During his final season calling Los Angeles Dodgers games, broadcaster Vin Scully and baseball’s All-Star Game seem like a perfect match, don’t they? Not only does Scully deserve one last moment in front of a national audience during one of MLB’s spotlight events, but it would make the Midsummer Classic even more special than it already is.
Apparently, Fox Sports agreed that having Scully be a part of its All-Star Game coverage would be a great idea. However, the legendary broadcaster declined the opportunity when Fox offered him a spot in their announcing booth for the July 12 telecast.
As reported by Sports Illustrated‘s Richard Deitsch, Fox Sports executive vice president of production and operations, Brad Zager, spoke to Scully in mid-May about possibly joining the network’s All-Star Game broadcast team. Zager offered Scully the chance to take part however he wanted, whether it was to call one inning or be a guest in the booth. But perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Scully politely declined because he didn’t want to deprive anyone else of a deserving opportunity. He last called the All-Star Game in 1989 for NBC.
From Deitsch’s report:
“Scully told Zager that he felt it was not his place to be in someone else’s broadcast booth and that he had already covered All-Star Games, the most recent coming in 1989 for NBC Sports (former U.S. President Ronald Reagan called an inning with Scully that year). Scully told Zager the last thing he wanted was for his name to overshadow the players in this year’s game. It’s also been an exhausting time for Scully with all the media requests and adulation he has received.”
But Zager is still hoping Scully will be a part of Fox’s baseball coverage in one form or another. He also offered the broadcaster a chance to call games for the network later in the season, perhaps the postseason. If the Dodgers make the National League playoffs, maybe Scully will be more amenable to participating. But Zager isn’t expecting Scully to take him up on the offer, especially if the Dodgers don’t qualify for the postseason and he ends up calling what would be his final game at the conclusion of the regular season.
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