For the record, Vin agrees: Weaver erred on Kemp's squibber

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There was no question in Vin Scully's mind -- or voice -- as to what the proper call was after the Dodgers' Matt Kemp hit that spinning ground ball down the first base line in the bottom of the fifth inning Saturday's game against the Angels, one which Angels pitcher Jeff Weaver tried to field but couldn't.
Scully's call on the KCAL-Channel 9 broadcast:

"That looked like a run-away gyroscope. And let's see how they're gonna rule it. I mean, he's got a no-hitter in the fifth inning. A squbber ... look at this thing (on the replay) ... I mean, he (Weaver) has got to make that play and he doesn't."

The scoreboard then flashes a hit for Kemp.

"I can't believe they're gonna give Kemp a hit ... wow."

Then the scoreboard changes.

"Well we were gonna tell you all... Now they change it. OK, that's better. I mean, holy mackrel. This is the big leagues. You're supposed to make that play for sure. So Kemp is aboard on the error."

Thankfully, it got Scully on a tangent about the unspoken rule in baseball where you don't talk about a no-hitter in progress -- which Scully had already done in this case -- and how he and Mel Allen called Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

"Back in the '50s if you were doing a ballgame and someone was pitching a no hitter -- even in the fourth, fifth inning -- you had better not talk about it. And we were so intimidated, Mel Allen and I ... Mel did the first half (of Larson's perfect game) and what he did was, he would count the outs. He'd say, 'Well, that's the 12th consecutive out. ... that's the 14th consecutive out.' So by the time I got on (for the second half), I figured, well, that's good enough for him, that's sure good enough for me."

Finally:
Here's Scully's call as there is one out left and Saito was pitching to Kendrick:
"How many times crowds have stood and roared as a pitcher was pitching a no-hitter. This is in reverse. This is Alice in Wonderland, we've just gone through the mirror. ... (with the count 1-and-2) 55,784 seeing one of weirdest of the weird. ... (everyone) just mesmerized by the drama ...
(Kendrick doubles, Napoli then walks on five pitches; Willits comes up as a pinch hitter)
"It's great here, isn't it? It's really great. Well, maybe not if you're Billingsley (waiting to find out if he'll be the winning pitcher)."
(Willits works the count to 1-2, then swings and misses for strike three).
"Unbelieveable. And the Dodgers win a game without a hit. Leave it to the Dodgers."

UPDATE SUNDAY MORNING:
Scully said it to start Sunday's Dodgers-Angels telecast:
"Naturally, a lot of talk about last night, and our favorite headline happened to be in the Daily News this morning and it summed it up pretty well. It said: 'No hits, no problem.'"

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Tom Hoffarth writes about sports and sports media for the Los Angeles Daily News.

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This page contains a single entry by Tom Hoffarth published on June 28, 2008 11:16 PM.

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