A View from the Crease

Phil Rizzotu died the other day. I never saw him play, but when I was growing up, he was part of my favorite baseball broadcast team. Whether he was paired with Bill White or Frank Messer, "The Scooter" was always entertaining. I don't know that you would call him a "good" broadcaster, but he had the essential skill for a baseball broadcaster -- he never seemed to run out of stories. He also had a way of drawing them out of the folks who visited the booth for an inning or two during a broadcast. These weren't all former jocks either. Some of my favorite interviews were with Meat Loaf ("Paradise by the Dashboard Light" anyone?) or politicians.

For many years, Scooter would "come out of the press box" and do some bunting drills for the current Yankees. Maybe I'm seeing this through the rose colored glasses of time and childhood, but back in the 1970's and 80's, I think a typical major league baseball player would listen to a legend like Rizzuto and actually learn something about bunting. Today, bunting and "small ball" in general don't seem to be valued skills and I don't think most major leaguers (except guys like Jeter) would listen to an old geezer who used to play for their team three decades ago (when you could still play an entire career for one team).

I'm jaded.

I don't watch baseball much any more, even though the opportunities are much greater. I've been put off by the "labor/owner" problems. In spite of the fact that he's done some things right (like inter-league play), I believe the commissioner should not be part of ownership. I think "performance enhancing" drugs are prevalent and ignored by both the owners and the players union. New Hall of Famers Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn are about the last major leaguers I really care about. It's sad, but Major League Baseball did this to itself.

They don't make'em like the Scooter anymore. Maybe "Only in New York" could a guy like Rizzuto succeed, but succeed he did.

Good-bye Scooter. I hope you're feasting on the "Holy Cannoli!"