Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Vin Scully, on Getting Tossed

Jocko Conlan and Leo Durocher.

Thank you and cheers to loyal SoSG reader, Beastie Boys aficionado and dispenser of masterful insight Dusty Baker for this transcription of Vin Scully from Sunday's telecast:

[Speaking re: Matt Kemp getting tossed from the game] I was thinking that was a long-distance toss by plate umpire Ron Kulpa. He was at least ninety feet...maybe a hundred feet away from Matt Kemp when he kicked him out. I believe it was all about that second pitch that was called a strike to Matt. And then of course it complicated matters when he hits into a double play.

Course, we've seen some really terrific kick-outs, but the best one I think ever, I mean the one I'll never forget, was in the Coliseum. Leo Durocher was coaching for the Dodgers and Jocko Conlan was the plate umpire. And Leo disagreed, and Leo liked to kick dirt on home plate. Far better than Lou Piniella. I mean, Leo really knew how to do it.

That's gonna go just fair...down the line into the corner. Stanton in pursuit and the Dodgers will have runners at second and third with one out. So Navarro, who had hit Nolasco in the past, is in there with good numbers against him, and he goes two-for-three today. So we have second and third, one out, and Jamey Carroll comin' up.

Anyway what Leo wanted to do was kick the dirt on home plate. And when he kicked, his spikes bounced off home plate and hit Jocko Conlan in the shins. Well Conlan — and he was Irish — he got furious, so he kicked Leo Durocher in the shins. And then Leo kicked Conlan in the shins, and here were two grown men...

They're gonna walk Jamey Carroll.

So two grown men are standing at home plate kicking each other in the shins. And [Vin chuckles] then Conlan threw Leo out. Well the payoff was Durocher realized when he cooled off, "Am I crazy? He's kicking me in the shins and I'm kicking him, but he's got shin guards under his pants." And there was Leo battered, bruised, and kicked out.

So, for Matt Kemp, it was a long-distance chase, and, at least that was that. Although they did have to restrain him. But that one was one for the history books.

Meanwhile, Carroll walks, the bases are loaded with one out, and here comes Clayton Kershaw, two-for-two.

2 comments:

Kyle Baker said...

I love the "better than Lou Piniella" part. Like Vin went through his mental catalog of the best dirt kickers, and analyzed some dirtmetrics, and made this determination.

Steve K said...

I heard the end of the story, but missed the beginning.

Thanks, Dusty!