23 Mar Joe Garagiola (1926-2016): Baseball legend, friend has passed away

If you are of a certain age, Joe Garagiola, Sr., was the voice of baseball, along with Vin Scully and Tony Kubek, on Saturday afternoon baseball on NBC in the 1980s.

Garagiola began his baseball career as a catcher for nine seasons in the big leagues and was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1946 World Series championship team.

As a broadcaster, Garagiola achieved much more fame and recognition than he ever received as a player. In addition to being a sports announcer, he was a panelist on “The Today Show” from 1966-73 and 1990-92 and was even the guest host of “The Tonight Show” on a few occasions.

Garagiola’s legendary voice is silent after an extraordinary life. The Scottsdale, Ariz., resident passed away at age 90 on Wednesday, the Diamondbacks announced.

At Home Fitness wishes to express our condolences to Garagiola’s family, the D-Backs organization and his countless friends.

Garagiola was a customer of At Home Fitness and always a friendly person to have visit our stores. He displayed a zest for life and amazing sense of humor.

In addition to some of the aforementioned broadcasting duties, Garagiola also hosted game TV shows such as “What’s My Line?” and “To Tell the Truth.” He was a commentator for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show from 1994-2002.

In 2009, the broadcast wing and TV booth at Chase Field was named in Garagiola’s honor.
“Joe was so special to everyone at the D-backs and had an aura about him that you could feel the moment you met him,” D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement.

“Those of us who were lucky enough to know him personally were profoundly aware that the lovable personality that fans saw on TV was only surpassed by who he was in person and the way he treated everyone around him.”

Garagiola was presented the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 for his contributions to pro baseball. He was a lifelong friend of the late Yogi Berra, who both came from St. Louis.

“Not only was I not the best catcher in the major leagues, I wasn’t even the best catcher on my street,’’ Garagiola deadpanned on occasion.

Garagiola is survived by his wife Audrie, three children and eight grandchildren. A funeral service will be held in Garagiola’s hometown of St. Louis, and a local memorial will be held in Arizona at a later date, the D-backs announced.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. Consult a doctor before making any significant changes in your exercise routine or diet. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com