Rirruto? Those are Z's.

Legendary New York Yankees player and broadcaster, Phil Rizzuto, has died today. At 89, Rizzuto was the oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted as a player, though he is, perhaps, now more well-known as a voice of the Yankees for 40 years.

As a player, Rizzuto spent 13 seasons with the Yanks, winning 7 world titles and the 1950 American League MVP. He was a five-time all-star.

I write about Phil Rizzuto not only because he was among the most prominent names and personalities in sports, but because of all the ways that, though we never met and I don't really know all that much about him, he has been part of my life.

1) The Yankees are, have always been, and likely shall always be my favorite baseball team. The "pinstripers" have no shortage of great baseball names in their history, but Rizzuto will always stand out for his excellent play, his excellent play-by-play, his commitment to the franchise, and his exceedingly long tenure therewith.

2) Rizzuto has appeared in/been referenced in two of my favorite modern comedy presentations. In Billy Madison, his name is given to Billy as a cursive practice word in Ms. Vaughn's 3rd grade class (the title of this post comes from this scene). I have always thought this scene is hilarious and has a very genuine feel to it. I never had to write Rizzuto on the blackboard, but I remember well the feeling of being stuck in front of the class and trying to come up with something that will work. Good filmmaking and funny, funny stuff.

Rizzuto also found his way into a Seinfeld episode when George accidentally drops his Phil Rizzuto keyring (which says Phil's catch phrase, "Holy Cow!") into a pothole that gets paved over.

3) My basketball team shocked the 30 and over Jewish basketball world last night, beating the #1 seed and prohibitive favorite to win the championship in a thrilling overtime battle. We will play for the championship next Monday! I realize this has very little to do with our friend Rirruto, but I would sure love to have heard his call when I airballed my 2nd freethrow in recent weeks. I've lost my way from the stripe. I'm like the new, old Rick Ankiel.