BROOKLYN MOURNS PASSING OF PHIL RIZZUTO 1917-2007

“Brooklyn mourns the passing of Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto, a Brooklyn born baseball legend and Hall of Famer, who brought a fierce and heartfelt Brooklyn attitude to everything he accomplished on and off the field.
 
Phil Rizzuto spent his 13-year career with the New York Yankees, almost exclusively as a shortstop—winning nine pennants and seven World Series titles—interrupted only by a tour of duty during WWII. Not one to leave baseball quietly, Rizzuto moved from the dugout to the broadcast booth, becoming the legendary personality whose voice, style and catchphrase “Holy Cow” became synonymous with the Yankees for decades.
 
Born in Brooklyn, attending school in Queens, and playing and announcing in the Bronx, Phil Rizzuto was a quintessential New Yorker. Though he made his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers fiercest competitors, we admired his unbelievable talent and sportsmanship—and always wished he had become a member of the Dodger organization. Phil Rizzuto was living proof that Brooklyn is indeed the place where legends are made.
 
On behalf of all Brooklynites and baseball fans alike, I want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.”
 
— Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz