Review of "O Holy Cow! The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto," edited by Tom Peyer and Hart Seely

Review of

O Holy Cow! The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto, edited by Tom Peyer and Hart Seely ISBN 0880015330

Three out of five stars

Phil (The Scooter) Rizzuto was the regular shortstop for the New York Yankees for the years 1941-1956. After retiring from baseball, he went on to be a fixture as a radio and television announcer for Yankee games. Rizzuto developed a very unusual style, often engaging in non sequitur tangents that had little or nothing to do with the action on the field. This book is a collection of some of those oddball moments.

 There is nothing here in the form of verse or thoughtful prose, sometimes you do not really understand what he said after you read it. While some are charmed by what Rizzuto said, it is often so difficult to comprehend that I found it off-putting. For there is no insight into the beauty and complexities of baseball, where weird plays can happen at any time.

 However, I did learn that his trademark expression was, “O Holy Cow!” a remark that I thought had originated with Harry Caray.