NEW YORK (AP / WCBS 880) -- Phil Rizzuto, the Hall of Fame shortstop during the Yankees' dynasty years and beloved by a generation of fans for exclaiming ``Holy cow!'' as a broadcaster, died Tuesday. He was 90. Though his birthdate is often reported at 1917, the New York Post reports Rizzuto later admitted that it was actually September 16, 1916 and that he had fibbed during negotiations for his first contract.
His death was confirmed by the Yankees. Rizzuto had been in declining health for several years and was living at a nursing home in West Orange, N.J.
CHECK OUT pictures that WCBS 880's Tom Kaminski took over Yankees Stadium 
Rizzuto, known as ``The Scooter,'' was the oldest living Hall of Famer. He played for the Yankees throughout the 1940s and '50s, won seven World Series titles and played in five All-star games.
Rizzuto was a flashy, diminutive player who could always be counted on for a perfect bunt, a nice slide or a diving catch in a lineup better known for its cornerstone sluggers. He played for 13 seasons alongside the likes of Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.
He stood just 5-foot-6 but was equipped with a productive bat, sure hands and quick feet that earned him his nickname. A leadoff man, Rizzuto was a superb bunter, used to good advantage by the Yankee teams that won 11 pennants and nine World Series between 1941 and 1956.
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COMMISSIONER’S STATEMENT
Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig issued the following statement today regarding the passing of Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto:
“I am terribly saddened by the death of Phil Rizzuto. Phil was a unique figure who exemplified the joy of our game to millions of fans. He was an integral part of the New York Yankees throughout the 1940s and 1950s before bringing his distinctive personality and his infectious enthusiasm to the broadcast booth. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I express my deepest sympathy to his wife, Cora, his family and his legions of fans everywhere.”
GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER
PRINCIPAL OWNER, NEW YORK YANKEES
“I guess heaven must have needed a shortstop. Phil Rizzuto's contributions to the Yankees and the sport of baseball were immense for a period of over 50 years. He was one of the greatest Yankees of all time and a dear, close friend of mine whose loss is enormous to me and to the entire Yankee family. He epitomized the Yankee spirit -- gritty and hard charging -- and he wore the pinstripes proudly. While Scooter may have been smaller in size than some, he was among the tallest in his stature as a Yankee. He was a favorite of fans both as a player and later as a broadcaster. His voice and “Holy Cow” will be part of baseball for as long as we play the game. No one deserved his place in the Hall of Fame more than Number 10. Our condolences to his wife, Cora, and the rest of his family.”
YOGI BERRA
FORMER RIZZUTO TEAMMATE AND YANKEES LEGEND
“This is a sad day for Carmen and me. Phil was a gem, one of the greatest people I ever knew - a dear friend and great teammate. He was a heck of a player, too. When I first came up to the Yankees, he was like a big, actually small, brother to me. He has meant an awful lot to baseball and the Yankees and has left us with a lot of wonderful memories.”
JOE TORRE
MANAGER, NEW YORK YANKEES
“Phil was a Hall-of-Famer both on and off the field, and when you were in his company, he made you feel like a family friend.
“Every time Scooter walked into my office, the first thing he’d say is, ‘Where’s Jeter? Where’s Jeter?’ A few minutes later I’d see the two of them giving big hugs to each other in the clubhouse. That’s the type of person Phil was, you just couldn’t figure out how such a big heart could fit inside such a small body.”
BOBBY RICHARDSON
FORMER RIZZUTO TEAMMATE (1955-56)
“When I joined the Yankees at age 19, Phil became my first roommate. The train left spring training that season to head north and he shared the seat next to me. Later in Phil’s career, [Manager] Casey Stengel would sometimes pinch-hit for him late in the game, and then I would enter the game at shortstop. Can you imagine, me playing defense for Phil Rizzuto!
“I learned so much about baseball and life from Phil. He was fun-loving off the field, and on the field he was the one person that kept the team together. He was deservedly recognized by the Hall of Fame, and it was an honor to be his teammate and friend.”
DEREK JETER
SHORTSTOP AND CAPTAIN, NEW YORK YANKEES
“Mr. Rizzuto serves as the ultimate reminder that physical stature has little bearing on the size of a person’s heart. Nothing was ever given to Phil, and he used every ounce of his ability to become one of the greatest Yankees to ever wear this uniform.”
DON LARSEN
FORMER RIZZUTO TEAMMATE (1955-56)
“Phil was one of the most jovial people you’d ever come across. We were teammates for a short time, but he made a lasting impression with everyone whose life intersected his. He and his wife, Cora, were a special couple, and my heart goes out to her and the rest of the Rizzuto family.”
Rizzuto tried out with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants when he was 16, but because of his size was dismissed by Dodgers manager Casey Stengel, who told him to ``Go get a shoeshine box.'' He went on to become one of Stengel's most dependable players.
A Rizzuto bunt, a steal and a DiMaggio hit made up the scoring trademark of the Yankees' golden era, and he played errorless ball in 21 consecutive World Series games. DiMaggio said the shortstop ``held the team together.''
Rizzuto came to the Yankees in 1941 and batted .307 as a rookie, and his career was interrupted by a stint in the Navy during World War II. He returned in 1946 and four years later became the American League MVP. He batted .324 that season with a slugging percentage of .439 and 200 hits, second most in the league. He also went 58 games without an error, making 288 straight plays.
He led all AL shortstops in double plays three times and had a career batting average of .273 with at least a .930 fielding percentage. He played in five All-Star games.
After the Yankees released him in 1956, Rizzuto began a second career as a broadcaster, one for which he became at least equally well known.
In his decades on the radio and TV, Rizzuto's favorite phrase was ``Holy cow!'' It became so common, the team presented him with a cow wearing a halo when they held a day in his honor in 1985. The cow knocked Rizzuto over and, of course, he shouted, ``Holy cow!''
``That thing really hurt,'' he said. ``That big thing stepped right on my shoe and pushed me backwards, like a karate move.''
Yankee fans also loved his unusual commentary. In an age of broadcasters who spout statistics and repeat the obvious, Rizzuto delighted in talking about things like his fear of lightning, the style of an umpire's shoes or even the prospect of outfielder Dave Winfield as a candidate for president.
He liked to acknowledge birthdays and anniversaries, read notes from fans, praised the baked delicacies at his favorite restaurant and send messages to old cronies. And if he missed a play, he would scribble ``ww'' in his scorecard box score. That, he said, meant ``wasn't watching.''
Despite his qualifications, Rizzuto was passed over for the Hall of Fame 15 times by the writers and 11 times by the old-timers committee. Finally, a persuasive speech by Ted Williams pushed Rizzuto into Cooperstown in 1994.
Williams, a member of the committee, argued that Rizzuto was the man who made the difference between the Yankees and his Red Sox. He was fond of saying, ``If we'd had Rizzuto in Boston, we'd have won all those pennants instead of New York.''
As in his playing days, Rizzuto was overshadowed by the headliners, teammates like DiMaggio, Mantle, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra. All of them reached the Hall of Fame before he did.
``I never thought I deserved to be in the Hall of Fame,'' Rizzuto would say. ``The Hall of Fame is for the big guys, pitchers with 100 mph fastballs and hitters who sock homers and drive in a lot of runs. That's the way it always has been and the way it should be.''
Old-timers still talk about his suicide squeeze in the ninth inning during the 1951 pennant race to score DiMaggio, beating Cleveland 2-1 and putting the Yankees in first place for the rest of the season.
Rizzuto remembers Aug. 25, 1956, as a day he thought was the ``end of the world,'' the day Stengel released him to make room for clutch-hitting Enos Slaughter in the pennant drive.
``It was Old-Timers Day, and I was out taking pictures, as I did every year,'' Rizzuto remembered. ``The bat boy came over and told me that Casey Stengel and George Weiss wanted to see me in Stengel's office. It was the last day to add a player to the roster and have him eligible for the World Series. We were trading for Enos Slaughter because Stengel said we needed another outfielder, so we had to send someone down to make room on the roster.
``They asked me to read through the list of players and to check each player's eligibility, to see who we could let go,'' he said. ``I sat there thinking that I was a veteran and they wanted my opinion. As we read through the list I pointed out a few players who I thought could be sent down, a pitcher we had hardly used and a catcher who had been in only nine games. But each time they said, 'No, we might need him.' We started to go through the list a second time, and then half way through it dawned on me.''
``The Scooter'' was done.
Rizzuto is survived by his wife, the former Cora Anne Esselborn, whom he married in 1943; daughters Cindy Rizzuto, Patricia Rizzuto and Penny Rizzuto Yetto; son Phil Rizzuto Jr.; and two granddaughters.
WCBS Yankees radio broadcaster Suzyn Waldman spoke to WCBS Sports Director Jared Max about the life of Phil Rizzuto. Listen to their LIVE chat by clicking the play button on the right side of this page.
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