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Dontrelle Willis' response to Miguel Vargas nickname proves Dodgers lucky to have him

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Dodgers Way

Florida Marlins v Pittsburgh Pirates / George Gojkovich/GettyImages

The Los Angeles Dodgers broadcast booth got an infusion of joy when former Marlins left-hander Dontrelle Willis joined the fray.

On Wednesday, Willis proved that the fun doesn't stop when he hops off the air.

Willis, a long-time FOX pre/postgame specialist and special assistant for the Dodgers before he joined the booth officially (part-time) in May 2022, has been all over the broadcast schedule this season, partnering with Stephen Nelson to provide elite (and differentiated) Joe Davis relief.

With every change comes consternation from a certain sect of fans, however, who still think every broadcaster should be a Vin Scully clone. Unfortunately, Willis was unable to entirely escape scorn for being "too familiar" with the team. Dodgers Twitter, annoyingly, accused him of a lack of formality when he called Miguel Vargas "Vargy" on Wednesday's broadcast. Vargas is heating up, with dingers in consecutive days. If he's going to be discussed more, the fans clearly want it to be done right!

Willis, to his credit, didn't bat an eye. Everyone calls him "Vargy," but ... go off, Twitter, we guess.

Dontrelle Willis deserves even more love for work in Dodgers broadcast booth

Perfect response and deflection.

It's America. You can tweet what you want. Willis can do what he wants. Fair is fair.

And, so far, fair appears to be winning out, as the love for Willis has certainly outweighed the hilarious criticism. Willis posted an amazing Twitter exchange to his Instagram story on Wednesday, and it's absolutely worth sharing the zingers he's brought.

Oh, and don't forget Willis is an asset in other ways, too. Before he was a vivacious broadcaster, he was also an All-Star left-hander (and a Dodgers assistant for a reason).

According to the man himself, it seems he and fellow lefty Julio Urías have been talking shop lately as free agency approaches.

Come on, Julio! You don't want to leave these chats behind! Consider the offer!

For as long as Willis is in the booth, it's a guarantee that Dodgers broadcasts will be livelier and feature an insider's perspective that can both drill down or illuminate, depending on how the team is performing.

Willis gets an A+ from us so far -- or, should we say, "Willy"?

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard and Dodgers Way for 4 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast twice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for eight years. Previously, he was a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.