Thursday BP: Remembering one of Vin Scully’s best stories

Good morning, baseball fans.

The baseball world was rocked this week by the news of the passing of longtime Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster and overall beloved sports icon Vin Scully. He had a way with words and an uncanny sense of timing, weaving in interesting stories about opposing players without missing a single pitch.

Many have been sharing the video of the time the Dodgers were facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015 and Scully delved into a story about how Jonny Gomes had survived a wolf attack.

But one that is perhaps best remembered by fans of the San Francisco Giants was the time in 2016 when Scully told the tall tale about Madison Bumgarner saving a baby rabbit. This wasn’t a new story to Giants fans, as it was included in his write up by Sports Illustrated when he won their Sportsman of the year award after his performance in the 2014 World Series.

For anyone who might have missed it, though, the story goes that he and his wife Ali came across a snake, and not knowing if it was a rattler or not, Bumgarner decided not to take any chances and went at it with an axe. And that Ali discovered baby rabbits inside, one of which was still alive, and they nursed it back to health.

It’s a fun anecdote made even more fun with the wonder and philosophizing that Vin Scully brought to all of the stories he told, whether they were about the game he was broadcasting or the players’ lives and it is something I have missed very much since he retired after the season this took place in. Let’s take a listen one more time.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants and Dodgers wrap up this four-game series today (thank goodness) at 12:45 p.m. PT.