Terry makes climb for Vin
LOS ANGELES — Long before the gates were opened and before the field was ready for batting practice, Terry Collins came sprinting out of the visitors’ clubhouse at Dodgers Stadium and was yelling in the quiet up to the press box.
“Hey Vin, you got a minute,” the Mets manager shouted.
“Terry, I am sorry I didn’t get a chance to come down there yesterday,” legendary Dodgers’ broadcaster Vin Scully replied.
And before the Hall of Famer could say another word, Collins told him he was on his way up. In his full batting practice uniform, he made the unusual climb up to the press box — through the stands and back hallways — to visit one last time with Scully in Dodgers Stadium.
“He is one of the finest human beings on the face of the earth to me,” Collins said after the visit. “Who he is, and he treats you like you are something special and he’s the one who’s special. That’s my background with the Los Angeles Dodgers when I was here. Everybody was a family, nobody was above anybody else, everybody was treated great. When Vin Scully is happy to see you, and Don Newcombe makes a special trip, even with a bad foot, to come say hi, those are great people.”
Collins, who managed in the Dodgers’ minor league system for years, always tries to visit with Scully when the Mets play in Los Angeles. They usually talk in the privacy of the visiting manager’s office, but with this being Scully’s last year of broadcasting the Dodgers, his pregame time is pretty jam-packed.
Scully, who was born in the Bronx and began his broadcasting career in Brooklyn, will retire after the season, his 67th of broadcasting Dodgers baseball.
“I can’t imagine the Dodgers without him,” Collins said. “I obviously when I was (managing) in the Southwest, any time we had the chance to turn the Dodger game on, we had it on the radio, obviously, because you don’t have TV like you have today, and you had Vin.
“His voice was Dodger baseball for me,” Collins said. “I grew up in Michigan. It was the same with (Tigers broadcaster) Ernie Harwell and when I got to meet Ernie Harwell, it was like I knew him for years. Same with Vin Scully. “He’ll be missed. He brought a lot,” Collins said. “When he writes that book, I’ll be the first one to buy one.”
WALKER OUT
Neil Walker was out of the lineup for the third straight day because of swelling to the inside of his right knee, shin and ankle, but the Mets expect him to play Wednesday . ...
As expected Josh Edgin was activated off the disabled list and optioned to Triple-A. The lefthanded reliever completed his rehab from March 2015 Tommy John surgery, but with concern about his velocity and lefties Jerry Blevins and Antonio Bastardo working out well in the Mets bullpen currently, there is not a spot for Edgin.