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Scully recalls boyhood crank calls during Pujols at-bat

Harry How / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Before he became a broadcasting legend, Vin Scully just was a mischievous kid who wasn't above making a crank phone call now and then.

On the verge of his 67th and final season calling Los Angeles Dodgers games, Scully was reminded of his penchant for mischief during Friday's spring contest against the Los Angeles Angels, his memory triggered during an Albert Pujols at-bat in the top of the sixth.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Scully, who was born in the Bronx and grew up in north Manhattan, recalled:

Every time I say, 'Albert', I think of when I and many others were kids, many years ago - and I'm not talking about Fat Albert, whom a lot of people certainly remember. It was a dumb thing to do - but kids do dumb things - although it was harmless: we would call a tobacco store and say, 'Do you have Albert in a can?' You know, there was Prince Albert (tobacco), right? Kids would say, 'Do you have Albert in a can?' and the guy'd say, 'Yes, I do'. We'd say, 'Would you please let him out?' And we'd hang up, we've lost a nickel, and we thought it was hysterical. And for some reason, when I say 'Albert', I'm not thinking of the great Pujols; I'm thinking of being about 11 years old.

Despite leaving an indelible mark on baseball history, the 88-year-old was characteristically self-effacing last week as he attempted to downplay the significance of his final summer in the booth.

"I'm just an announcer, I belong in the press box, and only really at Dodger Stadium," he told Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.

Except you're not just an announcer, Vin. You're not.

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