HottyToddy.com is in slight mourning today following the news of the passing of one of baseball’s greats, Joe Garagiola.
The gregarious MLB catcher and witty broadcast personality died yesterday (Wednesday, March 24) in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 90.
According to a NY Times obit: Garagiola was propelled from the catcher’s box into the broadcast booth largely by his crowd-pleasing appearance before a United States Senate subcommittee on monopoly practices in April 1954. At the time, he was playing for the Chicago Cubs.
Photo by Jeff McVay
Our buddy across the hall from HottyToddy.com’s command central – attorney William F. “Rusty” Brown – graciously loaned us Garagiola’s book, Just Play Ball – which was penned in 2007. Garagiola personalized the book for Brown by signing it in 2008.
Godspeed, Joe. You indeed blazed the way and were “a whiff of cut grass, rosin bags and pine tar… just when the game needed it most.”
You, sir, built it and they came in droves.
Jeff McVay is a staff writer and graphic designer for Hottytoddy.com. He can be reached at jeff.mcvay@hottytoddy.com.
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