe, it’s available only in print). Kevin Roderick of L.A. Observed links and excerpts:
Some people die twice: once when they retire, and again when they actually pass away. Fear of the first one is a big incentive for me to keep working. Players, writers, people who work at the ballpark and front office, when I quit I know I’ll never see them again. I’ve never been the type to come to the ballpark and hang out; I’ve gone to one game in the last 60 years that I wasn’t working. I keep working because I don’t want to lose my friends.
It’s an interesting passage, particularly for “when I quit I know I’ll never see them again,” since this would be up to Scully to a large extent. One could easily envision the kind of pilgrimages that John Wooden was the centerpiece of.
Roderick also notes this Scully quip about having bad teeth through the years: “if I were to write my autobiography — which I will never do, by the way — I would title it, ‘My Life in Dentistry.'”
Scully’s first Spring Training broadcast appearance will be March 17. Eric Stephen of breaks down the Dodger exhibition broadcast schedule at True Blue L.A.
Elsewhere …
- TMZ has posted audio of a 911 call reporting James Loney’s freeway crash in November. No matter the legal disposition of the case, if you were there, it sounds like it must have been utterly frightening.
- The Dodgers signed 37-year-old Jamey Wright to a minor-league deal. Wright hasn’t been a starting pticher since 2007, but his past season-and-a-half out of the Seattle bullpen was passable in a Mike MacDougal sense. Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweeted that Wright can opt out of his contract in late March.
- Former Dodger shortstop Bill Russell can be seen with former Yankee counterpart Bucky Dent in this commercial (posted by Roberto Baly of Vin Scully Is My Homeboy), airing at 1981 World Series time, for Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo. Dent sounds a little like a grown-up Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
- Baly had a pleasant surprise when he went to the Dodger caravan Tuesday — he was there to see Clayton Kershaw as Kershaw’s new contract with the Dodgers was being announced.
- Daily News writer Tom Hoffarth is auctioning an autographed copy of Kershaw’s book, “Arise,” at eBay, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support Friends of St. Lawrence – Watts Youth Center, which empowers the children and families of Watts through educational, advocacy, and enrichment programs.
- David Schoenfield of ESPN’s Sweet Spot looks at historical comparables for Kershaw. It starts on a downbeat note but gets more whammo after that. Schoenfield also invites you to an over-under game on Kershaw’s 2012 ERA here.
- Evan Bladh passes along the story of Brooklyn Dodger batboy Charlie DiGiovanna at Opinion of Kingman’s Performance.
- “What happened to the spitball?” Jonah Keri asks (and answers) at Grantland.
- Today in Jon SooHoo: Mike Scioscia and Gary Carter together at Spring Training, February 1991.
- Aaron Miles, who waited until this time last year to sign with the Dodgers, is waiting even longer for a 2012 contract this time around.
- Not every baseball parking story has Frank McCourt’s name attached. “Fans of the New York Yankees may soon have to pay as much as $55 to park at Yankee Stadium thanks to the poor planning by New York City, the Yankees and a private firm that is running low on cash,” writes Rob Iracane at Big League Stew.
Anonymous
Vin doesn’t seem like the type for dropping by or to be dropped in. Wooden was pretty accessible in his post-UCLA career, for one he had to be since he made more money post-coaching via books and public speaking. Up until the last few years, you saw him at UCLA games and lucky folks would drop in his condo.
Jon Weisman
Agreed – I’m just saying that it’s in his control, and it’s not as if it’s entirely dependent on his employment.
Anonymous
I’m very surprised that the Dodgers didn’t immediately sign Aaron Miles, who meant so much to the team last year.
Jim Hitchcock
Great. That’s means Vinny should be doing the March 18th game against the Angels.
Two years ago, Vinny was doing his first broadcast of ST. The section I was sitting in started chanting Vinny! Vinny! and he leaned out of the booth and gave us a fist pump.
Jon Weisman
Miles had a .918 OPS in June and was mediocre-to-awful the rest of the time. After the All-Star Break, he had a .597 OPS, which basically means he was a worse-fielding Juan Uribe in that time.
Dave Pomerantz
…or a better-hitting Adam Kennedy.
Anonymous
I will neither miss nor mourn Miles, but he was better than I expected.
Jim Hitchcock
Jamie Carroll I will miss.
Anonymous
True, but he’s not exactly irreplaceable and, at his age, he might well decline quickly.
KT
me too
Anonymous
This might be the single best Headline you use all year, Jon.
Jon Weisman
New post up top.
Anonymous
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Michael Green
I’ll chime in that Vin talked about how unhappy he was during the 1994 strike. At that time, I thought, he is not likely ever to pack it in entirely. I also think of Marty Brennaman, who is beloved in Cincinnati, saying that he once asked Vin why he doesn’t do all of the games and Vin said he noticed that whether or not he was there, they played. Marty took the hint and now takes a little time off during the season, and says it’s a godsend.