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Vin, Coffey and Chicken

One year ago, when big-man reliever Todd Coffey had started a one year, 1 million-dollar stint with the Dodgers, Vinny broke into this long story about how Coffey dropped 93 pounds by eating lots of chicken. I didn't quite know what to make of it except that the story just got better and better as he told it. He described how Coffey bought the chicken in 80-lb bags, kept them in a designated freezer and how he's mastered the art of cooking the bird claiming that he "can cook chicken more than anybody in the world now." I found out just this morning that most of the story came from an interview with a reporter covering the Reds in 2005, back when Coffey first broke into the league.

Coffey injured his right shoulder July 2nd, ironically against the Reds, and had to undergo his second Tommy John operation, ending his season. The Dodgers didn't pick up his option in October and is now a free agent. This past November he freaked out after the president won re-election, deleting his Twitter account in the process. Yet he sounds resilient, as he's been going through rehab and set up a new twitter in March proclaiming "I'm back, ready to talk baseball, no more politics." Four days ago he posted that he was heading to LA to see the doctor and starting bullpen work. I'm not quite sure whether that means he's hoping to come back to the Dodgers or not. I for one hope that's the case, as I very much enjoyed his fast dashes from the bullpen to the mound, his intense pitch speed, seeing a top-heavy man (such as myself) doing acrobatics on the mound and of course, being able to again hear the story from Vin, learning ever more about the various fricassee's being conjured in Coffey's Kitchen.

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Was looking for Vin's great story about Todd Coffey and stumbled upon this.

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Can I ask you an honest question, just between you and me? What in the world is a hashtag?

Wed Apr 10th - SD

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“J.J. Putz has what people call a soul patch on his chin. One night, the first 20,000 fans in attendance got a J.J. Putz soul patch replica and everyone was walking around with scruff on their chin.”

Fri Apr 12th - AZ

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"He's still got some petrol in the tank"

Fri Apr 12 - AZ

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I figured Vin might dig this color scheme. Matches some of his favorite suits.

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Dueces Wild

For as long as I can remember, my summers have always been filled with Dodger baseball and the accompanying narrative of Vin Scully. When I was a kid, my dad would put the Dodger game on TV, then tune in the simulcast on the radio when the coverage was national or being done by someone other than Vin.

There are few broadcasters in history with as rich or as long a history in any sport. The fact that he's done what he does, for as long as he has, on his own, is really quite amazing. He's been the voice of the Dodgers for 59 consecutive years, longer than any current sportscaster with any one team. What has always made Vin unique are his subtle jokes, classic stories of days past, in-depth profiles of players, colorful verbiage, meticulous statistical details, a comical acceptance of modern technology, and a grab-bag of catch phrases.

One of the most common recurring turns of phrase Vin invokes is "Dueces Wild," a situation in any game where one of many possible variables are occurring: two players on base, two balls, two strikes, two outs, etc. It's a microcosm of Scully's love for the game, as well as a perfect example of what baseball fans and announcer do to keep themselves on their toes during the (at times) mundane pace of baseball.

I've watched most every game this year and while Vin maybe getting older and his coverage slipping just a little, he still says things you'll never hear from other announcers or phrases that nobody says anymore, anywhere.   Anyhow, I thought it'd be fun to keep track of what he says. Here goes...