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Stop Right There! NYT Fails To Mention Meatloaf In Rizzuto Obit
Yankee shortstop and Hall-of-Famer Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto died today at 89, and the New York Times is paying its respect with a glowing obituary by sportswriter Richard Sandomir. Unfortunately, to the consternation of music lovers, Meatloaf lovers, and panting teenagers grinding hopefully in the back of Mazdas everywhere, the NYT failed to mention Rizzuto's iconic, immortalizing cameo in Meatloaf's "Paradise By The Dashboard Light."
Here's the thing: Even people who couldn't care less about sports have probably heard Rizzuto's rat-tat-tat call of the all-important game cataloging the progress of a certain young slugger in rounding certain all-important bases (yes, those bases. Rawr). Rizzuto existed beyond the world of sports, and it's this song that has immortalized him there. I didn't know who Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto was by name before today, but damned if I haven't known the expression "Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!" since I was a single-digit. I didn't understand exactly what kind of game he was calling, of course, but eventually I figured it out. Thanks to Scooter, though, for the tutorial - not so much Ellen Foley, since I eventually discovered that asking boys "Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you never leave me?" can come off as kinda clingy.
Fun Fact: Rizzuto had no clue about the sexual connotation of his part when he recorded the song. If he had, he might have told them to let him sleep on it, and given an answer in the morning.
Phil Rizzuto, Yankees Shortstop, Dies at 89 [NYT]
New Jersey-Related Remembrance:
Remembering Phil Rizzuto [Gawker]
Huffington Post | Rachel Sklar | August 14, 2007 03:29 PM