Tuesday, May 21, 2013
At Home Plate
Vintage Vin
Written by Bjoern Hartig (Contact & Archive) on April 16, 2009
  

Orel from Sons of Steve Garvey has written down a transcript of Vin Scully telling a story about how he ice-skated with Jackie Robinson:

I actually raced Jackie Robinson on ice skates—I think I tell that once a year—but it is a little offbeat.

One and one the count to Fred Lewis....Fouled back.

We were assigned by the Dodgers to go up to the Catskill Mountains and have a little symposium, whatever, for the customers up there, and it was dead of winter, and I brought my ice skates.

And Jackie, along with Rachel—who was great with child—we met up in the mountains.

Two and two.

And Jackie looked at my ice skates and said, "I'll go skating with you." Okay. And Rachel said, "I'm going too." Well, I was scared to death for her.

So we went to the rink. I put on my skates. They were great racing skates with the long blade.

And strike three call, strikeout number seven.

Well anyway, we were putting on our skates. And if you've never been on ice skates, when you put them on and you stand up, all of a sudden you're on your ankles because you have no idea how to balance on the blades.

And here's Jackie standing on his ankles and he turned and said to me, "I'll bet you five bucks I can beat you."

And I said, "Jack, you're from Southern California. I mean, I didn't know you ice skated."

He said, "I've never been on skates in my life," and I said, "Well, that's pretty obvious."

But I said, "Why would you want to race me? I'm not a great skater but I know I can beat you."

"Oh," he said. "That's okay."

And then that look came over his face.

And he said, "That's how I'll learn."

His competitive drive was so great.

Yeah I won, sure, but I mean he was walking on the ice on his ankles. One of the great athletes of all time.

One and one the count to Molina....

You have to love how he mixed in game calling with story telling. Simply amazing!



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