by Ted Sherman

Created on: August 16, 2007

Of course, it is appropriate to honor the Scooter for the fun and excitement he brought to baseball both on and off the field. It should also bring some thoughts about comparing him to another prominent name who also reached a milestone in his career in recent days.

Unlike the little Rizzuto, Barry Bonds is a huge, steroid-stuffed android who broke the home run record by totally artificial means. Bonds struts around, arrogant and hostile to all criticism, while Rizzuto was always the wide-eyed kid every day of his distinguished career in the glorious days of the New York Yankees, and later as a sportscaster. Could anyone ever imagine Bonds showing any kind of emotion, much less shouting out, "Holy cow!"

The only obstacles Bonds ever stumbled over in his career were his own inflated ego and artificially-enhanced body, while Rizzuto had to fight to get into the major leagues and fight every day to stay. When Phil first tried out for the Yankees, Casey Stengel told him, "Hey, you scrawny kid, you ain't never gonna make it in the Big Leagues. Get back to the sandlots."

Every baseball fan who loves the honesty of the game will remember Phil Rizzuto as one of the greats who made up for his small size with a huge heart and fierce determination to win. There are no asterisks next to the Scooter's records in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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