What can you say about "the scooter" other than he was all class and a true Yankee blue blood. Oh sure, he wasn't the hero with the great athletic body and skills of a DiMaggio (his hero) or a Mickey Mantle. Phil Rizzuto was a lunch pail and blue collar ballplayer. A scrawny kid who scratched and clawed his way into the line up of the most famous team in all of sports. Once there, he became the anchor of the infield at shortstop. An excellent fielder and a clutch hitter on a team that did nothing but win championships. Phil Rizzuto was a winner.

He turned bunting into an art and he would rather go to the hospital than to let somebody break up a double play on his watch. He and Billy Martin were alike in that they would do anything including sacrificing their bodies for a Yankee win. Of course, the volatile Billy and the mild mannered Rizzuto were as different as can be personality wise. When Phil became the voice of the Yankees, he entertained and educated millions of baseball fans for over 40 years. Yours truly included. His voice alone, and his excitement would bring goosebumps and chills. His stories were nostalgic and funny and definitely were from an insiders viewpoint. Scooter saw it all, including serving our country in WWII.

He never thought himself anything special or above anyone else. They were cut from a different cloth, the athletes from back then. Yogi, DiMaggio, many others put careers on hold and enlisted. How many of the spoiled stars today, save Pat Tillman would go that route? He was just thankful and knew he was lucky to not only be playing the sport he loved, but to be a New York Yankee. Now he is gone but will never be forgotten. I can't picture them laying him to rest in anything but the pinstripes. The man was loved by all. Holy Cow! He will really be missed.

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