Paulie Mississippi Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Sports fans around the country are mourning the loss of legendary Yankees shortstop and broadcaster Phil Rizzuto who passed away today."Scooter" made his mark in the music scene too... scoring a gold record for his work as (gasp) a baseball broadcaster doing the "play by play" of a backseat romance in the Jim Steinman penned Meat Loaf classic "Paradise By The Dashboard Light."RIP Scooter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Just a quick note regarding Phil R's lifetime stats versus those of current NYY SS Derek Jeter, whom, per Paulie (in a post last year), would be lucky to be starting for any other franchise.....(or maybe it was lucky to be in big leagues at all)Phil R - 13 seasons; 877 Runs; 1588 Hits; 239 Doubles; 62 Triples; 38 HR; 563 RBI, lifetime BA of .273 - hit .300 twice, played in 5 all-star games; 1 MVP Award; hit .246 in 52 post-season games; inducted in Hall of Fame in 1993Derek J - almost 13 seasons; 1352 Runs; 2308 Hits; 376 Doubles; 53 Triples; 191 HR; 917 RBI; lifetime BA of .317 - has hit .300 9 times; played in 8 all-star games; 0 MVP Awards; has hit .314 in 119 post-season games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkpat Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Paulie, did you really say that? Ouch! Man, I'd loooooooove to have Jeter on my Cubs, but TOMMY would burn down Wrigley Field if that ever happened.I heard Steinbrenner said "they must have needed a shortstop in Heaven" with regard to the Scooter's passing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Mississippi Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 My contention wasn't that Derek's stats were lousy, rather that he is a player who prospered in NY where he might not have prospered elsewhere. I think some people require the spotlight and pressure to succeed, just as some great Yankees... like Carl Pavano and Kenny Rogers... seem to need to be away from the spotlight of NY to prosper.So my question was would Jeter be a star if he had signed with the Royals or Expos instead of the Yankees.Although this discussion is better suited for a thread that is not designed to be an honor to Scooter.Interestingly I was listening to ESPN radio this afternoon and apparently Scooter grew up wanting to be shortstop for the Dodgers but Branch Rickey told him to go buy a shoeshine box because at his size he'd never cut it in the major leagues. Then, after he retired and entered the broadcast booth, Howard Cosell told him that he didn't have what it took to be a broadcaster.Another example of a great man turning it up a notch in NY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Oh Dear! I thought he passed away years ago after his "Money Store" commercials! I used to watch WPIX all the time in the 70's when I lived in NJ and listened to his broadcasts. I also went to Yankee Stadium quite a bit then as well - he will be missed.........HOLY COW!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Cartmill Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 If Scooter doesn't play for the Yankees, he's not in the HOF. As a broadcaster, he overdid the "Holy Cow" phrase a bit, don't you think?But I admire his colorful personality. NY was in love with him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Yes but it was his trademark - he very well couldn't say Holy Shit! (Pardon those who I offend with that one lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Mississippi Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Tony, you're going to start something man... Yeah, he too rode the Yankee aura into the HOF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelina Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Had Jeter signed with the Royals or Expos...he would've ended up in NY, LA or BOS anyway once eligible for free agency. But it's true...some people thrive in the spotlight while others wither away.As far as Scooter is concerned ( as well as Pee Wee Reese for that matter), if they played outside of NY, outside of the 40's & 50's, I think they miss the HOF. (Dave Concepcion comes to mind with similar stats and no HOF plaque).Personally I feel it odd that Steinbrenner retired his number. It's getting to the point where the Yankees will be issuing jerseys with three digits on them. "Holy Cow"John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMMY TUNES Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 God Bless Phil Rizzutto and all that he stands for. I hope they have cannolli's in heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Mississippi Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Personally I feel it odd that Steinbrenner retired his number. It's getting to the point where the Yankees will be issuing jerseys with three digits on them. "Holy Cow"John Or LETTERS and Numbers... so the line up will sound like a BINGO game!Batting first, B4; hitting second I9... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew Bundles Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 I met Phil many times and he was the nicest coolest guy...Rizzuto was an MVP, won 7 W.S. Titles, great defensive shortstop and, supposedly, the greatest bunter that ever played the game...That and the fact that Ted Williams said that the difference between the Red Sox and Yankees in those days was Rizzuto...Good enough credibility for HOF for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelina Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 But not good enough for the baseball writers who snubbed Rizzuto 25 straight years..and Maury Wills for that matter. Rizzutto got in after major moping on WPIX and a gigantic push by Yankee fan in the early '90's. Therein lies the basis of my earlier statement. Although I revere Ted Williams especially for being a fighter pilot..I'm not surprised he didn't single-out DiMaggio as a major reason for the Yankee success. I'm sure Rizzutto was a great guy...and a hero for serving his country in the Pacific...and also a wonderful family man mentioning wife Cora all the time...and I'm looking like a "huckelberry" right about now, but I rank him in defense where his stats put him..right "up" there with Dave Concepcion, Bud Harrelson, Jose Reyes...and a host of others who fielded at about .970. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkpat Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Thae Hall of Fame is very closed minded in admitting anything "new". For several years it was in vogue not to include Shortstops and currently, they seem to be ignoring relief pitchers, both positions which are integral parts of the game. If they don't want to include shortstops or closers, I can't wait to see how long it will be before a designated hitter makes it in!Baseball has become so diffrent now that pitchers really only go six innings, then two setup men come in and finally a closer. Guys like Rollie Fingers, Sparky Lyle, and Goose Gossage earned saves by throwing two or three innngs, rather than one or even one third. Will we ever see a day when a setup man makes the Hall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkpat Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Yes but it was his trademark - he very well couldn't say Holy Shit! (Pardon those who I offend with that one lol). Now, THAT would have been entertaining! LOLWasn't there a feud between Rizzuto and Harry Caray over who started the "Holy Cow" call? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 I kinda wanna celebrate his optomism and his life and save "HOF" discussion for another day.Wasn't it about Phil that the following lyric was written....."Where never is heard, A discouraging word, And the sky is not cloudy (any) day".God bless you Phil-for whom the glass was always half-full! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannoman Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 I attended the first game of the 1950 world series between the Yankees and the Phillies. Just before the game Phil Rizzuto came over to where I was seated along the first base line(wearing my Phillies hat) and signed my program. What a thrill (I was 11 y/o) and an avid ball player.Needless to say over the years I lost the program. I wish I had it right now - to keep, not to sell. He was a real nice guy. I remember like it was yesterday. RIP Phil!Oh yeah, the Yanks won 1-0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ira Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Nice story Ted.He was really loved.-Ira. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScentLady Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Interestingly I was listening to ESPN radio this afternoon and apparently Scooter grew up wanting to be shortstop for the Dodgers but Branch Rickey told him to go buy a shoeshine box because at his size he'd never cut it in the major leagues. Actually it was Casey Stengel who was managing the Dodgers in the mid-30's who told Rizzuto to "go get a shoeshine box." (You could look it up ) (Source: National Baseball Hall of Fame Legends Online Q&A Session - An Interview With Scooter) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 OK, at the risk of having stirred up some sh*t on this thread....I really didn't mean to send this thread into a discussion of Phil R's HoF credentials. However, while we're on the subject, sure, there are a lot of Yankees (and Dodgers, too, for that matter) who made it on the back of the "aura" of their team (if one chooses to call multiple championships an "aura") or city - just as there are more 40's Chicago Bears, 60's Packers, 70's Steelers, Dolphins and Cowboys, etc. in the Pro Football HoF, AND more Boston Celtics in the Basketball HoF...this type of thing invariably happens when you're on a team that wins a lot....which, last time I checked, is the point of playing the game!!!However, my original response comparing Rizzuto to Jeter, stats-wise, was triggered by reflex.....just as a diabetic goes into shock when facing an imbalance of sugar in their blood, I, too, get a similar knee-jerk reaction whenever (and trust me, it ain't that often!) Paulie says anything nice about the Yankees....correction, ANY Yankee! (NOTE: He also recently posted a diatribe about how overrated Hideki Matsui is...just out of the clear blue - I don't recall anyone on this board ever even discussing Matsui's virtues or shortcomings, as most of us don't care....although as of this morning, he is 6th in the league in RBI....) Honestly - With the exception of Ted, I seriously doubt that anyone else on this board ever saw Rizzuto play! I was 5 when he retired, and I suspect I'm a lot older than most people here. My father says he was a great SS, as was Pee Wee Reese, perhaps the best bunter in history, and an excellent leadoff man. I suspect his announcing career helped him finally get into the HoF....because, as I pointed out above, his offensive stats just aren't that impressive. Neither, for that matter, were Ozzie Smith's, Luis Aparicio's, etc.To end this diatribe.....Scooter - Rest In Peace, and God Bless You!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Mississippi Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 See what happens when I try to turn over a new leaf? And I resisted the temptation to say:THE ONLY GOOD YANKEE....is an EX Yankee... Yeah, I know... you THOUGHT I was gonna say something tasteless... Who... ME? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Mississippi Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 Quote:Originally posted by pauliemississippi: Interestingly I was listening to ESPN radio this afternoon and apparently Scooter grew up wanting to be shortstop for the Dodgers but Branch Rickey told him to go buy a shoeshine box because at his size he'd never cut it in the major leagues. Actually it was Casey Stengel who was managing the Dodgers in the mid-30's who told Rizzuto to "go get a shoeshine box." (You could look it up ) (Source: National Baseball Hall of Fame Legends Online Q&A Session - An Interview With Scooter) You're right. I was thinking about that when I typed it and it was a tossup which name I had heard. I figured somebody (like JohnO or TOMMY) would gladly correct me. Congratulations on beating them to the punch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 "Yeah, I know... you THOUGHT I was gonna say something tasteless..."You, nah! (although I believe you mention in the other thread that even Hitler had fans, or words to that effect......and have compared the Yankees to cancer in the past...Paulie - this is just baseball, for Chrissake!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkpat Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Quote:Originally posted by MJ: Yes but it was his trademark - he very well couldn't say Holy Shit! (Pardon those who I offend with that one lol). Now, THAT would have been entertaining! LOLWasn't there a feud between Rizzuto and Harry Caray over who started the "Holy Cow" call? I can now comment on both, as per today's paper. Caray said the phrase first, going back to when Phil was a player, and asked Rizzuto to stop using it on air. Rizzuto allegedly told him he used it to not swear when he got excited, so Harry accepted it.So, maybe you were onto something, MJ! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie Mississippi Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 JohnO, sometimes I exagerate my disdain for the sake of those who enjoy it so much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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