Metadish, Fresh from NYC

Phil Rizzuto died today at the age of 89. Rizzuto was a Hall of Fame shortstop for the Yankees, he was the AL MVP in 1950 and played on seven World Series champion teams. Rizzuto earned the nickname “The Scooter” for his speed and pesky base stealing tactics.

Rizzuto was also an announce for 40 years. As an announcer, Rizzuto won legions of fans with homespun commentary, often involving his wife, Cora, or his most recent Italian meal. His popularity spread beyond New York, fueled by his appearance on Meat Loaf’s 1978 hit song “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and parodies by comedian Billy Crystal.

Philip Francis Rizzuto was born on Sept. 25, 1917, in Brooklyn. At age 4, his father, a trolley motorman, gave him a baseball bat and glove.

He tried out for all three New York Major League Baseball teams after high school, and was rejected by the New York Giants and his boyhood favorite, the Brooklyn Dodgers, because of his relatively small 5-foot-6, 160-pound frame. The Yankees signed him and sent him to the minor leagues in 1936.

He was called up to the Yankees five years later as the replacement for longtime shortstop Frank Crosetti. He said his new teammates were slow to accept him until DiMaggio interceded. The two became lifelong friends.

Rizzuto batted .307 with three home runs, 46 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases as a rookie in 1941 as the Yankees won the World Series.

He played another season before enlisting in the U.S. Navy, where he served three years in the Pacific in World War II.

RIP Scooter.

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