Former NY Yankee shortstop Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto died today at 89 years of age. He was the oldest living Hall of Famer. Rizzuto played his entire 13-year career with the Yankees (interrupted by Naval Service during World War II), and won 7 World Series Titles, an AL MVP award and was a 5 time All Star. After his playing career, he broad casted Yankee games for 4 decades. As a broadcaster, he became known for his signature exclamation “Holy Cow”.
Most Rock and Roll fans have probably heard his voice (though they may not have known his name). Rizzuto was the man doing the play-by-play on Meatloaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights”.
Phil Rizzuto was the little guy (not because he was only 5’6) in a Yankee line-up that featured Joe Dimagio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Yoggi Berra. He was the guy that could always lay down that perfect sacrifice bunt, would always move the runner from second to third with less than two outs and would make that diving catch in the field to save a run. Basically he was the guy that could always be counted on to set up the “Big Guys” to be the stars. His career numbers were not the greatest with a career batting average of only .276, and he was passed over for the Hall of Fame 15 times by the writers and 11 times by the old timers committee. Finally, it took an impassioned speech by former Red Sox legend, Ted Williams to convince the committee to let Rizzuto in. Ted Williams was fond of saying, “If we’d had Rizzuto in Boston, we’d have had all those pennants instead of New York”. That’s quite a tribute, from one of the greatest hitters of all time.
It’s a shame that kids look up to Barry Bonds, and the Scooter is often forgotten.
Most Rock and Roll fans have probably heard his voice (though they may not have known his name). Rizzuto was the man doing the play-by-play on Meatloaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights”.
Phil Rizzuto was the little guy (not because he was only 5’6) in a Yankee line-up that featured Joe Dimagio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Yoggi Berra. He was the guy that could always lay down that perfect sacrifice bunt, would always move the runner from second to third with less than two outs and would make that diving catch in the field to save a run. Basically he was the guy that could always be counted on to set up the “Big Guys” to be the stars. His career numbers were not the greatest with a career batting average of only .276, and he was passed over for the Hall of Fame 15 times by the writers and 11 times by the old timers committee. Finally, it took an impassioned speech by former Red Sox legend, Ted Williams to convince the committee to let Rizzuto in. Ted Williams was fond of saying, “If we’d had Rizzuto in Boston, we’d have had all those pennants instead of New York”. That’s quite a tribute, from one of the greatest hitters of all time.
It’s a shame that kids look up to Barry Bonds, and the Scooter is often forgotten.
13 comments:
Paul
Thanks for the note on the-Holy-Cow-man Phil Rizzuto. He now joins all the hall of famers playing for St Peter's All Stars in Heaven. I remember when he was FINALLY accepted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. His friend Yoggi Berra called to give him the good news, short and sweet message: "You Are In."
Have a fine TEXAS evening.
Well, sir...I've written 3 comments and have deleted them all....about heroes and heroes? I didn't want to be misinterpreted.
So...I'll just say 'Yea! for Ted Williams! and blessings on all the little guys who make the big guys BIG!
A fitting "Yogism" to cover Phils style of play "None of us is as good as all of us"....
paul, Phil was one of the greats. No more like that around....BIG MONEY!!!No sportsmanship No one for the kids to admire and immulate. God forbide they look at todays sports hero's....
Rizzuto...what sweet remembrance. He was a class act.
I don't even like baseball that much, I'm a football girl; however, when it comes to baseball, I am still a Mark Maguire fan at heart. And I actually bought my car from a retired Cardinals player when I was in StL. :)
Barry Bonds...no thank you.
--snow
very nice tribute to a guy who was a class act and knew what it meant to be a team player. amazing that a guy from the big rival team was the one who m ade the great plea for inclusion. and even though our family are mets fans and we shudder to even say the word 'yankees' (*shiver runs up my spine) we can respect a man like phil rizzuto and mourn his passing.
ur blog's v informational and well-written at the same time.
will be back :)
Sounds like a legend! Barry Bonds is a joke!
tlrb ... everyone on that team was Phil's friend. One time an opposing player (I think it was Edddie Stankey) slid into second with his cleats high and got the Scooter in the shoulder. Dimaggio got in that guys face and told him he was messing with his World Series money ... they all knew his value.
inspired ... amen to that!
buffalo ... I love Yogisms!
tapline ... there are still a quite a few "good guys" around. We just don't notice them in the commotion that the bad apples cause. Nomar Garca-Parra is one of those guys. One day Nomar was in Boston, meeting with his Uncle, who oversees a charity he started. He heard a woman scream and a splash and jumped into Boston Harbor to save 2 women who had fallen in (one had hit her head and was unconscious). There are quite a few stories like this involving sports figures. This was the first one to come to mind. Real Heroes don't seek the spotlight. Sooooo, if you ever start wondering what a beautiful looking woman like Mia Hamm is doing with an average looking guy like Nomar ... she must be with him because of his character.
snow ... you should have bought your car from me instead ... I would have put on a uniform to make the sale.
lime ... I can forgive you for being a Mets fan (I forgave my father after all). But my dad liked Rizzuto too ... it's probably because they went to the same High School (Richmond Hill HS ... but not at the same time) But my dad would tell us Rizzuto stories like he actually knew the man ... these were passed down from class to class (and probably embellished along the way).
celestine ... why thank you ... I try.
jenny ... what pissed me off about Bonds is that after he hit number 700, he made a comment about passing Babe Ruth and refered to him as "the fat man". Where the h@#l is the respect for a legend?
He did not??? What a cocksucking fuckstick!
jenny ... wow, I have never heard that particular expression before ... and after 16 years in the infantry, I thought I had heard them all
Bravo
Hee Hee...
I always say "Holy Cow"!
and woah! I just read jenny's comments..... *eyes huge*
terri ... yes, jenny's comment was quite enthusiastic, but since it is about Barry Bonds ... I have to say that I agree.
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