While I was down the Shore, Phil Rizzuto passed away. Since we were enjoying the late edition of The Times throughout vacation, we read about it from the paper of record. The Times Web site has a special section all about Rizzuto.
Since WPIX-TV, for whom Rizzuto did Yankees games for about forty years, never made it to superstation status (though it was available in much of Pennsylvania for some reason) I only got to see Rizzuto broadcasts when I was visiting family in Jersey. It seemed like MSG usually had most of the Yankees games then, so I was even more limited because Bobby Murcer usually did those games. I don’t recall much of Rizztuo’s unique style, I have only read about it or heard others talk (often complain) about it. I can’t say whether Rizzuto’s broadcasts were found poetry like the book O Holy Cow suggests. I mostly knew him from his ads for The Money Store.
My maternal grandfather, a native of 161st Street, Bronx, N.Y. argued for years that Rizzuto should be in the Hall of Fame. He thought that Rizzuto the broadcaster was keeping Rizzuto the shortstop out.
I think I was also down the Shore when Rizzuto aburbtly quit his broadcasting gig after he was denied permission to attend Mickey Mantle’s funeral. One of the tabloids, probably the Daily News, held a “Save our Scooter” campaign. If I recall correctly, Rizzuto came back in 1996 for one more year and then retired to for good. By the way, both tabloids had the same headline the day the news broke “SO LONG, SCOOTER.” Unfortunately, the NY Post cover images are broken for that day.
