Phil Rizzuto - 1917-2007

I couldn't let the news of the passing of Phil Rizzuto go by without acknowledging it. I hope to have a little time to put my thoughts about The Scooter on the blog tomorrow. For me, as it should be for many of you - especially in the New York area, it's the passing of another piece of our childhoods. Phil Rizzuto was a part of our lives from 1941, when he joined the Yankees, until at least 1996, when he called his last game. For those of the generations older than mine, Scooter was a great player - part of seven World Championship teams. For younger generations, he was a cartoonish broadcaster. For non-baseball people (especially in the '70's and '80's) he was the spokesman for The Money Store. That's right, for those who thought Joe DiMaggio was "Mr. Coffee" and the Dime Savings Bank (instead of a mythic ballplayer), Phil Rizzuto was also a TV pitchman.

I hope to have a few thought for you tomorrow and play catch up. The red bullseye has worn me out for tonight.

I'll leave you with some Scooter video. Amazingly it is hard to find old video on YouTube or anywhere else featuring game segments, but this page from MLB and the Yankees has some goodies. The other thing is from YouTube. Commercial fans, enjoy.