NY Yankees Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto, 89
Posted: Tuesday, August 14th, 2007 11:23 amThe thing about Phil Rizzuto was he made people smile. No, that’s wrong. He made people laugh — at his jokes, but mostly at him.
Take his induction into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1994. The “Scooter,” as he was known, walked to the podium and the thousands in the Cooperstown, N. Y., audience had to bring out their hankies to wipe away the tears. Not because they were sad. Rizzuto made them laugh that hard.
Rizzuto, who would have been 90 in September, died Tuesday from pneumonia after living his last several years in declining health at a West Orange, N.J., nursing home.
This is a sad time for everyone who knew Rizzuto, the diminutive kid from Brooklyn who made it as a slick fielding shortstop for the Yankees and later became their beloved broadcaster. … Read full obituary
