"Holy Cow, I Think He's Gonna Make It!"

Upon hearing of the passing, this week, of the Hall of Famer and Yankee great, Phil "The Scooter" Rizzuto my mind recalled many of his accomplishments both on and off the field of play. His feats were major, after all he was a Yankee! 1950 American League MVP, he was on seven World Series Championship teams, and he was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame 1994, though he insisted that he did not belong there. He was color commentator for the Yankees(did I mention that they are God's team? Well they are) for nearly 40 years, and that is how I was first introduced to the Scooter.

In the summer of 1977 I was re-introduced to the Scooter through one Michael Lee Aday aka MeatLoaf, to me just Meat but to you it is Mr. Loaf. The song Paradise by the Dashboard Light(a great song even to this very day) was a song about love, lust and commitment. If you know the song you undoubtedly remember the Scooter's contribution to the song in the form of his play-by-play commentary:

"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 windup, 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 the center. And here's 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 a third. Holy cow, stolen base. He's taking a pretty big lead out there. Almost daring them to pick him off. The pitcher glances over, winds up and it's bunted. Bunted down the third-base line. The suicide squeeze is on. Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close. Here's the throw, here's the play at the plate. Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!"

I love that song! It has been at the rockin' heart of many dance, party, and/or social mixer that had any worth whatsoever. I remember, with acute recall, singing it to my date, one Linda L., way back at the 1980 Sadie Hawkin's dance at Greenwich High School. She was a beauty and I am sure that she still is and I knew that "all the kids at school were wishin' they were me that night". I remember Meat coming over the speakers and looking into Linda's big beautiful eyes! What a night.

Now wait a minute! I know what you are thinking and the answer is that Linda was not that type of girl and I was not that type of boy. There was no "paradise" by any light that night, or any other night for the record. What there was, however, was a moment that we shared because of that song. I can't help but think of Linda every time I hear it. Phil Rizzuto's death set me off on a chain reaction that led to thinking about Mr. Loaf, then his song and then that night back in 1980 at a dance with Linda L. Time definitely flies.

As sappy as the song might be I admire the idea that the singer did honor his vow to stay with his lover. He never spoke of her in demeaning terms that are so rampant in Rap music. He didn't bail out on her, or harm her. He stayed with her. Sure he was in a type of hell as he was "prayin' for the end of time to hurry up and arrive..."

Yes indeed he made that hell of his own when he played with the heart of that young woman, it was indeed his own doing. It served as a cautionary tale to young lust erroneously perceived as young love. Think before you act and make sure that you think with your brain instead of thinking with something else, was what I learned from it.

I wonder, if the characters were real, where would they be now? Would they still be together? Would he have honored his vow until the end? Would he have somehow found love with that woman and have maybe made a go of a good life together? Or would he have left her long ago?

I am a romantic and always will be. I even hold out for the hope of lasting love in my life(still waiting). I would hope that the two came to a place of love and respect for each other, and in that way he would truly be a man, or at least lumbering towards manhood as it awaited for him at the plate as he rounded third and headed for home. Maybe he would hear the faint echoes of Scooter Rizzuto saying, "Holy Cow, I think he's gonna make it!"

Thanks Linda for the fond memory!

Holy Cow indeed!
Mac