This season is Vin Scully’s last behind the mic, as he’s set to retire after the Dodgers inevitably are eliminated from the playoffs. On Friday night, Ryan Howard tied Joe DiMaggio with 361 homeruns, good enough for 81st on the all-time list.
This facilitated Scully to completely eviscerate Howard for some reason. Here’s the audio:
Here’s the transcription:
We have a moment while Bruce makes his way to the mound. Among other things, I thought Joe DiMaggio was certainly one of the greatest players that ever played the game. And I can say, having seen Ryan Howard, he’s not one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. Howard tied DiMaggio on the home runs, but how about this… In 13 years, Joe DiMaggio struck out 360 times. That’s all. In 13 years, Ryan Howard struck out 1,738. Yeah, he replaced Joe DiMaggio. While I think about that, we’ll be back.
Why the sudden venom from Scully on Howard? Who knows? He might just not give a damn anymore.
H/T to Hardball Talk
About The Author
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 14 years. He founded Bleeding Brotherly Love in April 2011, and renamed it Bleed Philly in 2013. In 2015, he joined Sean Brace in launching Philly Influencer, which quickly became a top Philly sports and culture website. He covered professional wrestling for PhillyVoice from 2015-2021, and co-launched The Straight Shooters podcast in 2015, covering the entire pro wrestling industry. He also produces content for Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University.
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Nick Piccone
dude is still mad about the Phillies annihilation of the Dodgers in 08 and 09.
Ha, that was the first thing I thought, too.
Or he could just be sharing statistics
Stop
Or maybe Scully, who knows what he’s talking about after 66 years, realizes what everyone else does. Hr totals did not make you one of the greatest, especially comparing eras. Howard has a lifetime average that is, well, average (.262). Joe victimized pitchers with a lifetime .325 average.
Ryan has more SO than RBI. He’s a typical “feast or famine” batter. Joe also dwarfs him in the 2B stat, which is another measure of caliber. Defensively, Howard has far too many errors for a 1B. Adrian Gonzales, to compare, only has 71 as a 1B. Do your research first instead of just being a “homer” because you’re doing a Philly site. Howard is a decent to good player that happens to have 361 HR. Joe D is a baseball legend.
Mr. Scully states a stat and that’s “venom” bit it’s not “venomous”to opine “when they (Dodgers) are inevitably eliminated from the playoffs” Phillies faithful need to grow a thicker skin if statistics are going to hurt your feelings. Mr. Sully certainly has been around the game of baseball long enough to give his opinion on a comparison of players that he has watch play personally and not be vilified.
Stop what? Telling the truth? Ok. Have a great day.
Why does Vin Scully care so much about Ryan Howard? That came out of nowhere, and nobody’s really comparing him to DiMaggio except for his homerun count. Scully’s rant really made no sense whatsoever.
I’ve taken Howard to task plenty of times. I’m anything but a homer. But, go ahead. Make an assumption based off one post.
Except nobody in the world compares Howard to DiMaggio. I had no venom in my words, actually.
Thanks! My day was awesome.
Neither did Vin Scully.
Right. Listen to it again, chief.
The only person getting butt-hurt about Scully’s comment is yourself. He is possibly inferring, that with absolute chagrin, that players today are being revered solely on “the big stat” as opposed to overall caliber. I bet a dime to a dollar he heard some clown announcer next door for the Phillies compare Howard to DiMaggio as joining or replacing the greats. They have no clue as to how to measure player worth for a position player unless it’s about HR. The fact that you would accuse one of the greatest – if not maybe the greatest as considered by other true journalists, long-time sports announcers, and baseball insiders – of nothing but “venom” and “not giving a damn anymore”, shows exactly what an off-the-mainline third-rate web-rep that you do. You should be ashamed of yourself.
The Dodgers weren’t even playing the Phillies. So how could a Phillies announcer be next door to him? You clearly have no clue of the situation.
Bottom line: If the Dodgers were playing the Phillies, at least it would have made SOME sense. The fact he went on a rant about something that had nothing to do with anything – and literally nobody is comparing Howard to DiMaggio – was all kinds of ridiculous.