Phil Rizzuto

Hall of Fame shortstop and broadcaster Phil Rizzuto died late yesterday.  He was 89.

Phil Rizzuto was a New York Yankee, through and through.

Starting in 1941, the Brooklyn native played 13 years for the Yankees, with a stint in the U.S Navy during World War II coming in between. Rizzuto, a shortstop, was the American League's MVP in 1950 and played in five All-Star Games.

After retiring, Rizzuto was a broadcaster for the Yankees for 40 years, coining the famous phrase, "Holy Cow!"'

Perhaps his most famous call came in 1961 when Roger Maris set the new single-season home run record with 61.

• "Here's the windup, fastball, hit deep to right, this could be it! Way back there! Holy cow, he did it! Sixty-one for Maris! And look at the fight for that ball out there! Holy cow, what a shot! Another standing ovation for Maris, and they're still fighting for that ball out there, climbing over each other's backs. One of the greatest sights I've ever seen here at Yankee Stadium!"

Rizzuto died late yesterday in a nursing home in West Orange, N.J. He was 89.

"His voice and `holy cow' will be part of baseball for as long as we play the game,'' Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement.

above from bodogbeat.com