Holy cow, we lose a true legend

If anyone has the opportunity and hasn't yet, talk to your grandparents or parents about what it was like watching the Rizzutos, Berras, DiMaggios, Williams, Mays ... all the legends. I used to talk baseball with my grandma and grandpa all night and all day. My grandpa played with some of them, against some of them and watched the rest of them. My grandma (not his wife) is one of the biggest Yankee fans I know, and she listened to just about every game, still does.

Talking with both of them about the game shaped the passion I have for it today. It's the strongest link I have with both of them, and I never get tired of hearing the stories about the good old days. I know that when we talk next, the first words out of my grandma's mouth will be, "Did you hear who died?" And I'll be entertained for hours.

 

Does anybody know how Rizzuto looked back at his part in Paradise by the Dashboard Light? Did he ever realize that he was actually giving a play by play of backseat action?

 

Dooley: The short answer to your question is no, he didn't.

 

Took me all day but I found some.
RIP, Scooter.

Chess

I.

A lot of money in that chess.
I'll tell you that.
It's gotta be..
Can't be...
Not a good game for television.


II.

I'm not knocking it.
But it's not a spectator sport.


[September 4, 1992
Texas at New York
Rich Monteleone pitching to Rafael Palmeiro
Seventh inning, no outs, bases empty
Yankees lead 6-3]

Hall and Nokes

So second time around
Mel Hall and Matt Nokes
Solve Tapani's pitch
Heh Heh
That's right
John Moore's on the ball.
It does sound like a good rock group.
Hall and Nokes.
Oh?
Hall and Oates?
Oh yeah?
That's one I missed.
I'll have to go out
And buy some of their records tonight.

[June 11, 1991
New York at Minnesota
Kevin Tapani pitching to Alvaro Espinoza
Fifth inning, two outs, two base runners
Twins lead 1-0]

Reversal of Opinion

And he hits one in the hole
They're gonna have to hurry.
THEY'LL NEVER GET HIM!
They got him.
How do you like that.
Holy cow.
I changed my mind before he got there.
So that doesn't count as an error.

[July 10, 1992
Seattle at New York
Dave Fleming pitching to Andy Stankiewicz
First inning, no outs, bases empty
Mariners lead 1-0]


And finally, in memoriam:

Prayer for the Captain

There's a little prayer I always say
Whenever I think of my family or when I'm flying,
When I'm afraid, and I am afraid of flying.
It's just a little one. You can say it no matter what,
Whether you're Catholic or Jewish or Protestant or
whatever.
And I've probably said it a thousand times
Since I heard the news on Thurman Munson.

It's not trying to be maudlin or anything.
His Eminence, Cardinal Cooke, is going to come out
And say a little prayer for Thurman Munson.
But this is just a little one I say time and time again,
It's just: Angel of God, Thurman's guardian dear,
To whom his love commits him here there or everywhere,
Ever this night and day be at his side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.

For some reason it makes me feel like I'm talking to
Thurman,
Or whoever's name you put in there,
Whether it be my wife or any of my children, my parents
or anything.
It's just something to keep you really from going bananas.
Because if you let this,
If you keep thinking about what happened, and you can't
understand it,
That's what really drives you to despair.

Faith. You gotta have faith.
You know, they say time heals all wounds,
And I don't quite agree with that a hundred percent.
It gets you to cope with wounds.
You carry them the rest of your life.

[August 3, 1979
Baltimore at New York
Pregame show]

 

indelible memory from childhood...

it's probably 1969, maybe mickey mantle day, i don't remember exactly which game.

my father was an old college buddy of mike burke so, although we didn't go frequently, when we went to the stadium, we got treated royally, sat in the box next to the owners box just adjacent to the dugout (way before luxury boxes). on this day, my dad and i are walking into the stadium club and rizzuto is walking out. my father extends his hand, rizzuto extends his and rizzuto says, "irv, good to see you. how you been?" my father introduces me and to an awe-struck 11-year-old boy meeting his first famous person, it's tough to describe how cool that was. better than that, it was when i realized my father was a pretty cool guy too.

he died in december. rizzuto died today. a sad day indeed on a few levels.

and tomorrow, i'll be bringing my 12-year-old son to his first yankee game.

 

Since I was going to use that quote, I might as well contribute this

RIP

 

Fuck, that's brilliant. I wish I'd thought of it.

 

That's amazing. I'd never heard or read that anywhere. Wow.

Though I do have the tivo set (and have had it set for days) to record the first game following Munson's death when it is re-aired on YES Friday morning.

 

RIP Scooter.

 

"I guess heaven must have needed a shortstop . . . He was a favourite of fans both as a player and later as a broadcaster. His voice and 'Holy Cow' will be part of baseball for as long as we play the game."

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, on the death of Phil Rizzuto

 

I don't care if the first part of that statement was written by a PR hack or by the Boss himself...I love that line.

 

It's cheesy and played out but rather nice ...