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| Joe Garagiola | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Garagiola in 1947 | |||||||||||||||
| Catcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born:(1926-02-12)February 12, 1926 St. Louis,Missouri, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
| Died: March 23, 2016(2016-03-23) (aged 90) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| May 26, 1946, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| September 26, 1954, for the New York Giants | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .257 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 42 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 255 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseballcatcher, and later a radio and television personality with a varied career.
He played nine seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Pittsburgh Pirates,Chicago Cubs, andNew York Giants. He was later well known outside baseball as one of the regular panelists onThe Today Show, but he was best known for his many years as one of the lead baseball announcers onNBC, frequently amplifying, for comedic effect, remarks attributed to his old friendYogi Berra (whether Berra had made them or not); he also made numerous appearances as a host and panelist on a range of talk and game shows.[1]
Born inSt. Louis, Missouri, Garagiola grew up on Elizabeth Avenue in an Italian-American neighborhood in the south of the city calledthe Hill, just across the street from Yogi Berra, his childhood friend and competitor, who was a year older.[1] As teenagers, almost all baseball scouts rated Garagiola the better prospect. Still, it was Berra who went on to aHall of Fame career, while Garagiola was a journeyman. About living across the street from Berra during their youth, Garagiola often quipped, "Not only was I not the best catcher in the Major Leagues, I wasn't even the best catcher on my street!"[1]
Garagiola was signed at age 16 by theSt. Louis Cardinals organization. At age 17, he remains the youngest player inColumbus Red Birds history. Garagiola advanced to Columbus of the Class AA American Association in 1943 and was with them when he was drafted into military service on April 24, 1944. After undergoing basic training atJefferson Barracks, Missouri, Garagiola was sent toFort Riley, Kansas, where he quickly established himself as the catcher for the Fort Riley Centaurs, with teammatesRex Barney andPete Reiser.
Garagiola was sent to the Philippines in 1945, where he played ball for Kirby Higbe's Manila Dodgers. He was discharged from service in early 1946 and was just 20 years old when he joined the Cardinals. Garagiola made his major league debut in1946.
As a rookie in 1946, in his onlyWorld Series appearance, Garagiola batted 6-for-19 in five games, including in Game 4, when he went 4-for-5 with three RBIs. On September 11, 1947, Joe Garagiola andJackie Robinson were involved in an incident at home plate. Garagiola allegedly spiked Robinson's foot in the second inning, and when Robinson came to the plate the next inning and made a comment to him, Garagiola reportedly responded with a racial slur.[2] An argument ensued and umpireBeans Reardon held back Garagiola while Robinson responded with a mock clap.[3]
Garagiola never quite lived up to the promise of his youth, appearing in only 676 games over nine seasons for fourNational League teams. He was a mediocre hitter (though certainly good for a catcher) in the majors, which featured in his self-deprecating humor. He once told this story himself: "He knew that it was time to retire when he was catching, and his ex-teammateStan Musial stepped into the batter's box, turned to Joe, and said, 'When are you gonna quit?'"
Looking back at his career in 1970, Garagiola observed, "It's not a record, but being traded four times when there are only eight teams in the league tells you something. I thought I was modeling uniforms for the National League."[4]
After his retirement from baseball, Garagiola lent his name to a 1960 book,Baseball Is a Funny Game, which sold well upon release and helped establish Garagiola as a "personality." The book—largely ghostwritten—was a collection of humorous anecdotes surrounding his upbringing and his playing career, and it showcased the folksy, humorous style that became his trademark as a broadcaster.
Garagiola also wroteIt's Anybody's Ballgame (1988) andJust Play Ball (2007).[5][6]
Garagiola turned to broadcasting following his retirement as a player, first calling Cardinals radio broadcasts onKMOX from1955 to1962.
As an announcer, Garagiola was best known for his almost 30-year association with NBC television. He began doing national baseball broadcasts for the network in1961 (teaming withBob Wolff). Garagiola called several World Series on NBC Radio in the 1960s, teaming with announcers includingBy Saam andGeorge Kell. AfterMel Allen was fired, Garagiola was added to theNew York Yankees broadcast team, where he worked with lead announcerPhil Rizzuto from1965[7] to1967; in May 1967, he calledMickey Mantle's 500th home run. Garagiola subsequently returned to broadcasting NBC baseball, and in May 1973, became the host of the pre-game showThe Baseball World of Joe Garagiola;[8] he then became a play-by-play announcer beginning in 1974.
Garagiola alternated play-by-play duties withCurt Gowdy on NBC until 1976, when he assumed the role full-time. He teamed withcolor commentatorTony Kubek from 1976 to 1982; in 1983, he shifted to color commentary asVin Scully joined the network as lead play-by-play announcer. (Kubek was demoted to NBC's #2 baseball broadcast withBob Costas.) Aside from working theSaturday Game of the Week for NBC, Scully and Garagiola called three All-Star Games (1983,1985, and1987), threeNational League Championship Series (1983,1985, and1987), and three World Series (1984,1986, and1988).
After calling the World Series with Scully in 1988, Garagiola resigned from the networkin November[9][10] following a contract dispute.[11] His slot on NBC's baseball broadcasts was subsequently filled byTom Seaver.
Post-NBC, Garagiola spent a year (1990) as acable-televisioncommentator for theCalifornia Angels. From1998 to2012, he performed part-time color commentary duties for theArizona Diamondbacks, where his sonJoe Jr. was general manager. Garagiola officially announced his retirement from broadcastingon February 22, 2013.
Besides calling baseball games for NBC, Garagiola served as a co-host onToday from 1967 to 1973 and again from 1990 to 1992. He occasionally guest-hostedThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, including the only live appearances by members ofThe Beatles on the program while still a group, when John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared in May 1968.
In the late 1960s and 1970s, Garagiola hosted the game showsHe Said, She Said;Joe Garagiola's Memory Game;Sale of the Century; andTo Tell the Truth, as well as the short-livedStrike It Rich. Garagiola was a guest celebrity panelist onMatch Game in the late 1970s. He hosted the St. Louis area professional wrestling showWrestling at the Chase for three years from 1959 to 1962 (his brother, Mickey, was thering announcer) and was a regular host of the Orange Bowl Parade in Miami on New Year's Eve. Garagiola achieved a new field of fame as co-host of theWestminster Kennel Club Dog Show forUSA Network from 1994 to 2002, remarking:[1]
I say to some people, "I played in the World Series, and I broadcast the World Series. I broadcast the All Star Game. I've done theToday show,The Tonight Show,The Tomorrow Show, the Yesterday Show, the Day After Tomorrow Show". And people come up to me and say, "I love you in Westminster".
From 1969 to 1970, Garagiola was the Saturday afternoon host of the programMonitor. During the 1960s, he contributed commentaries toMonitor for several years and had a daily five-minute morning drive-time sports commentary program on the network.
From 1977 to 1983, his name was attached to thePGA Tour'sTucson Open tournament, broadcast by NBC.[12]
One of Garagiola's first appearances on TV was in 1960, when he appeared onstage at a campaign event forJohn F. Kennedy. Surrounded by politicians including former PresidentHarry S. Truman, Garagiola put his arm around the former president and, knowing that his father who had often questioned his son's career choices would be watching the event on television, looked into the camera and said, "Hey Pop, I just want you to see who I'm hanging around with."[1]
In 1970, Garagiola appeared at a preliminary trial following former Cardinals outfielderCurt Flood's lawsuit against Major League Baseball, challenging the game'sreserve clause. Testifying before JudgeIrving Ben Cooper in New York, Garagiola defended the clause, a stance he later deemed a "terrible mistake."[13]
In the1976 presidential election, Garagiola enthusiastically supported the candidacy of PresidentGerald Ford. During the fall campaign, theRepublican National Committee hired Garagiola to do a series of television ads with Ford, with Garagiola talking to Ford in a relaxed, informal setting. Derided by Ford's critics as "The Joe and Jerry Show", the ads in their opinion were considered to have negatively affected the Ford campaign.
The two men became close friends, and on election night in November 1976 Ford invited Garagiola to be one of his guests at theWhite House to watch the results on television. Ford lost to DemocratJimmy Carter, the former governor of Georgia.
Garagiola was an advocate against the use ofchewing tobacco. He had picked up the habit during his playing days with the Cardinals, but quitcold turkey in the late-1950s. He annually visited major league teams duringspring training with players from his generation who have suffered fromoral cancer related to the addiction, and he always made comments about it on broadcasts whenever the camera would be on a player chewing tobacco.[14]
Garagiola was the keynote luncheon speaker at the 2007 convention of theSociety for American Baseball Research held in St. Louis.
Garagiola was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1970. He was presented with aPeabody Award in 1973 for his NBC work. In1991, he was honored by theBaseball Hall of Fame with theFord C. Frick Award for outstanding broadcasting accomplishments.[1] He was inducted into theNational Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2004. He has also been given his own star on theSt. Louis Walk of Fame.[15] TheSt. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted him in 2008 for hisWrestling at the Chase broadcasts. In 2012, he was honored by the Catholic Community Foundation of the Diocese of Phoenix, receiving its inaugural Legacy Award at its 24th Annual Crosier Gala for his tireless help and generosity with the St. Peter's Mission School on the Gila River Reservation. (TheAmerican Sportscasters Association also honored him for his work with the St. Peter's Mission School with its Humanitarian Award in 1995.)
On December 4, 2013, Garagiola was named as the2014 recipient of theBuck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, presented once every three years by the Baseball Hall of Fame for positive contributions to Major League Baseball. The Hall's official announcement specifically cited his advocacy againstsmokeless tobacco, as well as his role as a founder of theBaseball Assistance Team, a charity that provides grants to needy members of the professional baseball community.[16]
In the 2013 film42, Garagiola was portrayed by actorGino Anthony Pesi.
In the 1990s, Garagiola began working with the St. Peter's Indian Mission Catholic School, a poorly-funded educational facility on the Gila River Indian Reservation, south of Phoenix. During his many years of charity work with the school he helped facilitate the repair or construction of an all-purpose facility, a basketball court, a soccer and track field, a library and computer learning center and extensive repairs on the old missionchurch.
For his work, he was honored by tribal leaders with the nickname "Awesome Fox" and today his name can be seen on The Joe Garagiola Learning Center and Awesome Fox Field at the mission school.[17]
Garagiola married Audrie Ross, the organist at the Cardinals' ballpark in St. Louis, in 1949;[1] their two sons later had an association with baseball.Joe Jr., was the general manager for theArizona Diamondbacks, and later senior vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball. His other son Steve is a retired broadcast journalist as well, serving as a reporter and anchor forWDIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit.[18] His daughter, Gina, has also worked in TV news, as a field reporter for Phoenix television stationKTVK, and is now a freelance writer. Garagiola Sr. had eight grandchildren. One of those grandchildren, Chris, was named the radio play-by-play announcer for the Diamondbacks in December 2023.[19]
Garagiola died on March 23, 2016, at age 90, inScottsdale, Arizona.[20][1] The Diamondbacks wore a patch in his memory on their right sleeve for the 2016 season, a black circle with "JOE" written in white in the center, with a catchers' mask replacing the O.[21]
Garagiola's funeral mass was held on April 13 in St. Louis at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, the same church where he was baptized.[22] He was interred at Resurrection Cemetery in St. Louis.[23]
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New show | Host ofHe Said, She Said 1969–1970 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofTo Tell the Truth 1977–1978 | Succeeded by Robin Ward in 1980 |
| Preceded by | World Series network television play-by-play announcer (withCurt Gowdy in1975 andDick Enberg in1982; concurrent withKeith Jackson andAl Michaels in even numbered years) 1975–1982 | Succeeded by Al Michaels (in odd numbered years only) andVin Scully (in even numbered years only) |
| Preceded by | Lead play-by-play announcer, Major League Baseball on NBC 1974–1982 (alternated withCurt Gowdy from1974 to1975 andDick Enberg in1982) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lead color commentator, Major League Baseball on NBC 1961–1965 1983–1988 | Succeeded by |
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