First and foremost, the sum and total of my Spanish speaking abilities are limited to what I learned – and mostly forgot – in high school Spanish class and what I learned on the streets during my 36-year law enforcement career. Hence, it is extremely limited (and very poor).
I did, however, pick up some additional (baseball-ish) Spanish from Jaime Jarrín, who has been the Dodgers longtime Spanish broadcaster.
As every baseball fan knows, Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully stepped away from the microphone following the 2016 season, having been the Golden Voice of the Dodgers for 67 seasons – eight in Brooklyn and 59 in Los Angeles. Jarrín joined the club in 1959 and has been the other (Spanish) Golden Voice of the Dodgers ever since.
After the 2021 season, Jarrín announced that 2022 would be his 64th – and final – season behind the mic, and on Wednesday evening, he posted this on Twitter (which I translated using Google Translate because of the aforementioned issues):
Having been blessed to receive a media credential from the Dodgers, I came to know and became friends with Jarrín several years ago and I can absolutely positively assure you that in addition to his remarkable professionalism, he is every bit as genuine and friendly in person as he sounds and appears on radio and television.
Needless to say, I will cherish every moment that I get to be in the presence of Jaime during his final season as the other Voz de Oro de Los Dodgers (Google Translate), and I wish him nothing but the very best in his upcoming and well-deserved retirement.
¡Jugar a la pelota! (Play Ball!)
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