#11 Phil Rizzuto
Progress: 1st of this card
251 of 407 61.6% Complete
How acquired: $20.00 on eBay
Condition: Poor
This is a big one. Two hundred fifty-one cards in and Rizzuto is easily the biggest name I've been able to post this far, no disrespect to any of the other guys who have already gone up. Fortunately, kids in 1952 seemed to have a propensity for saving their Rizzuto cards as there are no shortage of them floating around, which helps keep the prices somewhat artificially "low."
This card has the obvious tape issues on the two corners, and the edges are a little bit funny. I'm not sure if it's evidence of trimming, or just the result of decades of abuse and mistreatment. Doesn't matter. I was never what you would call a "Rizzuto fan," but I can't help but get excited every time I look at this card. Growing up in New York, I watched a lot of Yankees games on Channel 11 with Rizzuto losing tag-team wrestling matches to the fearsome dual of the English language and his own attention span on a regular basis. And as underwhelmed as I was by his career numbers and Yankee credentials as a kid and teenager in the early 90's, time has given me a new found appreciation for the Hall of Famer. This card is the type of card I'll pull out and show non-collecting friends on the rare occasion one of them asks to see some cards. I highly suggest forgoing a blaster or two on your next trip to Target, and picking yourself up a low grade copy of one of these, even if you're not a Rizzuto fan. It'll scratch that itch us creatures of compulsion can never seem to reach.
Stats: 13 seasons, 5x All-Star, 1950 AL MVP, 1,588 hits, .273 avg., 7x World Series Champion, 45 World Series hits, 10x Defensive WAR Top 10
Inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1994
Wonderful card. I too grew up watching and listening to Rizzuto doing Yankee games. I think I was always amused by him. My time dates back to his days with Red Barber, Mel Allen and Joe Garagiola. He was definitely the weak link in that group but my father loved him. I thought he was at his 'best' with 'White'. Loved how he always referred to him that way.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on scoring that card
No real desire to have a card of Rizzuto as a player, but I'm happy I have a card of him as a broadcaster. Every time I look at it I can hear him talking about cannolis.
ReplyDeleteI just saw a re-run of a "What's My Line" episode today, with Phil Rizzuto as a guest panelist, and Sal Maglie as the mystery guest.
ReplyDelete