Phil Rizzuto - Rest In Peace Little Giant

Yankee player, broadcaster Rizzuto dies
Kevin Kernan
New York Post, Updated 2 hours ago STORY TOOLS:


Phil Rizzuto, Hall-of-Fame shortstop and sparkplug for the great Yankees dynasty of the late 1940s and early '50s, died early this morning in New Jersey. He was 89.

Remembering Rizzuto
Friends remember the passing of Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto. The former Yankee player and broadcaster passed away at the age of 89.


A consummate winner on the field and an inimitable personality off it, Rizzuto was a beloved New York icon.
(For more Rizzuto coverage, go to www.nypost.com/.)

Although he made his name as a 5-foot-6 scrappy middle infielder on some of the all-time great baseball teams, Rizzuto became perhaps better known and loved as a Yankees announcer. With his folksy style and bumbling sense of humor, he endeared himself to his listeners. Scooter, as he was widely known, became a term of affection, synonymous with Yankees baseball.

The Yankees reached the World Series in Rizzuto's first two seasons, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941 and losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in '42.

Rizzuto missed the next three seasons serving overseas in the military, returning to the field in 1946 and helping the Yankees end a three-year post-season drought when they again beat the Dodgers in seven games in the '47 Series.

Rizzuto entered his prime just as the Pinstripes began a record run of five consecutive Fall Classic crowns under manager Casey Stengel from 1949-53.

During his 13 years in The Bronx, the Bombers won seven World Series and nine pennants. Rizzuto is among the leaders in many World Series offensive categories, including hits, walks, stolen bases and runs scored. He led the league four times in sacrifices and never struck out more than 42 times in a season, despite consistently logging more than 500 at-bats a season.

Rizzuto finally made it to Cooperstown in 1994 as a selection of the Veterans Committee, ending a long, and at times contentious, campaign aided by long-time teammate and friend Joe DiMaggio, to get the popular Yankee inducted. Of the arduous path to enshrinement, Rizzuto quipped: "I'll take any way to get into the Hall of Fame. If they want a batboy, I'll go in as a batboy."

Rizzuto overcame his lack of size to become an excellent contact hitter, outstanding bunter and a sure-handed fielder who never shied away from contact while turning double plays.

His range at shortstop earned him the nickname "Scooter" and once prompted teammate Vic Raschi to say, "My best pitch is anything the batter grounds, lines, or pops in the direction of Rizzuto."

Rizzuto burst onto the scene in 1941, taking over the job from long-time shortstop Frank Crosetti and hitting .307 in his rookie season. The following year, in the midst of posting a career-high 68 RBIs, he was named to the All-Star team for the first of five times.

Rizzuto then began a three-year tour in the Navy during World War II where he played on the baseball team alongside Pee Wee Reese, the Brooklyn Dodgers' shortstop to whom he was often compared.

Rizzuto'ts career hit new heights when he became the Yankees' leadoff hitter in 1949, scoring 110 runs and stealing 18 bases on a team known more for its power than base running.

His greatest season came in 1950 when he won the American League Most Valuable Player award. That year, Rizzuto posted career highs in batting average (.324), hits (200), walks (92), runs (125) and doubles (36).

After his playing days ended, Rizzuto joined Hall of Fame announcers Mel Allen and Red Barber in the TV and radio booths, broadcasting Yankee games for the next 40 years. He was behind the mike for such memorable moments as Roger Maris' 61st home run, punctuating the record-setting 1961 blast with his trademark "Holy Cow!" call.

Playing the part of the prankster, Rizzuto often left the booth before games ended to beat the traffic across the George Washington Bridge and frequently called players huckleberries for making obvious mistakes. He also invented many of his own symbols for keeping score of a game, the famous of which was "WW" for "wasn't watching."

Rizzuto was the first mystery guest on the popular TV game show "What'ts My Line?" in 1950 and his signature voice is featured in the classic Meatloaf track "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."

Rizzuto's number 10 was retired at the Stadium in 1985 and he remained an integral part of the Yankees organization in the twilight of his life.

The Scooter was admired for his work in his New Jersey community, in particular his fund-raising efforts for the St. Joseph's School for the Blind.

Born Fiero Francis Rizzuto in Brooklyn on Sept. 25, 1916, his date of birth is often reported as 1917, but Rizzuto admitted in later years that he fibbed on his first contract negotiations to appear younger.

He is survived by his three children and his wife, Cora.

08/14/2007 8:45 PM ET
Jeter recalls time with Rizzuto
Shortstop reflects on special bond with Yankees legend
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

Derek Jeter always remembered how Phil Rizzuto treated him when he came up to the Yanks. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

NEW YORK -- It never failed. The Yankees would invite Phil Rizzuto out to the Bronx to throw a first pitch or take part in some ceremony, and the Scooter would always find a way to wander off before the game.
"Where's [Derek] Jeter? Where's Jeter?" Rizzuto would chirp, his eyes scanning the limbering and long-tossing players.

Among all the current Yankees, Jeter undoubtedly shared the closest bond with Rizzuto, which made news of the Hall of Fame shortstop's passing especially touching.

"You'd get those two together and they'd embrace," said Yankees manager Joe Torre, recalling the moments when Rizzuto would finally locate his target near the dugout. "Of course, he was half Jeter's size. Whether it was a shortstop connection or the Yankees, spending your whole career in the same uniform, I think there was an automatic bond there."

Perhaps it was appropriate that Rizzuto was behind the microphone when Jeter hit his first Major League home run on Opening Day 1996 off Cleveland's Dennis Martinez, a shot to left field that, in retrospect, represented the intersection of the careers of two great Yankees shortstops -- Jeter, beginning his rise, and Rizzuto, completing a four-decade run on the air.

"I'm sure that's probably part of the reason he went out of his way and took me under his wing," Jeter said. "I'm very familiar with the tradition of the Yankees and he's as popular and as good of a player as we've had."

Jeter admits he isn't much of a memorabilia collector. At the All-Star Game in San Francisco, as his teammates rushed about the clubhouse to swap jerseys and baseballs, Jeter opted to leave town empty-handed, not having much use for the signatures of his American League counterparts.

He has a different story with Rizzuto-related items, though. One of the few pieces Jeter keeps in his home is a large, framed print depicting Rizzuto and Jeter, walking off the field side-by-side after a ceremonial first pitch. The Scooter personally inscribed the photograph with a message to the captain.

"You always remember how people treat you, especially when you're young and coming up," Jeter said. "He always went out of his way."

It was appropriate, then, that Rizzuto paid homage to Jeter before a 2001 postseason game at Yankee Stadium, turning forward his own version of Jeter's storied flip-toss to home plate against the Oakland Athletics just a few days prior. Shuffling off toward the first-base dugout, Rizzuto reenacted Jeter's backhand toss to Jorge Posada, a wide grin spreading his cheeks.


"He did it on his own," Jeter said. "I didn't see him right after that, but he was laughing about it. I remember that. That's the type of person he was -- he always had a sense of humor."

Even as a fresh-faced 20-year-old, Jeter was cognizant of Rizzuto's place in history, but he kept his distance. Rizzuto had been the voice a young Jeter heard from his grandmother's television set during summers spent in New Milford, N.J., but he didn't take the initiative to introduce himself to the longtime broadcaster.

Jeter didn't need to. Rizzuto sought him out first, quickly going out of his way to strike up a rapport with the up-and-coming infielder. The relationship only developed as Jeter quickly won four World Series titles in his first five years, closing in on Rizzuto's seven Fall Classic titles. Jeter said he appreciated Rizzuto's warm praise and easy conversation style, but he was always struck by the 5-foot-6 Rizzuto's diminutive stature.

"The thing with him that I found amazing was how small he was," Jeter said. "I used to joke with him a little bit. It just goes to show that you don't have to be big, size-wise, in order to be successful."

That didn't necessarily stop Jeter from poking a few jibes at Rizzuto's frame, but it was always taken in good fun -- just the way Rizzuto liked to live his life.

"He'd just laugh; 'Holy Cow,'" Jeter said. "He was fun to be around. He was always positive. ... He played with a lot of heart, he exemplified what it means to be a Yankee and I always will remember the relationship we had."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

I have to say that I loved Phil Rizzuto....to me he will always be the voice of Yankee Stadium. He was such a great shortstop and went through life with such an incredible outlook. Hearing him just made you smile.

Thanks for a great time Phil. We'll miss you

08/14/2007 7:30 PM ET
Yankees say goodbye to 'Scooter'
Players across generations remember beloved Hall of Famer
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

Phil Rizzuto collected seven World Series rings in his playing career with the Yankees. (Phil Rachman/AP)
Yankees Headlines

NEW YORK -- On the day that Phil Rizzuto's long wait for the Baseball Hall of Fame finally ended, Yogi Berra had the honors of being on the other end of the telephone line, informing his longtime friend.
It was perhaps Rizzuto's happiest conversation of a life filled by thousands of them. Rizzuto enjoyed dual careers as a standout ballplayer and the friendly voice of Yankees summers, embraced by New Yorkers across decades.

So as Berra sat in the Yankee Stadium dugout on Monday afternoon, recalling tales of Rizzuto's days of duty in uniform, in the broadcast booth and all places inbetween, Berra decided upon two memorable words to describe The Scooter:

"Great guy."

The Yankees placed flags at half-staff on Tuesday in honor of Rizzuto, who passed away Monday at 89 after an extended illness. The team placed a wreath by his No. 10, retired in Monument Park, and honored the longtime infielder and broadcaster with a moment of silence before their game against the Baltimore Orioles.

For the remainder of the season, the club will also wear Rizzuto's No. 10 on the left sleeve of all uniforms.

"I guess heaven must have needed a shortstop," Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "Phil Rizzuto's contributions to the Yankees and the sport of baseball were immense for a period of over 50 years. He was one of the greatest Yankees of all time and a dear, close friend of mine whose loss is enormous to me and to the entire Yankee family.

"He epitomized the Yankee spirit -- gritty and hard charging -- and he wore the pinstripes proudly. While Scooter may have been smaller in size than some, he was among the tallest in his stature as a Yankee. He was a favorite of fans both as a player and later as a broadcaster. His voice and 'Holy Cow' will be part of baseball for as long as we play the game. No one deserved his place in the Hall of Fame more than Number 10. Our condolences to his wife, Cora, and the rest of his family."

Commissioner Bud Selig issued a statement on behalf of Major League Baseball, saying, "I am terribly saddened by the death of Phil Rizzuto. Phil was a unique figure who exemplified the joy of our game to millions. He was an integral part of the New York Yankees through the 1940s and 1950s before bringing his distinctive personality and infectious enthusiasm to the broadcast booth."

As numerous Yankees players and personnel shared their reminisces of Rizzuto, an eccentric and energetic personality who was once actually bowled over by a so-called "Holy Cow" on the Stadium turf in 1985, the one shared aspect of Rizzuto's life was a wide grin. Everybody loved the Scooter.


Yankees pitching coach Ron Guidry said he enjoyed ribbing Rizzuto about the nickname that Guidry "earned" during an 18-strikeout performance against the California Angels in 1978. As the Angels continued flailing at Guidry's offerings, Rizzuto exclaimed on the air about "Louisiana Lightning!" -- and the nickname stuck.

Every time Guidry saw Rizzuto after that, he said, he'd jump on the diminutive broadcaster and jokingly give him a difficult time.

"It's not that I didn't like it, but I teased him," Guidry said. "One day, I told him, 'Go home tonight, sit at your desk and write the damn name about 100 times. See if you don't get aggravated signing it. Everywhere you go, that's what [fans] want, and that was not my nickname. There are five letters in Gator, and Louisiana Lightning has 18.'"

The New York fan base treasured memories of Rizzuto's on-air plugs for hospitable city bakeries, early exits to dash across the George Washington Bridge, and birthday wishes for what often seemed like half the metropolitan region. Those idiosyncrasies also kept Rizzuto welcomed in the Yankees clubhouse.

Guidry recalled sitting on the bench alongside Rizzuto and listening to descriptions of the worst sailor in the United States Navy -- Rizzuto said he was sick every single day he was at sea during his service. Other times, Guidry said he would listen to Rizzuto's rambling telecasts and sometimes become lost right alongside the Scooter.

"It was his character," Guidry said. "You might try to watch the game and then all of a sudden, you'd get caught up in what he's talking about. You just want to see how it's going to come out, and you'd forget about the game. A few innings pass, and he didn't say anything about the game, but you still enjoyed what he was saying."

Rizzuto also wasn't shy about sharing baseball thoughts from a mind which he once claimed lacked a "trap door" to catch errant thoughts.

Yankees bench coach Don Mattingly recalled Rizzuto roaming the fields during the Yankees' Spring Training camps in the 1980s, following up on one of his personal pet peeves -- players who couldn't get bunts down in game action. Always an excellent bat-handler, Rizzuto tried to offer advice and help set the table for the season to come.

"You could feel it; he liked being around and talking the game," Mattingly said. "The first year I went to Major League camp down in Fort Lauderdale, he was in the cages and he would show you the technique. He showed you how to use the bat and how to use it to bunt. A guy like that, you're going to listen."


Rizzuto's broadcasting career and television commercials may have underscored the fact that, in his day, Rizzuto was an excellent player and a tough defensive shortstop. Ted Williams once famously claimed that the difference between the Yankees and the Red Sox during the dynasty years was Rizzuto, dodging baserunners and completing double plays just in the nick of time.

"He'd jump over them," Berra said. "He got rid of the ball quick. He'd just get you at first, but he was quick."

Rizzuto was also fast with a quip. Broadcast partner Bobby Murcer called Rizzuto an "incredible prankster" -- one time, with a game only about two-thirds complete, Rizzuto left the booth to fetch Murcer a cup of coffee, or so he said. Rizzuto never returned.

"I had never done play-by-play before, and there were about three innings left," Murcer said. "The next day, he shows up with a cup of coffee and he says, 'Here's your coffee.'"

Jim Kaat, a former partner of Rizzuto's in 1986, shared similar memories. The former Major League pitcher was just getting his broadcast feet wet and said he learned a lot from Rizzuto's crash course, teaming in a three-man booth along with Bill White.

"He kept things loose in the booth," Kaat said. "He kept the broadcast enjoyable for the fans. He was unique in the fact that very few announcers can get by with the so-called shtick that Scooter had, being a cheerleader for one team like that.

"That wouldn't go over too well in these days; the critics would hammer you pretty good rooting for the home team. He could do that because he was part of the Yankee organization his whole life."

As the Yankees family mourned Rizzuto's loss, the words with which he concluded his lengthy, disjointed 1994 Hall of Fame speech -- "Too long," Berra recalled with a chuckle -- seemed ultimately appropriate.

"All of you have been there for the most wonderful lifetime that one man can have," Rizzuto said. "I just want to say, God bless all of you and God bless this wonderful game that they call baseball."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

08/14/2007 4:45 PM ET
Peers recall Rizzuto's greatness
Hall of Famers reflect on former Yankees shortstop's talent
By Jack O'Connell / MLB.com

Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra were teammates on five World Series championship teams. (AP)
Yankees Headlines

It took 36 years after his playing career ended before Phil Rizzuto made it to Cooperstown, but there was no doubt in the minds of many of his fellow Hall of Famers that he belonged in that exclusive company a lot sooner.
The Scooter's passing Tuesday after a long illness was met with equal measure of sadness and respect for the late Yankees shortstop who was part of one of the most glorious eras in baseball history and continued his popularity with Yankees fans for four more decades in the broadcast booth.

Perhaps no Yankees player was closer to Rizzuto than Yogi Berra. They played together on Yankees teams that won five straight World Series (1949-53) and, away from the field, in countless rounds of golf. Both settled in New Jersey, where they and their wives, Cora Rizzuto and Carmen Berra, remained close over the years.

"This is a sad day for Carmen and me," said Berra, who visited Rizzuto weekly at a nursing home. "Phil was a gem, one of the greatest people I ever knew -- a dear friend and great teammate. He was a heck of a player, too. When I first came up to the Yankees, he was like a big, actually small, brother to me. He's meant an awful lot to baseball and the Yankees and has left us with a lot of wonderful memories."

"I am terribly saddened by the death of Phil Rizzuto," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "Phil was a unique figure who exemplified the joy of our game to millions of fans. He was an integral part of the New York Yankees throughout the 1940s and 1950s before bringing his distinctive personality and his infectious enthusiasm to the broadcast booth. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I express my deepest sympathy to his wife, Cora, his family and his legion of fans everywhere."

"I have great respect for his playing career and his broadcasting career, which I enjoyed when I played in New York," Dave Winfield said. "This is sad news, and he'll be missed by us all."

Even by former opponents.

"He was the guts of those great Yankee ballclubs," said Duke Snider, the former Brooklyn Dodgers slugger who played against Rizzuto in four World Series. "He did things that Pee Wee [Reese] did for our club. He was a leader. You need those kinds of guys on your clubs to be successful. He was never a problem. We were friendly enemies."

"He was a fun guy and a classy guy and deserved to be in the Hall of Fame," said former Boston Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr, 89, who succeeds Rizzuto as the oldest living Hall of Fame player. They were rivals when the Yankees and Red Sox battled for American League pennants in the late 1940s and early '50s, but Doerr recalled a time when they were teammates.

"The only time I got to play alongside him was in the 1951 All-Star Game," Doerr said. "I remember there was a line drive hit right at him with a man on second base, and one of the hardest things to do as a second baseman is get over to the bag quickly to try and get the double play.



"Well, as soon as Phil caught it, he flicked it toward the bag and the ball seemed to stay in mid-air, almost as if it was on a string. It was waiting for me when I got there. We made the double play, and I'll always remember that because I never saw a shortstop be able to do that. Joe DiMaggio thought of Scooter as the glue on all those nine Yankee championship teams because he played behind him and got to see things that no one else could -- just how good Phil was."

Bob Feller, who is seven months younger than Doerr, said of Rizzuto, "He was a major Hall of Famer. He could do it all. He was a good leadoff man, knew all about the fundamentals and was a very good baserunner and bunter. He did not have a lot of power, but he was always on base. He covered shortstop as good as anyone. He was a Yankee through and through and was a good human being."

"When you think of all the great Yankees, like DiMaggio, Yogi, Reggie [Jackson] and Mickey [Mantle], you think of Scooter, too," said Hall vice chairman Joe Morgan, the Hall of Fame second baseman who also who also proved great talent was not limited by size.

Cal Ripken, on the other hand, helped open the door for taller players excelling as middle infielders and paid homage to one of the little giants at the shortstop position.

"Phil Rizzuto embodied so many great things about baseball," Ripken said. "His enthusiasm for and love of the game was always evident whether you were speaking to him or listening to one of his broadcasts. Kelly and I send our deepest condolences to the Rizzuto family. He typified all that is great about our national pastime."

Jack O'Connell is a reporter to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Phil Rizzuto- forever in our hearts.