LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully announced his return for 2015 on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday addressed the media to discuss his return for a record 66th season. Scully, who turns 87 in November, wondered what all the fuss was about, while at the same time self deprecating.
"In all honesty, I don't feel like I've done anything. I just happen to be there. It's not something I've taken for granted. I am humbled, believe me, for being given the honor of working the games all these years," Scully reflected." It's a long time to be working at one job, with no advancement."
The Dodgers made the announcement of Scully's return during the game on Tuesday night, showing simultaneously on the video board at Dodger Stadium and on television Dodgers players Hyun-jin Ryu, Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner deliver the news of Scully's return in Korean, Spanish and English, respectively.
Ideally, the humble Scully wanted his return announced as a small item in the Dodgers game notes, but Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen came up with the idea of the video and Scully went along with it.
"When they started it on the screen, I thought imagine if this is one big joke, and they're tearing me apart," Scully joked. "Wouldn't that have been something?"
Scully said he still gets excited broadcasting games, and that factored into his decision to return. Though his decision was already made, a play on Tuesday night involving Puig was cited by Scully as an example, cementing his decision.
"Last night in the first inning, you have B.J. Upton at third and we all know he can run very well, and there's a fly ball to Puig in center field," Scully explained. "I'm not a mind reader but I felt exactly like the crowd. I inched forward and thought this is going to be great. Upton's going to tag up and Puig - I knew the entire ballpark was on that exact same level.
"It wasn't disappointing. There was a great throw, a great slide, and B.J. made it with the run. Afterward I sat back and thought, 'That's the way you were the first day you ever started doing this game. You see this play building, and it just gets to you. As God is my judge, that play last night convinced me as if I had any doubts, here you are, getting the exact same goosebumps."
Scully received blessing from his wife Sandy to continue with the job. Even with the reduced travel - Scully no longer calls games outside of California or Arizona - being away from home can take its toll, especially after 65 years.
"After you've gone a certain number of years, you do hear the meter ticking in your hotel room and you start asking questions of yourself - and this happened a long time ago," Scully explained. "Why am I in Cincinnati? Why am I in Chicago? Why is one of the children being taken by the man who works at the bank to look at the fireworks? There are things that pick at your heart, and I've gone through all of that."
Scully said it was above his pay grade to solve the Dodgers' television dispute, with SportsNet LA only available on Time Warner Cable among major distributors, leaving two-thirds of households in Los Angeles unable to watch Scully and the Dodgers on television.
"I would hope they will bring the two sides together and hopefully we can get it back. The team is fun to watch. It's an exciting team, it's one of the better team's we've had in years," Scully said. "It's heartbreaking not to be able to share it with everyone in the community."
Asked if 2015 might be his last season, Scully wouldn't say, adding that even thinking beyond 2014 is difficult for him.
"If you want to make God smile, tell him your plans. So when people say congratulations that I'm hoping to come back, April is a long way from where we are right now. I pray that I'll be allowed to come back," Scully said. "It's going to be so difficult to say goodbye, because I won't just be saying goodbye to doing the game. I won't be back, I guarantee you - I might be back once or something if somebody invites me - but that will be that."
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