Crystal: Grief Keeping Me From Oscars

In a mostly funny 60 Minutes profile, Billy Crystal tells correspondent Mike Wallace that the recent deaths of family and friends, including his mother, kept him from hosting the upcoming Oscars ceremony.

According to a USA Today poll, Crystal is the most popular Oscar host ever, but the loss of his mother, a favorite uncle and a close friend, all in the past year, sapped his enthusiasm for the show this year.

"Stunning blows at the end of the year that I'm just recuperating from, if you ever do. And [I'm] starting to feel like I can be funny again. You know? That's what's going on," he tells Wallace about his decision.

Will he host again? "At some point I'm guessing I'll go back to do it," says Crystal.

The profile contains many uproarious moments, especially from his childhood. Part of the interview takes place in the backyard of the residence on Long Island where Crystal, a rabid baseball fan, grew up, imagining his backyard was Yankee Stadium.

"Mike, this was sacred ground," says Crystal, as he recounts how he and friends would play pretend World Series, Old Timers Day -- even night games. "We took every lamp out of the house and plugged them in with extension cords in the garage," he recounts.

"Mrs. Mark, who lived upstairs, would open [the window] and she would say, 'Fellahs, I know it's the World Series, but I have to get to sleep,'" he tells Wallace.

"The sickest one was we played an Old Timer's Day. You know how the Yankees have Old Timer's Day? Bring back great players… So we're walking around like old guys, 'Please welcome Bill Dickey, famous catcher, number eight.' And we would just…tip our hats and swing," he remembers.