I was thinking the same exact thing. I’m also a Sox fan, but for the three years I lived in Manhattan (all those years ago) I really enjoyed listening to him call Yankee games; he had a great on-air repartee with Bill White (later the NL President). Scooter was one of the last players from those great post-WWII teams, and a pretty good little shortstop. RIP.
Really a throwback to a different era when major league baseball players were regular guys...regular sized (Rizzuto was 5' 6" and 160 pounds)...with regular paychecks...living in regular neighborhoods among their fans. Heck...Rizzuto, like many players of the same era, lost several good playing years serving in WWII
agreed...his performance in the Meat loaf song was good
and these days if you mention Rizzuto to someone (esp. fairly young) and they don’t know who he is, say “oh, the sportscaster in “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and
they’ll prob. go, “oh yeah, THAT guy.”
Radio Broadcast:
Ok, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker
going here, two down, nobody on, no score,
bottom of the ninth, there’s the wind-up and
there it is, a line shot up the middle, look
at him go. This boy can really fly!
He’s rounding first and really turning it on
now, he’s not letting up at all, he’s gonna
try for second; the ball is bobbled out in center,
and here comes the throw, and what a throw!
He’s gonna slide in head first, here he comes, he’s out!
No, wait, safe—safe at second base, this kid really
makes things happen out there.
Batter steps up to the plate, here’s the pitch—
he’s going, and what a jump he’s got, he’s trying
for third, here’s the throw, it’s in the dirt—
safe at third! Holy cow, stolen base!
He’s taking a pretty big lead out there, almost
daring him to try and pick him off. The pitcher
glance over, winds up, and it’s bunted, bunted
down the third base line, the suicide squeeze in on!
Here he comes, squeeze play, it’s gonna be close,
here’s the throw, there’s the play at the plate,
holy cow, I think he’s gonna make it!