HOLY COW! ALL ABOUT RIZZUTO? YOU BET

9/25/17-8/13/07

It’s hard to believe that Scooter has been gone for almost four years. As Yankee legends go, Phil Rizzuto was the crème de la crème of New York Yankees Baseball History.

Phil’s baseball career lasted 13 years, of all which he played in pinstripes. He was a 5-time All-Star, and with 1217 career double plays, arguably one of the best shortstops in MLB history. His fielding was outstanding, and he was best known for his strong infield defense. But, he was also an excellent clutch hitter and still holds the title as one of the best bunters in baseball. His “small ball” approach was emphasized by his fast base running, which eventually earned him the nickname “Scooter”, which is how legendary baseball announcer Mel Allen always referred to him.



Scooter played with the Yankees from 1941-1956, and his best year when was 1950, when he earned himself the title of League MVP. Throughout his career, the Yankees won 10 American League Championship titles, and won 7 World Series.But his career didn’t stop when Scooter stopped playing ball. He quickly earned a spot in the broadcast booth, and announced Yankee games for over 40 years. Along with his radio announcing, Scooter also was a television broadcaster, a commercial spokesperson, and he even made guest appearances on popular television shows.



Phil Rizzuto was best known and loved for his excitement and antics while on the air. They joked with him about having cannolis, his favorite dessert, with him at every game. He was also well known for leaving games early when he got tired. He would say to his wife Cora, “Cora, I’m coming home, got to get over that bridge!” When the network showed a shot of “the bridge” that was usually a sign that “Scooter had left the stadium”. Phil was also deathly afraid of lightning, and was known to duck, dodge and even leave a game is there was a storm brewing. His quirky, sometimes comical ways of announcing made him a fan favorite and loved by baseball fans nationwide. He is best known for phrases such as “Holy Cow!” “What a Shot” and many other emotional outbursts that are famously quoted when Scooter is remembered.Phil was an avid family man, and extremely devoted to his wife, Cora, who he met while emceeing a dinner in Joe DiMaggio’s honor. He always told the story of how he met his wife as being “love at first sight”, and insisted that once he saw Cora, he never looked back.



Scooter was also very involved in charities, and made every effort to continue his work for the disadvantaged after he retired. After meeting a young man who was permanently blinded after being hit in the head with a baseball, Rizzuto became an avid supporter of those without sight, and was a major contributor to St. Joseph’s School for the blind. His work with the students, faculty, and generous monetary contributions speak to the good hearted and man that he was.



On August 4, 1985, the Yankees retired Phil’s #10 jersey, which is now displayed proudly in bronze in Memorial Park at Yankee Stadium. Casey did me a favor and dug through his memorabilia and put up the actual ticket stub from that game. It was the same day Tom Seasver won his 300th game as a Chicago White Sock and it figures, BYB's Casey was there.



At 5’6 and 160 pounds, Phil Rizzuto was not very big in stature. But his heart and his personality are permanently etched in the fabric of Yankees baseball history, and we will never forget him.









--Christy Lee, BYB Staff Writer







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WHY IT WASN'T ENOUGH

“It’s really encouraging, He mixed his pitches better. I thought his command was better tonight. It’s unfortunate he gave up the two runs early because he seemed to settle down pretty well after that.”

--Joe Girardi talks about Ivan Nova

Bottom line, Ivan Nova was good, but Jered Weaver was great.

Yes, Nova had a few shaky innings, he always does, that's expected, but he kept the Yankees in it. Trouble was, Weaver was just better. Nova went into the seventh, he allow three runs, two of them earned and gave up 0 walks and 8 hits.

Mark Feinsand had this little nugget which I found interesting: "The last time the Yankees won their season-series with the Angels, Alex Rodriguez was playing for the Rangers and Ivan Nova was in high school." (New York Daily News)

(Photo: Getty)
A great moment came in the first inning, when Weaver needed 15 pitches to get out Derek Jeter. To me, what that means is, Jeter, while slow to get back into his "Jeter" form, is still using his head and skill on the field.

There was one nutty moment last night. Ivan Nova had no time to react when Torii Hunter hit a liner and it screamed at Nova's head. He threw up his glove for protection. The ball ended up hitting the heel before rolling away.
(Photo: AP)
Russell Martin had an RBI single in the second inning and gave the Yankees 1 run making it 2-1. Later on in the fourth inning, Posada doubled in a run and tied it up 2-2. But it wasn't enough, the Angels scored another run and the Yanks couldn't come back. I wasn't able to sit and watch the entire game, I was in and out of my TV room but one thing I noticed was the Angels were on base all night when Nova was pitching, that's never a good sign, but in the end, he worked out of those innings and didn't let the flood gates open and to me, that's a sign of better things to come. Tip your cap to Weaver, he pitched great last night.

Final Score: Angels 3 - Yankees 2. Game 2 of this series today. Come on Yankees, overcome this loss with a big win today.

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WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ALEX ALONE?

"A couple of years ago I learned a very very big lesson. And for me, my responsibilities have never been more clear, I'm very crystal clear in my responsibilities — both to this team and personally. I love my family — all my family — very much." --Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez is a true New York Yankee and that's because he won a ring. To me, he used to be A-Rod, but that changed for me. A-Rod is a name of some fictional figure that spoke like a fool to the press, and tried too hard to be liked. In the process, he became hated and was never clutch and never won a championship. Then he DID win a championship, and was super clutch doing it, he relaxed and became Alex. That's how I see it anyway.

And the New York Sports Media did too and they did for a while after our 2009 championship. Alex was suddenly the golden boy and your headlines reflected that. I noticed you giving credit to Alex for maturing and being super clutch in the 2009 playoffs and it seemed you were worshipping him like us fans were.This of course came after he was under the microscope because of the controversy surrounding his cousin in February 2009 when he admitted that his cousin injected him with "boli" an over the counter item from the Dominican Republic. When that happened, you killed the guy...absolutely murdered him. It's ridiculous how fast you turn on my New York Yankees. But back to my point, since we won, Alex has been Alex. Now, Alex is finally in a rhythm at the plate and now, suddenly, there are reports that Alex's cousin, Yuri Sucart, the one who was banned from hanging with the team after the scandal, was suddenly "caught" hanging with the team again. So what happens next? Some clever media person decided that connecting his good hitting with his cousin clearly means Alex is using PEDs. Um...no it doesn't, not even close. Couple this "scandal" with the gossip of Cameron Diaz and Alex breaking up (HERE) and suddenly it's a God damn piling on contest.

Why? Why do you do this to this poor guy? Alex Rodriguez cannot get a break. All of his past arrogance, his "foot in mouth" and immaturity is gone, but that's not good enough is it? You have to go trying to connect dots between his great hitting and his PEDs pushing cousin. Why are you trying to imply this?

Look, I'm not going to lie, the best part of 2009 for me was when Selena Roberts book bombed about Alex and the PEDs. No one read it, it was a flop. Luckily, Alex moved on... so did we and life was good.But back to my point, the media is constantly blasting Alex all day long. Why do you do it? Hasn't he proved he can be a champion? Is that not good enough?

Here's an idea, ESPN, or Sports Illustrated. All you guys are mentioning Alex and his sudden "Fountain of Youth", right? How about Red Sox Golden boy David Ortiz? Last time I checked he was hitting really well, like he had a sudden "Fountain of Youth" too. Why is no one asking questions about David Ortiz? Oh, I get it, he doesn't have a cousin walking around who peddles PEDs. Well, Guess what? You don't need a cousin to take PEDs, so why don't you try accusing someone other than Alex once in your life. Better yet, why don't you lay off my Yankees. We are a tough ball club with a will to win. Don't be haters. But no, that's not what you do. You need to slam the New York Yankees so you can sell your papers... I forgot.

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WHY JETER IS EPIC FOR 1 GOOD REASON

Suddenly the negative articles have stopped. Jeter's hitting like I've predicted he would. I mean, why wouldn't he, he's Derek Sanderson Jeter, a leader, a close friend to many Yankees like Jorge, and he's also still a bad ass and no one should have ever doubted him.

Jeter is just about a dozen hits away from 3000, the only Yankee ever to do that. I'd say that's a pretty significant achievement, don't you? Overrated SI? You guys are morons. Jeter's Epic, know that. The guy's got bling...5 of them actually, MVP awards and has made the most incredible plays in the history of baseball. He's also got Minka which is probably not a bad thing.So why does he have this incredible drive, this refusal to fail and a positive outlook on life? Amazing parents. I'll never forget it, my wife, who could care less about baseball and thinks BYB is my mistress, knows one thing, a person's presentation. She doesn't care about the players themselves, but does care about how they present themselves because after all, they are role models to our kids. She can see a real tool a mile away. Jeet's no tool and I know that because in some interview where Jeter and his family were around him, Jeet gave props to how great his upbringing was and how his parents did it right. My wife said right then that she was impressed. It was genuine. I'm a guy, I was clueless at that moment.

Women have it all figured out. Men? Men want a win or die trying. We're savages. But women, yes, they know you can win if you play hard, be smart and it all stems back to being raised right. Maybe it's a motherly instinct, I'm not sure, but she's right. Jeter was a champion before he ever won a World Series. He was just destined to win because of the way he was raised.Now, I'm not suggesting the NY sports media needs to get all sappy with Jeet. No. I'm just saying back off my boy. He's got everything he wants in his career and he keeps plugging away despite the negative press, despite you guys ragging on him and calling him old. Jeter was raised right, he's not some golden boy that had it handed to him. He learned how to earn it through life lessons and it all goes back to his mom and the Doc.Keep it up Jeet, get 3000 and don't look back and most importantly, enjoy that moment as long as you can. Let us stand and cheer for 10 minutes for you, just go with it. And understand 1 thing while it's happening; You may have done it for us the fans, and even for yourself, but 1 things for sure, those 3000 hits is probably the greatest thank you you could ever give to your parents. After all, they raised you right... And you're letting them know... for sure.

As a father, I can tell you, there's no better gift in life than seeing your kid standing on second base after he just knocked in 2 runs and put his team in the lead. The moment the 2 of you look at each other isn't a "Look dad. I did it", it's "Thank you dad, that ones for you."
Go get'um Jeet, give your parents that Thank you.

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WHY GAMMONS IS OVERRATED

This isn’t a Yankee thing. This is a WTF thing. I’m sorry, I take issue with Peter Gammons. Look, I know this guy is a Hall of Famer, but let’s be honest, when I listen to Peter Gammons, I'm not so sure I'm learning anything new and I know many of you aren't either.

On May 31st, Gammons went on the Dan Patrick Show. Now, I love the Dan Patrick Show. It's so much fun and I learn a ton of stuff about baseball and a lot of different sports, plus, I laugh. But I have to tell you, I got alittle aggravated. They were talking about Toronto's Jose Bautista
with Gammons when suddenly Peter told Dan that years ago Dale Sveum told him that Bautista was going to be something special and that he hates when people accuse Bautista of PEDs. Here is the transcript of that:"There is suspicion and I find it unfair. I've heard people on the radio and I've read people that don't believe it.... now I can say this, about 6 or 7 years ago, Dale Sveum was a coach with the Red Sox and he managed Bautista. And he said 'You know, something's gonna get figured out. He's got a world of talent. I don't think it's going to be 2nd base but he's an unbelievably gifted athlete.'

So last year when he took off I asked J.P. Riccardi...and I said 'J.P. what's the story' and he said 'It's very simple, he's always had great bat speed... he could never get the timing down, but in September 2009, he finally got it.' It all came together."

OK look, If Gammons wants to tell a story about something that may or may not be true, go ahead. That's fine, I have no beef with that. I do however find it alittle odd though that Bautista had 54 home runs last year and before that, his season high total in homers was 16. Look HERE. Now, do I think the guys on PEDs? I'm not looking to accuse the guy, I don't care. That actually is not what I'm upset about. I'm upset about this next statement by Gammons:

"You know, I don't remember people questioning Joey Votto when he had his great breakout year."

Really Peter, really? I thought you were a well respected baseball man? Why would you throw another great baseball player like Joey Votto under the bus to protect the one your talking about in Jose Bautista? That's irresponsible and disrespectful.

The fact of the matter is Joey Votto's numbers show a progression of power, average and everything else leading up to his "breakout" year as you like to call it. Look HERE. But, if you look at Bautista’s numbers, there is a gigantic increase in 2010 to his previous season which is why everyone is led to believe that something fishy is going on. By the way, here' the interview: Peter Gammons Interview - May 31, 2011 . Listen to it for yourself. Tell me if you find that to be ridiculous, or not. Anyone from the outside looking in can see the numbers on the page and know that something isn't right.

So, back to my point, clearly sports analysts can say whatever they want and no one challenges them. Us bloggers write anything slightly controversial and we're accused to being brainless and a wannabe.

I love Dan Patrick and I think for him, it was a respect thing to get Peter Gammons on, and not really probe. Hell, maybe he didn't even notice what Peter said, who knows. I tweeted Dan yesterday to asked him to please challenge that horrendous comparison between Bautista and Votto. It just didn't make sense to me. My God, can you imagine if he attacked a Yankee with that crap? It would have been World War 3.

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WHY IT'S 1961 ALL OVER AGAIN

In 1961, I wasn't around yet, but Mickey Mantle was already quite established as one of the greatest Yankees of all time and Roger Maris was 5 years in as a Yankees outfielder. It was that magical season that Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s record of home runs by hitting 61. Years later, with the help of performance enhancing drugs, others would break that record, but to me, it still stands at 61 and that’s how I explain the history of baseball to my sons.

(Photo: AP)

I only tell you this only because Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira have slowly and silently crept into the home run race and many don’t even realize what’s happening right in front of them. When I see the power from Curtis and Tex, I’m reminded about the M&M boys. No, they are not larger than life like the stories my dad tells me about the fanfare and home run trots and the fans taking sides,but Grandy and Tex are loved and have proven themselves as true Yankees who have a passion for the game that is just as big as that 1961 season.

Back in 1961, after 43 games:

• Mickey Mantle had 14 home runs
• Roger Maris had 13 home runs
  
• In 1927, Babe Ruth had 15 home runs
  

Now, if there’s one thing I know about Yankee history, it’s been 50 years since that historic 1961 home run race and this year marks the anniversary. I can’t imagine any other way to celebrate Yankee greatness than discussing another potential Yankees home run race. This year, after 43 games:

• Curtis Granderson had 13 home runs
  
• Mark Teixeira had 11 home runs

Currently, after 54 games:

• Granderson has 17 home runs
• Teixeira has 16 home runs

The thought of what could happen this year gives me chills, because if we look back to 1961, at 54 games:

• Maris had 18 home runs
  
• Mantle had 17 home runs
  

One thing I know from history is the pressure. Mickey was a laid back party animal who knew his talent and didn’t cave to the pressure. Roger on the other hand had enormous pressure. He didn’t want to be thrown into this mess, he just loved playing baseball and the home run race was an accident, but hey, when your hot your hot and Roger Maris was hot in 1961, no doubt.

In 2011, I see a relaxed Curtis and Teixeira and that could make for an exciting race. My only wish is that this contest goes deep into the summer and brings true excitement to the Yankees this year.

My feelings on this is simple, we need the fans to rally, the boys to play hard and the fun to happen, after all, it can make for a truly exciting season and let the world know that history is about to be made, and yes, the Yankees are leading the charge, again...5o years later.

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PROSPECT ROUNDUP: MANNY BANUELOS

(Photo: Mike Dill/MiLB.com)

Manny Banuelos is coming. There are high hopes for this kid and no one is more excited than me. Manny’s currently has 46.2 innings pitched this year in 10 starts, and has thus far has allowed a grand total of 11 earned runs. He has 42 strikeouts, only 26 walks, and has allowed 38 hits. This is exactly the kind of start we want to see from the new Golden boy.

(Photo: Mike Dill)

Some would say he’s still at least a year off, but with the issues our bullpen lefties have had, I’d have to disagree. Pedro Feliciano might be out the whole season, Damaso Marte is not likely to be all that effective after his long stint on the DL, and even if Boone Logan, the lone lefty does a great job like he did last year, Girardi likes to have two lefties in the bullpen, and that makes sense. I would not be surprised to see Manny get called up to AAA in only a few months, then be put in our bullpen as a lefty specialist and available for a spot start if needed, even in the post-season. It’d be the perfect way to let him get his feet wet in the big leagues. I’m not suggesting we keep him there though. If he is very effective and performs well again in Spring Training next year, I say put him in the rotation. If not, send him back to AAA to continue working. It’s a win, win all around for this kid and for us.

--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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