Goodbye, Scooter

"Well, that kind of puts a damper on even a Yankee win." -- Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto after reading a bulletin that Pope Paul VI had died.

Even though I've hated the Yankees since I've known what baseball was, I have to admit sadness over the death of Phil Rizzuto. I never saw Rizzuto the player; my only exposure was to Rizzuto the announcer. Listening to Rizzuto and Bill White was a large part of my childhood, and a sound of summer, just like hearing Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn or Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner or Lindsey Nelson. Back then, you only got games on regular TV and listened to a lot of games on radio, so those were the voices you heard over and over.

Scooter was famous for his offbeat observations, comments and questions. He only referred to Bill White as "White" throughout their long association. He was famed for leaving games early (which usually resulted in him saying something like "I was on the bridge when Nettles hit that home run and couldn't believe it" the next day). He hated lightning.

One of the most ingenious and entertaining books ever compiled was "O Holy Cow: The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto." I recommend it.