Vin Scully: "Now That They Have Rod Barajas, That Was The Clincher"

God, I love Vin Scully. He just finished addressing the media after it was announced he was returning for another season. He sounded as humble as ever, embarrassed even by the attention given to him, and got choked up during his session with the media. He mentioned that he still has a love for the game, that the wins or losses don't matter to him because the Dodgers to him are a relationship, like a marriage, he said. Well, that marriage is set to last for a 62nd year in 2011.

Scully was asked about his favorite moments, and he said, "If I were to talk about memorable moments, Leo Tolstoy would have to rewrite War & Peace." Vin still gets goosebumps, mentioning specifically the great behind the back play by Eric Young, Jr. earlier in the week in the series with the Rockies. Scully said he went home that night, still excited that baseball can make him feel this way. So remember that, Dodger fans, if you ever want to boo EY2, think twice.

The line of the day by Scully was when he quipped, "Now that they have Rod Barajas, that was the clincher."

The Dodgers acquired catcher Rod Barajas from the Mets today for cash considerations.Barajas, who turns 35 on September 5, is hitting .225/.263/.414 this season with 12 home runs and 34 RBI. He hit 11 of his 12 home runs in April and May, and since then has hit .163/.223/.221 in 33 games since June 1. He had lost playing time recently to Josh Thole in New York, and was recently on the disabled list with a strained left oblique.

Since Russell Martin went down on August 3, Dodger catchers Brad Ausmus and A.J. Ellis have combined for just eight hits in 56 at-bats, hitting .143/.200/.161, and opposing runners are 18 for 18 in stolen base attempts during that time.

Barajas has thrown out just four of 27 would-be base stealers this season, but has thrown out at least 33% of runners in each of the last eight previous seasons. He has hit at least 11 home runs in six of the past seven seasons.

Barajas has a base salary of $500,000, so without knowing his incentives or the amount of cash paid to the Mets in the deal, the Dodgers are on the hook for roughly $117,486 of his salary for the rest of the season.

Notes

• Joe Torre said he was very happy for the Dodgers, and happy that Vin Scully has the energy to continue, and that he couldn't imagine the Dodgers without Scully. Torre said Scully "describes the game like no one else has ever described it."
• Asked if Torre would make an announcement that his return in 2011 would be a package deal with Scully, Torre quipped, "I'm not going to the booth. He likes to work alone."
• Barajas will join the club Tuesday in Milwaukee. A.J. Ellis will be optioned to Albuquerque but will return once rosters expand on September 1.
• Jeff Weaver was activated from the disabled list today, and Travis Schlichting was placed on the DL with a sore shoulder.
• Hong-Chih Kuo, after throwing 18 pitches in 1 2/3 innings last night, is unlikely to be used today. Torre said that with Jonathan Broxton, Kenley Jansen, and Octavio Dotel, he had enough fresh arms such that he won't have to use Kuo today.
  
• Chad Billingsley had no issues today with his right calf, and he is scheduled to make his next start on Thursday in Milwaukee.
• Hiroki Kuroda will be given an extra day of rest, starting Wednesday in Milwaukee. The move was made in part to start Ted Lilly Tuesday, so that Lilly could start Sunday in Colorado, giving the Dodgers two lefties against the Rockies.
• The next start for the fifth starter in the rotation will come Saturday in Colorado.
  
• Torre agreed with our own Phil Gurnee in that 40-man rosters in September are unfair, especially in the National League, "when part of the game is trying to run the other team out of players." Torre said he would like some sort of system with a certain number eligible for each game, to make rosters more uniform.
  

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Game Time: 1:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

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