Cut His Mike

For some reason, the Trib's Fred Mitchell thinks we care what Milo Hamilton has to say about the TV broadcasters' call of Barry Bonds' record-setting home run.

Just in case you do care, you won't be surprised to hear that he doesn't think much of them:

I don't think the call[s] [of Bonds' homer Tuesday] night will last 33 years.

Just to put Hamilton in perspective: Steve Stone thought he was a pompous blowhard. And Stone should know.

On another announcing front, you may recall last week that Vin Scully was all worried about the "awkwardness" of calling Barry Bonds' 756th.

Earlier today, another Vin Scully moment popped unbidden into my mind. Today, Scully, of course, is disturbed by the spectre of steroids. Was he disturbed by the "awkwardness" back when Big Mac and Sammy were "saving" the game back in 1998?

Let's go to the archives and find out! This is courtesy of Baseball Weekly's Bob Nightengale (12 August 1998):

[B]ut before baseball gets completely giddy, there is a possible glitch to all of this madness.

What happens if two players, such as McGwire and Griffey, break Maris’ record? What if there’s a third, such as Sosa? How about a fourth or fifth, if Greg Vaughn and Vinny Castilla get hot?

Just what happens then?

“I don’t care who breaks it,” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully says, “as long as only one person breaks it.

“It would taint the record if more than one person breaks it.”

I've no wise or pithy summary for that. Compare and contrast, I guess...