For many baseball fans, meeting Vin Scully is a lifelong dream.
Ray Charles once begged Bob Costas to introduce him to the voice of the Dodgers. Celebrated actor Bryan Cranston was downright giddy recently when he got to spend some time with Dodgers' legendary announcer.
Scully's lore isn't lost on Washington Nationals pitcher Drew Storen, who went out of his way to meet Scully during the Nationals' recent trip to Los Angeles.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported that Storen, whose father was a radio and television broadcaster in Indianapolis, scoured eBay for a 1957 radio microphone that he could get signed by Scully at Dodger Stadium. The antique resembled one he saw Scully, 86, using in an old photo.
So Nationals broadcaster F.P. Santangelo arranged a meeting Tuesday between Storen and his idol before the Nationals' game against the Dodgers.
"I was just trying not to talk because I wanted to listen to him tell stories," Storen said. "He just blows me away every night. I told him he teaches me stuff about guys on the team that I don't even know. He just tells stories. He's like the emcee of the game.
"When he says your name, it means you've made it."
Storen, who says Scully's voice is "beyond soothing," has an interesting tie to Scully. On Aug. 6, 2010, Scully called the first save of Storen's career.
Mercy
Tusculum allowed minus-100 total yards and minus-124 yards rushing to set NCAA single-game records in both categories Thursday night in a 71-0 victory over the College of Faith in a game played in Greeneville, Tenn.
Tusculum (1-0), a Division II school in Knoxville, Tenn., had three safeties, which tied a Division II mark, according to the Pioneers' website. Tusculum's 71 points was the fourth-highest total in program history.
The previous record for fewest total yards allowed was minus-69, by Division II school Fort Valley State against Miles in 1993. The previous record for fewest yards rushing allowed was minus-112, by Division III program Coast Guard against Wesleyan (Connecticut) in 1989.
Faith (0-2) of Charlotte N.C., ran the ball 36 times and quarterback Travis Singleton completed 7 of 12 passes for 24 yards and was sacked twice. The Saints lost 56-0 at Division I Davidson College in its opener.
Also on Thursday night, Texas A&M-Commerce beat East Texas Baptist 98-20 while going for 986 total yards (590 passing, 396 rushing). The total yards set an NCAA Division II single-game record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Nice Bubba
Bubba Watson has had a couple of on-course blow-ups at caddie Ted Scott that were caught on camera. Not as well known are the ridiculous bonuses Bubba The Boss gives to his employees.
Scott thanked Bubba and his wife Angie on Twitter earlier in the week for upgrading the Scott family's vehicles. They are now the proud new owners of a white Lexus luxury sedan and a black Toyota pick-up truck thanks to Watson.
That's a nice reward for showing up, keeping up, shutting up and taking a bit of a verbal lashing now and again.
One question remains, though.
What would the bonus look like if Scott picked the right clubs once in a while?
QUIZ
Where did Washington Nationals pitcher Drew Storen play college baseball?
ANSWER
Stanford
Sports on 09/06/2014