Holy Scooter! Rizzuto Dies at 89
Hall-of-Fame shortstop [Phil Rizzuto], who played his entire career with the New York Yankees and then went on to popularized the phrase Holy Cow! as one of the great Yankee broadcasters, [died this morning](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/sports/baseball/AP-BBA-Obit-Rizzuto.html?ref=sports) at 89 at a nursing home in West Orange, NJ. The Scooter played 12 years for the Bronx Bombers in their glory days, capturing seven World Series titles during that span. His baseball career, which stretched from 1941 through 1956, was interrupted by three years of military service for the United States Navy during World War II.
Rizzuto was born and raised in Brooklyn and Queens and loved New York. He made five All-Star teams and was voted the American Leagues Most Valuable Player in 1950 by a large margin. After retiring, he immediately joined the Yankees broadcast team and called games for the next 40 years. His jovial personality, his love for the Yankee organization, and his catchphrase Holy Cow! endeared him to Yankees fans everywhere, and he became a permanent guest on summer nights in peoples homes throughout the five boroughs.
The Scooter was an electric, diminutive player who perfected the bunt, the steal and was a defensive guru. He played for 13 seasons alongside the likes of Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle and DiMaggio once said the shortstop held the team together.