| DATE SHOT: 1940s PRINT DATE: 1980s SUBJECT: Phil Rizzuto APPROXIMATE SIZE: 3-1/2"x4-7/8" MARKS / STAMPING: Note that the "photo" offered is a photocopied image from an unidentified publication which was then hand-signed by Rizzuto with a black felt tip pen. The signature is authentic and hand-signed. ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Signature is original, Photo is Type 4 - Second or later-generation photo, printed from a duplicate negative or wire photo process, in a later period SIGNER: Phil Rizzuto COMMENTS / CONDITION: As with all of my signed items, the signature is guaranteed to pass further inspection by any major authenticator, or your money back. See scans for signature quality and photo condition. BIO: Philip Francis Rizzuto (Scooter) was born in Brooklyn, NY and died in 2007 in West Orange, NJ. He played major league baseball from 1941 to 1956 as shortstop for the New York Yankees, appeared in 9 World Series, was selected 5 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. In 1950, he also won the Hickok Belt, awarded to the top professional athlete of the year, and was named Major League Player of the Year by The Sporting News. He was voted top major league shortstop by The Sporting News four consecutive years (1949-1952). Rizzuto later enjoyed a 40-year career as a radio and television sports announcer for the Yankees, becoming known for his popular but idiosyncratic style. Rizzuto broadcast Yankee games on radio and television for the next 40 years. His popular catchphrase was ''Holy cow.'' Rizzuto also became known for saying ''Unbelievable!'' ''Oh, man'' or ''Did you see that?'' to describe a great play, and would call somebody a ''huckleberry'' if he did something Rizzuto didn't like. He would frequently wish listeners a happy birthday or anniversary, send get-well wishes to fans in hospitals, and speak well of restaurants he liked, or of the cannoli he ate between innings. He also joked about leaving the game early, saying to his wife, ''I'll be home soon, Cora!'' and ''I gotta get over that bridge'', referring to the nearby George Washington Bridge, which he would use to get back to his home in Hillside. In later years, Rizzuto would announce the first six innings of Yankee games; the TV director would sometimes puckishly show a shot of the bridge (which can be seen from the top of Yankee Stadium) after Rizzuto had departed. Rizzuto was also very phobic about lightning, and sometimes left the booth following violent thunderclaps. Rizzuto was the longtime celebrity spokesman in TV ads for The Money Store. He was their spokesman for nearly 20 years, from the 1970s into the 1990s. He also served for a number of years as the commercial spokesperson for Yoo-Hoo chocolate beverages. Rizzuto did a 5-minute weekday evening sports show (''It's Sports Time with Phil Rizzuto'') from 1957 to 1977. In Rizzuto's obituary, The New York Times recalled a play that had occurred on September 17, 1951, with the Yankees and Cleveland Indians tied for first place and just 12 games left in the season: Rizzuto was at bat (he was righthanded) against Bob Lemon of the Cleveland Indians. It was the bottom of the ninth inning, in the middle of a pennant chase. The score was tied at 1. DiMaggio was on third base. Rizzuto took Lemon’s first pitch, a called strike, and argued the call with the umpire. That gave him time to grab his bat from both ends, the sign to DiMaggio that a squeeze play was on for the next pitch. But DiMaggio broke early, surprising Rizzuto. Lemon, seeing what was happening, threw high, to avoid a bunt, aiming behind Rizzuto. But with Joltin’ Joe bearing down on him, Rizzuto got his bat up in time to lay down a bunt. ''If I didn’t bunt, the pitch would’ve hit me right in the head,'' Rizzuto said. ''I bunted it with both feet off the ground, but I got it off toward first base.'' DiMaggio scored the winning run. Stengel called it ''the greatest play I ever saw.'' As the winning run scored, Lemon angrily threw both the ball and his pitching glove into the stands. SKU: L00069
Item: L00069
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