Vin Scully discusses retirement on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’: ‘I went to the hardware store’
Vin Scully has been keeping himself busy since retiring as the Dodgers’ radio and TV announcer less than two weeks ago. In addition to watching the team’s playoff games on TV, he made an appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Thursday night.
There, Scully revealed even more excitement in his new life as a retiree.
For the record:
1:48 p.m. May 20, 2019An earlier version of this article gave Vin Scully’s age as 87. He is 88.
“I went to the hardware store,” the legendary 88-year-old broadcaster said. “I have a very important engagement on Monday the 17th — I am lecturing at the sixth-grade school at St. Mel’s [in Woodland Hills]. I have a granddaughter and a grandson there. We have 16 grandchildren, so you know if I can’t think of something to do, someone out there will.”
(The Dodgers tweeted Friday that Scully had to cancel the St. Mel appearance due to a scheduling conflict.)
He didn’t say it, but like the rest of us need a little time to get used to the idea that he’s no longer in the booth, after 67 years with the Dodgers. While telling a story about how he fell in love with the roar of a crowd as a young boy, Scully has to correct himself and refer to his broadcasting career in the past tense.
“So today, if I have any kind — had any kind — of trademark whatsoever, it would be I’d try to call the play as quickly and accurately as possible and [then] shut up,” he said. “And when that crowd roars, for a brief time I’m 8½ years old.”
Scully also talked about how transistor radios aided his popularity. “I did put most of Southern California to sleep,” he said. “The transistor radio went under the pillow, I hear that all my life now.”
And he also played along when Kimmel asked him to do the play-by-play call for a clip of the host’s home run during a 2004 celebrity softball game. “There’s a long fly ball to deep right-center … and that is GONE!”
The segment was recorded as the Dodgers played Washington in Game 5 of their playoff series with the Nationals. And while Scully’s appearance on Kimmel’s show was fun, I couldn’t help but think how cool it would have been to hear him call the final two outs Clayton Kershaw threw for the series-clinching win.
Still, it was great to see and hear Scully again … even if it’s only been 12 days since his last broadcast.
Twitter: @chewkiii
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