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The Scooter Is Remembered On and Off the Field
BY BERNIE BEGLANE
A telephone call early in the morning almost always means sad news.
Such was the case in Whitey Ford’s home in Lake Success, L.I., last week.
Yogi Berra was on the other end of the line informing Whitey of the death of their beloved New York Yankee teammate and friend, Phil Rizzuto.
“Yogi had been visiting Phil from time to time in a nursing home in West Orange (N.J.),” explained Ford when we called him a few hours after learning of the death of the Hall of Fame member.
“So to Yogi, it was not unexpected. He had been telling me that Phil was in a bad way physically and that the end was near.
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Phil Rizzuto |
“The Scooter was a good guy and everybody loved him.”
That especially included New Jersey native Ed Lucas, who, at the age of 12, was blinded in 1951 when struck between the eyes with a ball while playing baseball.
“My accident took place on Oct. 3, the same day of Bobby Thomson’s ‘shot heard round the world’,” stated Lucas.
“The following month my mother took me to a clothing store in Newark where Phil worked during the off-season. She felt that meeting him would boost my spirits.
“We immediately formed a bond…Scooter and Ed.”
So much so that Lucas was Rizzuto’s guest at the 1952 opener in Yankee Stadium.
“That same year,” continued Lucas. “I entered St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City.
“While our friendship was growing, I graduated, and then became an active alumnus and also a member of the board of directors.
“Phil, meanwhile, kept abreast of what was happening at the school through me. One day I said to him, ‘Scooter, we need to build a new school.’
“The words were hardly out of my mouth when Rizzuto shot back, ‘Let’s start a celebrity golf outing to raise the necessary money.’”
Thanks to the celebrities he lined up, Phil raised more than $2,000,000 and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, who founded the institution, opened a two-story facility last Feb. 20.
The 17th such outing was held last Monday and the event had a double dedication: Phil’s memory, of course, and his work to support the school.
Patricia Rizzuto, one of Phil’s three daughters – Cindy Rizzuto and Penny Rizzuto Yetto are the others – revealed that he had been in failing health for several years.
Pneumonia was the cause of his death.
Phil, a native of Brooklyn and a graduate of Richmond Hill H.S., broke in with the Yankees as a shortstop in 1941.
Uncle Sam called and he served three years in the Navy during World War II.
Back with the Bronx Bombers, he finished his playing career after 13 seasons.
During that stretch (1941-56) Rizzuto was – in a large way – responsible for the team winning 11 American League championships and seven World Series titles.
MVP Year
Not to be overlooked was his being selected the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1950.
An honor well-deserved since he batted .324; scored 125 runs; collected 200 hits, which included 36 doubles, seven triples and the same number of home runs.
The veterans committee elected Phil into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. His heartfelt 38-minute acceptance speech, while a bit long, will always be remembered.
Also to be remembered is the play that marked his career, a play that took place on Sept. 17, 1951.
Cleveland came to Yankee Stadium tied for first place with New York. A pitchers duel was tied at 1-1 entering the bottom of the ninth.
The Yankees loaded the bases against the Indians’ outstanding righthander, Bob Lemon. Rizzuto came to bat with the opposition expecting a suicide squeeze.
On a 1-0 pitch, Joe DiMaggio broke toward home from third base. Lemon threw a pitch over Rizzuto’s head, thinking it would be impossible to bunt.
The Scooter managed to drop it down perfectly, scoring DiMaggio and putting the Yankees in first place to stay.
The saddest day in Phil’s playing career was Aug. 25, 1956, when the Yankees let him go.
The Scooter was devastated…but not for long. The next day he joined the Yankees’ broadcasting team of Mel Allen and Red Barber.
A new career was born…one that lasted almost 40 years.
It was during the early days of that second career that we were in Florida on vacation with my wife, Kitty, and four children, Ed, Brian, Terence and Bernadette.
It was spring training time and we went to Fort Lauderdale, then the site of the Yankee camp, to take in an exhibition game.
Enroute to our seats, we bumped into Phil, and after exchanging greetings, began introductions to the Beglane clan.
Kitty, as my late wife was fondly called, was first. Then came the three boys, Ed, Brian and Terence.
Standing close to her mother was our daughter, Bernadette, who politely said, “Don’t forget me.”
All of which brought a big smile to Scooter’s face.
Far from polished as an announcer, Rizzuto’s enthusiasm more than made up for that as he quickly became a fan favorite.
‘Holy Cow!’ which he first used in calling Roger Maris’ record-breaking 61st home run in 1961, was his trademark.
Others included acknowledging birthdays and anniversaries. He loved reading notes from fans and also detailing his love of his favorite Italian pastry, cannolis.
Phil happened to be on the air in 1978 when he learned of the death of Pope Paul VI.
“Well,” Rizzuto said, “That kind of put a damper on even a Yankee win.”
Whitey Remembers
Back to Whitey Ford, who grew up in St. Joseph’s parish, Astoria, and who recalled, “In 1948 I was playing in Virginia (Norfolk), and as all of us in the minors did, I rented a room for the season.
“A little old Italian lady owned the house, and one day she asked what I do.
“When I told her, she said, in broken English, ‘A long time ago, another player, Phila the Rizoot, rented this same room.’
“I couldn’t wait until I got called up to tell Phil that story. That was the beginning of our long friendship.”
George Steinbrenner, the Yankees owner, added icing to all the tributes when he offered, “I guess Heaven must have needed a shortstop.”
Three Cheers For Fontbonne Summer Camp
By Maria D’Onofrio and Cali Ann Canal
Bay Ridge has been inundated with cheerleading-hopefuls each August for the past seven years and this summer was no different. Approximately 85 girls arrived at Fontbonne Hall Academy for its “Cheer with the Champions” Camp.
“Cheer with the Champions” is designed to introduce cheerleading to elementary school girls. The girls are split into three groups, F, H, and A, according to their age level. The camp is run by the coaches of both the varsity and JV teams with the help of the school cheerleaders, who act as camp counselors.
Fontbonne Hall's Cheerleading Campers
Each day one of the three groups wins “Bonnie” the Elephant, the school mascot, for showing the most spirit. At the end of the week, the girls perform for their families, showing them everything they learned and practiced. There is also “Fun Day,” when girls choose a theme for their group and make signs or bring in decorations to support it. For Group F, the theme was “A Pajama Party,” for Group H, “Lifeguards,” and for Group A, “Pretty in Pink.” Part of “Fun Day” includes a talent show, which allowed all the girls to show off their hidden talents and gifts.
This is our fourth year as camp counselors. Our responsibility was to assist the younger girls in learning new chants, cheers, stunts and jumps, which may help them to become cheerleaders when they reach high school. By learning “mini-routines” they have a chance to see what it would be like to be a Fontbonne cheerleader preparing for competition.
Last school year, the Varsity and JV each placed first in its respective division in the Brooklyn and Queens’ Girls CHSAA Cheerleading/Step Competition.
The counselors, as well as the coaches, work hard to make the camp enjoyable for all the girls who attend. Unfortunately, because we are seniors, this is our last year. We’ve had a wonderful time working with the girls through the years and we’ll miss being counselors. Cheerleading has helped us develop qualities of discipline, teamwork and creativity, which will benefit us when we leave Fontbonne’s halls in June and move on to college next fall.
Maria D’Onofrio and Cali Ann Canal are going into their senior year at Fontbonne Hall. D’Onofrio is a parishioner at St. Mary Mother of Jesus, Bath Beach, while Canal attends Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dyker Heights.
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