Cultureshark Remembers: Phil Rizzuto

By my count, the amazing Phil Rizzuto, who died this week at the age of 89, is a member of 4 Halls of Fame: Baseball (for being a shortstop for the Yankees in their glory years), Wacky Broadcasters (for calling Yankee games for many years), Shilling (for his immortal Money Store ads) and Cheesy Over-the-Top Rock Epics (for his cameo in "Paradise by the Dashboard Light").

Holy cow! That's a heck of an accomplishment. And I didn't give him Sitcom Cameo Hall of Fame membership for "Colonel Phillip Calhoun Rizzuto" on Sgt. Bilko or his guest shot in keychain form on "Seinfeld."

The Scooter was a huge part of my childhood, bridging two of my favorite universes: baseball and television. TRUE CONFESSION: I was a bit of a Yankee fan when I was a lad. Oh, I hate them now, as all right-thinking Americans should, but growing up, I was fascinated by their history and mythology and their New York-ness....and the telecasts on WPIX.

In pre-digital cable 1980s Central Pennsylvania, my link to the Big Apple was the great triumvirate of New York TV stations we received: WNEW-5, WOR-9, and WPIX-11. I went to the City a few times as a youth, but mostly, my image of the metropolis was shaped by the tube. The news shows, the local shows like Joe Franklin, the Crazy Eddie ads--they all gave me a sense of New York, or at least I thought they did. Even the reruns they showed became associated with the city. Sure, that makes sense with The Honeymooners and The Odd Couple, but what's so Gotham about Star Trek? I don't know, but WPIX showed it weeknights at midnight, and that was link enough for me.

Before I understood the difference between, say, Manhattan and Queens, I took in this New York TV and loved it. Maybe the biggest part of this ongoing experience, though, was the baseball. The Yankees on WPIX (and Mets on WWOR, but even then I thought that was more Jersey) was the ultimate representation of New York, and the team's media icon was the Scooter.

Phil Rizzuto called games with many partners over the year, but for me THE classic Yankee team was Phil and Bill White. White, a former player himself, came off as good-natured but a bit reserved and traditional. As such, he was a great match for the, shall we say, looser Scooter. Their unique chemistry made the games fun, and let's not forget that the Yankees of the 80s weren't necessarily that entertaining on the field, or even good. Bobby Meacham and Mike Pagliarulo were no Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

After Rizutto passed, I waited in vain for some ESPN highlight reel or YouTube montage of some of his finest broadcasting moments. He did tons of things that would make critics cringe today, like not paying attention to the game, going on about friends' anniversaries and birthdays, and ducking out early to beat the traffic (or, even "worse," complaining during the game about the traffic). That stuff doesn't fly in sports broadcasting today, but Phil was already an institution when I watched him, and I loved his style.

Looking back, I can strain a little bit and make a connection between him and New York City: He was unpredictable, unique, and unforgettable. Just like The Big Apple, right? Truth be told, at the time it was as simple as this: He called Yankee games, therefore he meant "New York."

More importantly, he meant FUN. I would love to hear just one more time Phil calling a high pop-up to short and adding, "And while it's in the air, happy anniversary to..." or Bill White gently pointing out some obvious tidbit of current baseball ("I know very little about the National League, White"). Get to it, YouTubers!

But Phil Rizzuto was such a welcome presence on my TV screen not just because he was such a strong link to a fascinating metropolis and not just because he was a hoot in the booth. He came across as a decent guy, someone who cared about his friends and the people around him as much as he did the Yankees. Several years ago, sportswriter Bill Madden wrote "Pride of October," a book that profiled ex-Yankees and what they were up to at the time. I was saddened to discover how shaken up the Scooter had been by 9/11. Many of us were heartbroken by that day, of course, but this really hit home to me. The thought that someone who brought such joy to his work could be so sad really made ME feel down.

So, Phil, wherever you are, I hope you've found peace, and I hope you don't have to leave in the seventh inning to beat the traffic.