Phil Rizzuto, Poet

We've all heard about Yogisms. He's been widely quoted such as, "It's de ja vu all over again", or, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it" or "Always go to other peoples' funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours".



Well, on my return trip from Seattle, I needed a book to read and found O HOLY COW! which is the selected verse of Phil Rizzuto. It's a series of his commentaries during the play by play of Yankee games. Some of them make you stop and say, "What", but some of the others are thoughtful. Like this verse from April 12, 1991 in Kansas City



Absolutely!

If you don't get a little,

A few butterflies,

No matter what you do,

On the first dasy of anything,

You're not human



OR



All right this is it,

The whole season coming down

To just one ball game,

And every mistake will be magnified,

And every great play will be magnified

And it's a tough night for the players,

I'll tell ya.

I know last night,

Being in the same siuation many times

With the great Yankee teams of the past,

You stay awake,

And you dream,

And you think of what might be,

If you are the hero of the goat



He said this on October 14, 1976 at the final game of the American League East Playoff between Kansas City and New York.



It was interesting the way he just went from his thoughts back to the game



Did you hit me, Seaver?

Somebody hit me.

STRUCK'M OUT!



July 6, 1992 Minnesota at New York.



It's a very fast read and I think you would have to be a Yankee or Phil Rizzuto fan to appreciate the book. On this, the anniversary of his death, it should be noted that the Phil Rizzuto Estate has donated all royalties from this book to a veriety of children's charities, including St. Joseph's School for the Blind in Jersey City, the Hale House Center in New York and the Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ.