‘Scooter’ remembered by neighborhood

Phil Rizzuto left an indelible mark on baseball, and on the Glendale neighborhood where he grew up.
For those that knew about Rizzuto’s humble Queens roots — he went to Richmond Hill High School — the Hall-of-Famer will always be a part of the community.
“I’ll always associate Phil with the time he signed my son’s cast,” said Joan Gecsedi, 76, a neighbor of the Rizzutos since 1962.
Gecsedi told the story of her son’s injury, which occurred during a high school football game when he was about 15. He broke his leg during a play and had a cast that made it difficult to move around.
“But when he heard that Rizzuto was in town visiting his parents, he hobbled across the street and asked him to sign the cast,” said Gecsedi.
Rizzuto’s parents took pride in their son’s talent, Gecsedi recalled. His mother would often take the bus to the Bronx to watch him play at Yankee Stadium, and his father would talk with neighbors about his son’s success.
On and off the field, congeniality became a defining characteristic of Rizzuto. Always good-natured and laughing in the Yankee clubhouse, he led the Bombers to eight World Series titles in 12 seasons. Intangibles like team leadership and positive attitude became trademarks for Rizzuto, who, some critics have said, would not be in the Hall of Fame on the strength of numbers alone (a .273 lifetime batting average, 1,588 hits and 38 home runs).
Rizzuto’s charisma made him a perfect fit for the broadcast booth where he spent 40 years as a Yankee announcer, from 1957 to 1996. Known for his conversational approach, he won the hearts of an entire generation of Yankee fans not even born during his playing career.
Rizzuto’s death on Monday, August 13 brought sadness to the few remaining residents who knew him.
“There aren’t too many of us left around here,” said Marie Ruppe. “But for me, [he and his family] were like my own family.”