"Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto and Bill White share duties on a TV network headed by WPIX-TV (Channel 11) and radio station WMCA (570)."
-The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1977 Edition
"Yankee baseball will be broadcast for the 39th consecutive year in 1977. WPIX-TV will be the New York City television station for the 27th straight season. WMCA Radio, 570 on the AM dial, will be the flagship station for the seventh consecutive year. A network covering five states also participates in the Yankee TV and radio coverage."
-1977 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
PHIL RIZZUTO (WPIX, WMCA)
"Phil Rizzuto, the greatest shortstop in Yankee history, enters his 21st season as a Yankee announcer. Phil moved up to the broadcast booth immediately following his playing career in 1957."
-The New York Yankees Official 1977 Yearbook
"Phil Rizzuto, the greatest shortstop in Yankee history, is in his 21st season as a Yankee broadcaster. The 1950 American League MVP moved to the booth immediately following his playing career (1941-56) in 1957."
-1977 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
SCOOTER TEACHES YANKS BUNTING
"Phil Rizzuto, one of the game's greatest bunters over his 13-year major league career, was in uniform once again in the Yankee spring training camp working with the Yankee players on their bunting skills. Bunting is always an integral part of manager Billy Martin's game plan, and there is no better teacher than the Scooter."
-1977 New York Yankees Scorebook & Official Magazine
PHIL RIZZUTO, THE YANKEE SCOOTER
"Major League Baseball is proud to salute the United States Navy, which is celebrating its 202nd year of operations in 1977. In honoring the Navy, Baseball also honors those in the baseball family who served with distinction in the Navy. One of those, Phil Rizzuto, was a pretty fair shortstop, too."
-1977 All-Star Game Official Program (Yankee Stadium)
"Casey Stengel was lucky. Casey blew a chance to avail himself of the talents of Phil Rizzuto back in 1936, and then got another opportunity to ride to glory with the greatest 'little' baseball player in history- after a lapse of thirteen years. Not many big league managers, after muffing the opportunity to sign an outstanding prospect, get a second chance. Stengel was manager of the Dodgers in 1936 when Rizzuto was booted out of a tryout session, and manager of the Yankees in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1953 when the Mighty Mite carried the New York club to five successive World Championships, a record not likely to be matched.
The United States Navy didn't wait for a second chance. It stuck a gob's uniform on Phil's frame so quick, he barely managed to finish out the 1942 World Series. Had the Series gone one more game, he would have been forced to miss it. At that time, there was no draft in the Navy which, as now, was on a voluntary basis. In August of 1942, while the Yankees were winning the flag easily, Phil passed his physical and reported for duty immediately after the World Series, which the Bombers dropped to the Cardinals in five games.
'I didn't realize it at the time,' Phil recalled, 'but it was the wisest decision I ever made. I went in a boy and came out a man. The Navy taught me tolerance, discipline, patience and understanding. The Navy taught me how to make decisions, how to get along with people, how to separate the important things from the lesser important ones. Perhaps most important, the Navy taught me how to stand up to challenges.'
Rizzuto put away his bat and glove the day after the Series ended and reported to Norfolk, Virginia for boot training at the Naval Training Station. He remembers the check-in. 'I remember Freddy Hutchinson, Chief Petty Officer at Norfolk, taking me through my calisthenics. We were supposed to do push-ups, chin-ups and so on to see what kind of shape we were in. I was very nervous and Hutch knew it. He called aside and said not to say anything, just nod my head. 'Let's see,' Freddy began, 'You did 30 push-ups, right? Okay. And 30 chin-ups.' I never said a thing. He kept marking down numbers. Then we got to swimming. He wrote down that I had swum 30 laps. I had never learned to swim. I eventually did, but never had to take that test.'
Rizzuto had left behind his beautiful bride-to-be, Cora Esselborn, whom he had met in the fall of 1941 when he pinch-hit for Joe DiMaggio as a guest speaker. He wanted to get married at the end of the eight-week session but the wedding didn't take place until June 23, some seven months later.
Naval duties kept Rizzuto busy but there was plenty of time for baseball. With that array of stars, it was not surprising that the Norfolk Training base boasted one of the finest teams in the service. Oddly enough, Phil played second base, with Pee Wee Reese occupying the position between second and third.
'Bill Dickey was our manager,' Phil explained. 'He told me that he selected Reese over me at shortstop because he didn't want to be accused of favoritism, since he was a teammate of mine on the Yankees.'
The idyll didn't last very long, however. The ball team was broken up by shipping orders which sent the players to overseas posts in December. Phil sailed for Gammadodo, New Guinea a few days after New Year's Day of 1944. Rizzuto remembers that he was called back from Australia to play in the Army-Navy Pacific World Series on the island of Oahu. Joe DiMaggio was a member of the rival Army nine. The Scooter emerged as the series' most valuable player. He cracked 12 hits, more than any other player, and played errorless ball while alternating between second and third. He was the toughest man in either league to put out, this diminutive dynamo, and on the field nothing got by him.
'That marked the end of my ball playing in the Service,' Phil said. 'Soon after, I was back in Australia, then back to the Philippines.' While in Australia, one of Phil's duties was to organize tournaments and games for wounded sailors stationed at a fleet hospital there. Baseball, as well as other sports, played an important role in keeping up the morale of the servicemen. 'You'd be surprised how much sports can do to help the men who just returned from battle,' says Phil.
'The physically handicapped men in the hospital got together and formed athletic teams. They called it the 'Stumpy Club.' It was made up of men who lost arms and legs in battle. At first, I was afraid to let them start, but they wanted to play so badly that nobody could stop them. We got together and organized a modified form of softball team. Naturally, because of their handicaps, new playing rules were drawn up. All the players wore crutches. Batters didn't have to run to any base. Balls hit to certain sections of the playing field were designated as singles, doubles, triples and homers.
'Despite their handicaps, the men put everything they had into the game. At first, it wasn't a pleasant sight, watching so many guys with crutches, but that's the kind of stuff that put their mind at ease. What guts those guys had! It was those guys who really introduced our national game to the Australians. More important, these guys were an inspiration to all of us. In later years, when on occasions things didn't go so well for me, I'd think of them and I'd become more determined.'
With the end of the war in August 1945, Phil and the millions of others began thinking of going home. He returned to civilian clothes in September while the Tigers were defeating the Cubs in the World Series."
-1977 All-Star Game Official Program (Yankee Stadium)
FRANK MESSER (WPIX, WMCA)
"Frank Messer, one of baseball's finest play-by-play men, enters his 10th season behind the Yankee microphone and his 14th in major league baseball."
-The New York Yankees Official 1977 Yearbook
"Frank Messer, one of the real pros in the business, is a nine-year veteran of Yankee baseball and a 13-year veteran of major league baseball."
-1977 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
BILL WHITE (WPIX, WMCA)
"Bill White, the former star first baseman of the Giants, Cardinals and Phillies, enters his seventh season with the Yankees. The perennial Gold Glove winner becomes more popular every year."
-The New York Yankees Official 1977 Yearbook
"Bill White, the former star first baseman of the Giants, Cardinals and Phillies, is now in his seventh season with the Yankees."
-1977 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide
