Scooter

Today is a sad day in Yankee land as Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto passed away this morning at the age of 89. While the link will provide details about his playing and broadcasting career, I wanted to offer my thoughts about Scooter.

There are three reasons why I became a Yankee fan: 1) I always loved baseball since I was a kid, 2) Don Mattingly, and 3) Phil Rizzuto. Before there was the YES Network Yankees games were featured on WPIX-NY, which was channel 11, and MSG Network, which was channel 10 (at least this was the case in NJ where I grew up). Phil Rizzuto broadcasted for WPIX-NY. I can remember from the time I was about age seven up into high school, I watched the Yankees on these channels and Phil Rizzuto was the first baseball broadcaster who connected with me even as a young fan.

Besides his "Holy Cow" cry anytime there was an exciting play, Phil Rizzuto was always a genuine broadcaster who loved the game and especially Yankees history--which he was a part of. Being so young and watching my firstYankees games, Scooter was always like a grandfather figure as a broadcaster to me, because he always had fun stories to tell about the Yankee greats, past dynasties, and the history of the team. Scooter embedded in me what it means to be a true Yankee fan even when the team at the time hardly resembled the great teams of the past.

Before his passing today, when I caught a Yankees game on the YES Network or even FOX I would sometimes think about Scooter and wish he'd broadcast just one more for us all. There was always something special about his approach in the booth and though I've missed it since he last called a game in 1996, I will miss it even more after today.