Ever talk to a ballplayer ?

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

There are quite a few stories I could relate......but, I will start with the longest time
I was with a BB player. I was at Newark (NJ) Airport April 1984, heading for Chicago,
and who is standing in line to check in, my old nearby neighbor as a kid, Phil Rizzuto.

He was flying 1st class and I was in coach. When we boarded the plane, he invited me
to sit with him in the 1st class cabin. We talked BB, personalities, and about our old
neighborhood (in Hillside, NJ) for two hours on the plane; and, an hour at the terminal.

In 1949 the Scooter was runner-up to Ted Williams for AL MVP; and, in 1950 Phil was
awarded the AL MVP (which was well deserved as the "spark" which helped the Yankees
win a very close race vs Detroit). He had 200 hits, BA = .324, SlAvg =.439 and 66 RBI's.
Not too bad for being essentially a lead-off batter.

I tell you all that because I asked Phil a very "dumb" question.....In 1949, as we know,
Casey Stengel became Mgr of the Yankees; so, I asked Phil if he felt that his game had
improved with the advent of Stengel ? I quickly realized this was a dumb "?", as Phil's
response was somewhat harsh on me.

I quickly switched the conversation to Bill White (a really great guy who was Phil's part-
ner in the broadcast booth). But, talk about "putting your foot in your mouth", as much
as I thought I was being smart in my observation regarding his career.....it was a dumb
thing to ask him.
It's funny, we talked for hours about a lot of things; but, that particular bit of our con-
versation is still very clear in my mind....22 1/2 years later.

T-Rex TED