Vin Scully activated from DL, addresses ‘bad cold.’

Vin Scully, the consummate professional, confirmed suspicions that he would choose to skip an entire night’s sleep rather than have a hoarse throat during a Dodgers telecast.

“As God as my judge, I did not sleep one wink Saturday night,” Scully said, while sitting in the Vin Scully Press Box as the Dodgers took batting practice on the field below.

“You try not to cough because you know when you’re going to cough, you’re going to become hoarse. So I packed the pillows up to try and prevent myself from coughing. Well I cut down on the coughing but I packed the pillows up so much that I wasn’t sleeping. I went to the ballpark [a week ago] Sunday and I thought, ‘oh, Lord, if I can somehow get through this one.’ We did the game, [Chase] Headley hit the grand slam home run, the Dodgers lost the game and I went home and I was done. I could not have done anything from then on, almost until today.”

The bad cold that forced the 84-year-old broadcaster to miss the Dodgers’ first five home games of the season is gone, and Scully will be calling today’s game against the San Diego Padres on Prime Ticket.

It is Jackie Robinson Day, a fitting day for Scully to return, but more importantly it’s a day game.

“The doctors kept telling me if you go and it’s cold you could easily have a relapse or, more importantly, in your weakened condition you could pick up something else and then you’re really in trouble,” he said. “So that’s why I stayed away.”

For as disappointed and angry as he was to miss the Dodgers’ home opener Tuesday, Scully was moved to tears when recounting the outpouring of get-well sentiment from Dodger Stadium.

“They said in the eighth inning Matt Kemp twittered and said something to the effect, ‘Mr. Scully please get well, Matt Kemp,’ then went to the plate and struck out. How fitting is that? That’s what he gets for hanging around with me.”

(For the record, Kemp fired off the tweet before the game.)

Scully said he was told that he “was a click away from pneumonia.” But he looked like himself Sunday morning, sounded like himself, and the cloudless sky is cooperating with his doctor’s recommendation — a great day for baseball.

This entry was posted in In the media and tagged by J.P. Hoornstra. Bookmark the permalink.

About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.