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|branch = [[File:US Department of the Army Seal.png|15px]] [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
|rank =
|battles = [[World War II]]<br />[[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific theater]]
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|serviceyears = 1944–1946
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'''Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr.''' (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball [[catcher]], later an announcer and television host.
Garagiola played nine seasons in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], [[Chicago Cubs]], and [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]. He was later well
==Early life==
When Garagiola and Berra were teenagers in the early 1940s, almost all pro baseball scouts rated Garagiola as the better prospect. Still, it was Berra who went on to a [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall 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!"<ref name="Post"/>
==
[[File:Joe Garagiola 1953.jpg|thumb|Garagiola with the Pirates]]
Garagiola was signed at age 16 by the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] organization. At age 17, he remains the youngest player in [[Columbus 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 at [[Jefferson Barracks, Missouri]], Garagiola was sent to [[Fort Riley, Kansas]], where he quickly established himself as the catcher for the Fort Riley Centaurs, with teammates [[Rex Barney]] and [[Pete 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 in {{Baseball year|1946}}.
As a rookie in 1946, in his only [[1946 World Series|World 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 and [[Jackie 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy |page=204 |first=Jules |last=Tygiel |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1983 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-533928-4}}</ref> An argument ensued and umpire [[Beans Reardon]] held back Garagiola while Robinson responded with a mock clap.<ref>{{cite book |title=Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season |url=https://archive.org/details/openingdaystoryo00eigj_0 |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/openingdaystoryo00eigj_0/page/228 228] |first=Jonathan |last=Eig |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2007 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7432-9461-4}}</ref>
Garagiola never quite lived up to the promise of his youth, appearing in only 676 games over nine seasons for four [[National League (baseball)|National 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-teammate [[Stan Musial]] stepped into the batter's box, turned to Joe, and said, '
▲As a rookie in 1946, in his only [[1946 World Series|World 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 and [[Jackie 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy |page=204 |first=Jules |last=Tygiel |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1983 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-533928-4}}</ref> An argument ensued and umpire [[Beans Reardon]] held back Garagiola while Robinson responded with a mock clap.<ref>{{cite book |title=Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season |url=https://archive.org/details/openingdaystoryo00eigj_0 |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/openingdaystoryo00eigj_0/page/228 228] |first=Jonathan |last=Eig |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2007 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7432-9461-4}}</ref> The incident was later part of a children's book titled ''In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson''.
▲Garagiola never quite lived up to the promise of his youth, appearing in only 676 games over nine seasons for four [[National League (baseball)|National 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-teammate [[Stan 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."<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://www.mlb.com/news/joe-garagiola-dies-c168709672| title=Baseball, broadcasting legend Garagiola dies| first=Marty| last=Noble| date=March 23, 2016| journal=Major League Baseball| access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref>
== After baseball ==
=== Books ===
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 wrote ''It's Anybody's Ballgame'' (1988) and ''Just Play Ball'' (2007).<ref>{{cite book| title=It's Anybody's Ballgame| last=Garagiola| first=Joe| publisher=McGraw-Hill| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PfOjAAAACAAJ| date=April 1988| isbn=978-5-5521-3352-9| url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=Just Play Ball| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=754yUEHsz8YC| last=Garagiola| first=Joe| date=February 16, 2009| edition=reprint| publisher=Northland| isbn=978-0-8735-8952-9}}</ref>
=== Baseball broadcasting ===
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[File:NBC SportsJoeandVin.jpg|right|thumb|Joe Garagiola and [[Vin Scully]] (right) host [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]]'s coverage of the [[1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]].]] -->
Garagiola turned to broadcasting following his retirement as a player, first calling Cardinals radio broadcasts on [[KMOX (AM)|KMOX]] from {{Baseball year|1955}} to {{Baseball year|1962}}.
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 in {{Baseball year|1961}} (teaming with [[Bob Wolff]]). Garagiola called several World Series on NBC Radio in the 1960s, teaming with announcers including [[By Saam]] and [[George Kell]]. After [[Mel Allen]] was fired, Garagiola was added to the [[New York Yankees]] broadcast team, where he worked with lead announcer [[Phil Rizzuto]] from [[1965 New York Yankees season|1965]]<ref>"Joe Garagiola Replaces Mel Allen," ''Ithaca, New York Journal'', December 18, 1964, p 17.</ref> to [[1967 New York Yankees season|1967]]; in May 1967, he called [[Mickey Mantle]]'s 500th home run. Garagiola subsequently returned to broadcasting NBC baseball, and in May 1973, became the host of the pre-game show ''The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola;''<ref>"TV Schedules Monday," ''Ithaca, New York Journal'', May 19, 1973, p. TV 8.</ref> he then became a play-by-play announcer beginning in 1974.
Garagiola alternated play-by-play duties with [[Curt Gowdy]] on NBC until 1976, when he assumed the role full-time. He teamed with [[color commentator]] [[Tony Kubek]] from 1976 to 1982; in 1983, he shifted to color commentary as [[Vin Scully]] joined the network as lead play-by-play announcer. (Kubek joined [[Bob Costas]] to form NBC's #2 baseball announcing duo in this era.) Besides working on the ''Saturday Game of the Week'' for NBC, the team of Scully and Garagiola called three All-Star Games ([[1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1983]], [[1985 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1985]], and [[1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1987]]), three [[National League Championship Series]] ([[1983 National League Championship Series|1983]], [[1985 National League Championship Series|1985]], and [[1987 National League Championship Series|1987]]), and three World Series ([[1984 World Series|1984]], [[1986 World Series|1986]], and [[1988 World Series|1988]]).
After calling one final World Series with Scully in 1988, Garagiola resigned from the network {{nowrap|in November<ref name="lmtresnb">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_nlfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3508%2C2316240 |work=[[Lewiston Morning Tribune]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=Sportscaster Garagiola quits NBC |date=November 9, 1988 |page=1B}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Larry |date=November 9, 1988 |title=Garagiola Leaves Job With NBC: Baseball Commentator Upset Network Didn't Begin Negotiations |url=
After leaving NBC Sports, Garagiola spent one season ([[1990 California Angels season|1990]]) as a [[Cable television in the United States|cable]]-television [[List of Los Angeles Angels broadcasters|commentator]] for the [[Los Angeles Angels|California Angels]]. From [[1998 Arizona Diamondbacks season|1998]] to [[2010 Arizona Diamondbacks season|2012]], he performed part-time color commentary duties for the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]], where his son [[Joe Garagiola Jr.|Joe Jr.]] was general manager. Garagiola officially announced his retirement from broadcasting {{nowrap|on February 22, 2013.}}
=== Other broadcasting ventures ===
Besides calling baseball games for NBC, Garagiola served as a co-host on ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' from 1967 to 1973 and again from 1990 to 1992. He occasionally guest-hosted ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'', including the only live appearances by members of [[The 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 shows ''[[He Said, She Said (game show)|He Said, She Said]]''; ''[[Joe Garagiola's Memory Game]]''; ''[[Sale of the Century (U.S. game show)|Sale of the Century]]''; and ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'', as well as the short-lived ''[[Strike It Rich (1986 game show)|Strike It Rich]]''. Garagiola was a guest celebrity panelist on ''[[Match Game]]'' in the late 1970s. He hosted the St. Louis area professional wrestling show ''[[Wrestling at the Chase]]'' for three years from 1959 to 1962 (his brother, Mickey, was the wrestling show's [[ring 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 the [[Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show]] for [[USA Network]] from 1994 to 2002, remarking:<ref name="Post"/>
{{blockquote|text=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 the ''Today'' 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".}}
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One of Garagiola's first appearances on TV was in 1960, when he appeared onstage at a campaign event for [[John F. Kennedy]]. Surrounded by politicians including former President [[Harry 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."<ref name="Post"/>
=== Testimony at Curt Flood trial ===
In 1970, Garagiola appeared at a preliminary trial following former Cardinals outfielder [[Curt Flood]]'s lawsuit against Major League Baseball, challenging the game's [[reserve clause]]. Testifying before Judge [[Irving Ben Cooper]] in New York, Garagiola defended the clause, a stance he later deemed a "terrible mistake."<ref>{{cite book |last=Snyder |first=Brad |title=A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports |location=New York |publisher=Penguin Publishing |date=September 25, 2007 |isbn=978-1-4406-1901-4 |pages=180–181, 342 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tpt845rGohkC&q=garagiola}}</ref>
=== Politics ===
[[File:Joe Garagiola-Gerald Ford.jpg|right|thumb|Garagiola and [[President of the United States|President]] [[Gerald Ford|Ford]] watching the returns for the 1976 presidential election, for which they had done a series of television ads together]]
In the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]], Garagiola enthusiastically supported the candidacy of President [[Gerald Ford]]. During the fall campaign, the [[Republican 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.
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The two men became close friends, and on election night in November 1976 Ford invited Garagiola to be one of his guests at the [[White House]] to watch the results on television. Ford lost to Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]], the former governor of Georgia.
=== Advocacy against chewing tobacco ===
Garagiola was an advocate against the use of [[chewing tobacco]]. He had picked up the habit during his playing days with the Cardinals, but quit [[cold turkey]] in the late-1950s. He annually visited major league teams during [[spring training]] with players from his generation who have suffered from [[oral cancer]] related to the addiction, and he always made comments about it on broadcasts whenever the camera would be on a player chewing tobacco.<ref name="gvecseynyt">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/sports/baseball/30vecsey.html?hp| last=Vecsey| first=George| title=Garagiola, Who Quit, Warns About Chewing Tobacco| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=May 30, 2010| access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref>
=== Society for American Baseball Research ===
Garagiola was the keynote luncheon speaker at the 2007 convention of the [[Society for American Baseball Research]] held in St. Louis.
== Honors ==
Garagiola was inducted into the [[Missouri Sports Hall of Fame]] in 1970. He was presented with a [[Peabody Award]] in 1973 for his NBC work. In {{bhofy|1991}}, he was honored by the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] with the [[Ford C. Frick Award]] for outstanding broadcasting accomplishments.<ref name="Post"/> He was inducted into the [[National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association]] Hall of Fame in 2004. He has also been given his own star on the [[St. Louis Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductee/joe-garagiola/ |title=Joe Garagiola |publisher=[[St. Louis Walk of Fame]]}}</ref> The [[St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame]] inducted him in 2008 for his ''Wrestling 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. (The [[American Sportscasters Association]] also honored him for his work with the St. Peter's Mission School with its Humanitarian Award in 1995.)
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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.<ref name="Star">{{cite news |author=Leighton, David |date=February 5, 2023 |url=https://tucson.com/news/local/history/article_1fdbb89c-96c0-11ed-b51f-a79ef18a86d9.html |title=Street Smarts: Baseball's Joe Garagiola 'loved Tucson, Tucson loved him' |newspaper=[[The Arizona Daily Star]]}}</ref>
== Personal life ==
Garagiola married Audrie Ross, the organist at the Cardinals' ballpark in St. Louis, in 1949;<ref name="Post"/> their two sons later had an association with baseball. [[Joe Garagiola Jr.|Joe Jr.]], was the general manager for the [[Arizona 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 for [[WDIV-TV]], the NBC affiliate in Detroit.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.clickondetroit.com/newsteam/269707/detail.html| title=News Team| website=WDIV-TV| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108230935/http://www.clickondetroit.com/newsteam/269707/detail.html|archive-date=January 8, 2007}}</ref> His daughter, Gina, has also worked in TV news, as a field reporter for Phoenix television station [[KTVK]], 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.<ref>https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2023/12/01/arizona-diamondbacks-chris-garagiola-radio-play-by-play-announcer/71768093007/ {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>
== Death ==
Garagiola died on March 23, 2016, at age 90, in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]].<ref>{{cite web |url=
Garagiola's funeral mass was held on April 13 in St. Louis at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, the same church where he was baptized.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://fox2now.com/2016/04/13/joe-garagiola-eulogized-in-the-same-church-where-he-was-baptized |title=Joe Garagiola eulogized in the same church where he was baptized |work=[[KPLR-TV|KPLR News]] |date=April 13, 2016 |last=Schankman |first=Paul |access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> He was interred at Resurrection Cemetery in St. Louis.<ref>{{cite web| title=Joe Garagiola Trades and Transactions| url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=garagjo01| website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref>
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| title = Host of ''[[He Said, She Said (game show)|He Said, She Said]]''
| before = New show
| after = [[Bert Convy]] on ''[[Tattletales]]''<br />(1974–1978, 1982–1984)
| years = 1969–1970
}}
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{{succession box
| before = [[Curt Gowdy]]
| title = [[World Series]] network television play-by-play announcer<br />(with [[Curt Gowdy]] in [[1975 World Series|1975]] and [[Dick Enberg]] in [[1982 World Series|1982]]; concurrent with [[Keith Jackson]] and [[Al Michaels]] in even numbered years)
| years = [[1975 World Series|1975]]–[[1982 World Series|1982]]
| after = [[Al Michaels]] (in odd numbered years only) and [[Vin Scully]] (in even numbered years only)
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{{succession box
| before = [[Curt Gowdy]]
| title = Lead play-by-play announcer,<br />''[[Major League Baseball on NBC]]''
| years = [[1974 Major League Baseball season|1974]]–[[1982 Major League Baseball season|1982]]<br />(alternated with [[Curt Gowdy]] from [[1974 Major League Baseball season|1974]] to [[1975 Major League Baseball season|1975]] and [[Dick Enberg]] in [[1982 Major League Baseball season|1982]])
| after = [[Vin Scully]]
}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Fred Haney]]<br />[[Tony Kubek]]
| title = Lead color commentator,<br />''[[Major League Baseball on NBC]]''
| years = [[1961 Major League Baseball season|1961]]–[[1965 Major League Baseball season|1965]]<br />[[1983 Major League Baseball season|1983]]–[[1988 Major League Baseball season|1988]]
| after = [[Pee Wee Reese]]<br />[[Tom Seaver]]
| |||