"Holy Cow"...the "Scooter" passes away.
 

Today is a very sad day for New York Yankees fans and anyone who loves baseball, the legendary Yankee shortstop; Phil Rizzuto has passed away at the age of 89. Even though I never saw him play, he along with Frank Messer and Bill White were the voices I grew up with during the 70's watching and listening to Yankee baseball. I remember well those teams of 30 year's ago, the games on WPIX channel 11 in New York. I remember his different style of broadcasting; announcing birthdays, talking about eating, how he was afraid of thunderstorms and leaving games after the 6th inning so he wouldn't get stuck in traffic on the way home. My mother loved him because he was Italian and reminded her of her uncle. Back in 1980; purchased a 1953 Topps Phil Rizzuto card (shown in my avatar), at the time it was the most money I'd ever spent on a single card ($20.00), it was the cornerstone of that set I completed in 1999...it is now worth well over $10,000. I met him in 1993 and got his autograph, the year before he went into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The day he was inducted, I was at Yankee stadium to see a game between the Yanks & Indians and saw parts of his speech on the giant screen between innings. He was my first favorite player...a little guy with a big heart and personality to match. Goodbye Scooter :( ...say hello to the "Babe", the "Iron Horse", "Joe D." & the "Mick" for me.

Great post...yes today is a very sad day for all baseball fans and especially the Yankee fans who grew up watching and listening to him for 40 years! :(

We'll miss ya Scooter...from all of us Huckleberries.

Great post,HHH! Part of History goes with the Scooter! RIP

great post HHH. the only time i got to hear him broadcast,sometimes he would get to do a saturday afternoon game, on national tv.

Nicely put HHH. Old phil, truly one of the sounds of summer.

RIP!! scooter:(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AujzEaI2RNw


RIP

Well said H3. Thanks for sharing your memories.

From MLB.com

Rizzuto's playing and broadcasting careers were in contrast with each other. As a player, Rizzuto had the reputation for being an alert, heads-up competitor with keen baseball instincts that eventually earned him a place in the Hall of Fame. Behind the microphone, he was at times oblivious to the events on the field; nevertheless, his lack of polish as an announcer was ignored by generations of Yankees fans who accepted his eccentricities the way family members do an amusing relative.

Holy Cow...you ain't kiddin'

Throughout the 80's and early 90's, the Yankees were awful. Listening to the Scooter and Tom Seaver go back and forth was the only reason to turn on the games.
Here's a link to Phil Mushnick's column in today's NY Post:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152007...ick.htm?page=0

It is sad to see the Scooter go. I too, HHH, had the same experience in the 70's growing up to Rizzuto on WPIX. RIP. :(