RIP - Phil Rizzuto - The "Scooter"

Holy Cow!

You know... if someone would have told Phil back in his playing days that he would record a song that generations of drunken college students would spend Beer swilling days and nights dancing and singing to a rock and roll song about some guy trying to get some action he would have fallen on the floor in laughter.

from winkipedia
Rizzuto is also somewhat famous as the announcer who provides the play-by-play commentary during the long spoken bridge in Meat Loaf's 1977 song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." Ostensibly an account of a baseball sequence, it actually describes the singer's efforts to lose his virginity. Rizzuto was reportedly unaware of the suggestive double entendre nature of his spoken contribution, and was initially annoyed by the song's success.

Way to go Meatloaf and Phil. You made the impossible happen

The suicide Squeeze is on! Here he comes, squeeze play, its gonna be close, heres the throw, heres the play at the plate, holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!

Thanks for the memories Phil... Boy I can't stand that song.
HUTMO

As a third generation Yankee fan, Phil Rizzuto was simply burned into my consciousness from a young age. I was so thrilled when he finally got into the Baseball Hall of Fame in '94.

He was the AL MVP in 1950. He made 5 All-Star teams and won 7 World Series... (Think about the big deal everybody made when Michael Jordan won 6 NBA titles!)

In the broadcast booth, he could be insightful and funny. My most favorite Rizzuto moment was in the late 70's. His broadcast partner was Bill White, a rather large African American (and of course Rizzuto was a diminutive white guy). Rizzuto led of the TV broadcast with, "Welcome to New York Yankees Baseball! I am Bill White and with my partner Phil Rizzuto!" There was that moment of silence....and then pandemonium... Bill White laughed til he cried and could not speak for an inning or two.

A second favorite moment was in the World series in 2000 when the Yankees had Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra throw out the ceremonial first pitch for one of the world series games. This was shortly after Derek Jeter made that improbable cutoff and backhanded flip to nail Jeremy Giambi at the plate in a previous series. Rizzuto decided his ceremonial first pitch would be one where he jogged toward the foul line and backhand-flipped it in a tribute to that play... It was pretty clever and funny.

Steve