Reporter tries mascot's slide, and it goes horribly wrong
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MILWAUKEE -- Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner is known for his smooth slides. Longtime Dodger Talk host David Vassegh will also be known for his slide, but not for the same reasons.
After a decade of coming to American Family Field, Vassegh was finally invited to slide down Bernie’s Chalet on Wednesday. It was all he talked about for about 24 hours.
Vassegh’s first slide down was a successful one. He braced for impact correctly, going feet first against the wall. He wasn’t so lucky in his second slide down. Vassegh wasn’t able to get his feet in position, crashing into the wall at full speed.
He rolled around in pain for about 30 seconds, though given his personality, a party of about a dozen people thought he was playing up the collision. Turns out, after a quick trip to the emergency room, Vassegh suffered two fractures in his right wrist and six cracked ribs.
Even while in serious pain, Vassegh was able to battle through his injury like a true warrior. Before going to the hospital, Vassegh interviewed Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, who assured Vassegh that his slide was going to give everyone in the organization plenty of jokes moving forward.
Vassegh’s adventure is funny now that everyone knows he’s OK. It even had SportsNet LA broadcasters Joe Davis and Nomar Garciaparra doubled over in laughter. Vassegh, who was a good sport about it all, even raised his right wrist like Rocky during his first TV hit.
But during a scary moment, Vassegh did thank the Dodgers’ training staff for helping him. He also thanked Dodgers players David Price, Mookie Betts, Justin Turner and others for reaching out. Betts even FaceTimed Vassegh while he was getting checked out.
All the interactions were positive on Wednesday. But as he continues to heal, “the slide” will be something Vassegh will have to wear for a very long time. Just like the cast on his right wrist.
“This game was for Vassegh,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes joked following the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Brewers on Wednesday. “He was hurting tonight.”