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Posted: Tue., Nov. 10, 2009, 6:23pm PT

Dodgers announcer avoids off-field issues

Vin Scully discusses 60-year career

On a day he regaled a Hollywood Radio and TV Society audience with tales from his 60-year Dodger broadcasting career, Vin Scully allowed that he does not feel it's his on-air responsibility to discuss baseball's off-field issues.

Speaking before a full house at the Beverly Wilshire, Scully said his job was to call the play-by-play and nothing more.

"My obligation is to tell the fans at home what's going on between the lines," Scully said. "As far as the hot-button issues of steroids, I have nothing to do with that.

"Even with Manny (Ramirez) -- the world knew Manny had a 50-game suspension. There wasn't any reason for me to talk about they were fertility drugs or whatever. I just felt it was not my role."

That approach would extend, Scully said, to the latest controversy surrounding the Dodgers -- the volatile divorce of team owners Frank and Jamie McCourt.

"As someone who holds a great sanctity for marriage, it breaks my heart," Scully said. "But that's all. I have nothing else to say about it."

But the day was mostly devoted to storytelling. One anecdote involved a rare occasion in which Scully became profanely tongue-twisted.

"My mind told my mouth to say, 'There is a hot shot hit foul,'" Scully recalled to great laughter. "No way."


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