TRHit/Tom Rizzi

so very sorry to read this. my thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

one of a kind for sure.

Wow - so sorry to learn of this. What a loss. My condolences to his family.

So sad to hear. My condolences and prayers to his family and friends .

On my very first post on this site, more than 5 years ago, Tom had some very straight forward and useful advise that helped me in a very positive way, in dealing with a situation my son was going through.

 

Whether you agreed with Tom or not, it was always enjoyable reading his posts (along with the controversy that many times followed). His words of wisdom and his obvious love of baseball will truly be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, family and friends.

 

 

So very sad to read the news of Tom's passing.

He was a great friend and great man willing to help anyone who needed it.

For so many years on  the HSBBW,  TR stood out because of the breadth of his baseball  experience and the unique manner in which his posts presented his perspectives. Just a guess that St. Peter might need to appoint some moderators!

RIP Tom Rizzi. My most sincere condolences to the entire Rizzi family who must take great comfort knowing a man who  lived life in his own, unique way and who helped and supported so many young men pursue their love of the game he truly loved so much.

In the not too distant past, TR had answered a question from a parent in the "ask the umpire forum".....and as it was a correct text book answer, I congratulated him and offered to send him a Blue Umpire jersey so he could cross over the "dark side"....

 

His answer was classic TRHIT.... mostly unprintable here....lol...

 

His disdain for those of us in blue was legendary and he never failed to let us know his opinion. You knew where he stood on a baseball issue. He was a mainstay here at HSBBW.

 

Over the weekend I came across an old letter from him/college select regarding my son during his time being recruited with an offer to assist. Coach or Umpire didn't matter when it was a player that needed his help. I will never forget that.

 

In my daily devotions, I will hold up Tom and his family for mercies from the "Chief Umpire".....Tom  might have gotten a chuckle out of that...   

 

Sad news indeed. When able, TR always had a response. This will be a different place without him. Peace to his family and friends.

GED10DaD

Sorry to hear of this - TR's posts were always "required reading" for me.  Thoughts, Prayers and Condolences to his family at this difficult time.  He will be missed.

RIP TR,

 

You were a man true to his convictions,Holding your family up in prayer.God Bless

 

 

Such very sad news.  I also have been wondering where TRHit has been.  I know he disappeared for a while, then came back saying he had some heath problems.  I always enjoyed TRHit's responses and reading the controversies they often invoked.  To me it was part of his character and I enjoyed it. 

 

It's funny you mention TRHit and the men in blue piaa_ump.  Back in October, Tom actually started a topic in the umps forum that he had just moved and his new neighbor was an umpire.  He titled the topic "ironic".  I laughed and told him that karma was a b*tch.  He agreed..  Maybe he'll be able to sit down and have a few cold ones with the men in blue in the afterlife. 

 

Miss you TRHit.  My condolences to his family and loved ones.

May his family and loved ones find peace and comfort in the memories and in the way he lived his life.  God Bless.

 

Hi Everyone,

 

The last couple days have been rough and your thoughts and memories have been a blessing.  His obituary will be available by Wednesday in the Hartford Courant print edition as well as the New York Times online edition.  You can see the obituary now at www.collegeselect.org.  We have also established the TRhit Memorial Scholarship Fund.  We will use this fund to help give some financial support to a deserving graduating high school senior baseball player every year.  We could not think of a better way to honor TRhit than to continue to help ball players now and in the future.

 

Again, words cannot express how much your words have meant to us.  The tears and laughter have been a godsend.  I will continue to post more information as we have it available.  Thank you again.

 

My condolences too.

 

My son played for Tom,  and Tom went out of his way to help my son get into the college he chose.  He cared a great deal for the boys that played for him.

 

God Bless Tom.

Very sad.  I've spoken with him on the phone every year for the last 11-12 years.  I met him through this board. He loved his family dearly as well as the game of baseball.  RIP, Tom.

I am so sorry to learn of TR's passing.  He certainly will be missed. 

 

I spent an Easter years ago anxiously waiting for TR to reply to a post on this site of his picture from his rock-and-roll days.  I hope folks don't mind if I provide the link to the thread:

 

http://community.hsbaseballweb...to-your-socks?page=1

 

I had fun rereading the posts, 3 pages of them, many from old-timers.  I did get chills when I got to the last one from Gotwood4sale.

 

This site will be alot less colorful without TR here.  My prayers are with the family.

I have known Tom for many years and even coached with him for a tournament and worked a few of his showcases. This is a tough loss for the world of amateur baseball.

 

Tom cared deeply about others, even before himself, through baseball or whatever means needed to help them. He will be missed. I pray that the family will get through this time by remembering all the many good times.

 

 

I remember Tom talking to coach after coach at Perfect Game in Jupiter to promote his players. He was relentless in working hard to find college spots for his guys. I've always respected his heart and desire toward his players and the game of baseball as a whole.

 

I guess God needed another manager to coach at the Ultimate Field of Dreams. God Bless!

I've been away from the site for a few days and this is the first thread I read when returning. Hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew Tom had had some serious health problems in recent years, but ... as others have said, Tom was an institution here. He was here at the very beginning (was it 1999?) and those of us who know him, figured he would be here forever.

 

Tom was "candid" to say the least, and his words on the screen could sometimes sound blunt to the point of hurting feelings. But I talked to him by phone a few times, and his sincerity and concern for the players always came through. Like many others here, he offered recruiting advice for my baseball playing son Joe when he was in high school, free of charge or obligation of course.

 

But Tom also shared his knowledge of the music business with my family. Did any of you know Tom was a professional songwriter at one point in his career? My younger son Tony is a musician and songwriter, and a few years ago Tom listened to a bunch of Tony's original songs and gave his opinion... a mix of positive and negative feedback that was once again candid, even blunt in a few remarks, but "spot on" accurate.

 

My sincere condolences to Tom's family. He will be missed, indeed!

 

Julie

I am curious How Old was Tom?

I think he was 71 years old.

I'm very sorry to read this and learn of Toms passing.  He was a great guy, kinda opinionated at times, like more than a few of the rest of us, but you could not help but know that his heart was always in the right place.  He was truly one of the 'good guys' in youth baseball.  He'll be missed by many, and not only here.

Tom made his mark on this world. Maybe I should say left a mark

 

No one can doubt his passion for the game or for helping the young men who aspire to play it.

 

I only have one TR story. My son was supposed to play for Tom a few years ago, but unfortunately the team didn't come together. Tom asked him to play for him again the following year, but my son declined. In true TRHit fashion, he questioned my son's sincerity in wanting to play in college. He called it like he saw it. I'm ok with that.

 

I can't  imagine anyone questioning Tom's conviction, honesty or passion. Goodness knows you always knew where he stood on an issue. And that's a lot to say about a man.

 

Deepest sympathy to Tom's family and friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So sorry to hear. Thoughts and prayers to his family.
I often enjoyed reading his candid post.

I've been away for a while as well. I am so saddend to hear of his passing. TR had lots of opinions and they were clearly stated, but the fundamental message was for players to work & play hard and let things fall where they may. His disdain for umpires was legendary, yet he seemed to accept\acknowledge the good ones.

 

I think every old timer received an ear full or a strong rebuttal at one point or another, but banter is what makes this site so useful.

 

Godspeed, may you rest in peace

Jeff

Our deepest condolences to the Rizzi family. They will be in our prayers.  Without further suffering, Tom is now in a better place. God Bless.

He was a good man, and someone I was proud to learn from. His love for the game and passion will be greatly missed. I didn't know him very well, but I was honored to know him. I hope he and BBScout are talking and coaching ball together. To me, both of them earned being with God.

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of this HSBBW legend. His wisdom and honesty were second to none. I will always remember how he called them the way he saw it...whether you liked ot  not. There are a few on this board who experienced his calls on more than one occasion. Which brings a big smile to my face.

I'm also very sorry to hear this. Tom was always ready to help a player get noticed. IMO he really did the right things for kids who were flying under the radar or having trouble getting noticed or offers.

He was as straight a shooter with players and their parents as he was here. He would tell a player exactly what level of college ball his talent played to.

 

RIP Tom!

Very sorry to read of Tom's passing.  An excellent contributor to this forum who will surely be missed.  God Bless Tom, his family and all those he's helped along the way.

Keewart -- I just spent time reading this thread you shared.

 

http://community.hsbaseballweb...to-your-socks?page=1

 

Anyone who ever dares to complain about "old-timers" here should be directed to this link. Holy cow! Thanks for posting.

 

TRHIT -- what an amazing man. And his love for his DAD (always all caps) says so much...

In lasting memory to TR, I've moved this topic to the "In Memory" forum where it will stay in perpetuity.  Please feel free to update this thread with your kind thoughts and memories.  RIP TRhit - they just don't throw enough anymore!

jp24 - what a great thread, thanks for the link.

Keewart, thank you for helping to find the photo I was thinking of...

 

Yes, this is truly TRHit, musician and songwriter, in his younger years. Pretty cool dude!

 

Julie

 

.

I say this with all respect...TR was both a worthy adversary,,.AND a good friend...of many of us and the HSBBW...and about the most revernt compliment I can pay is that he played both positions exceptionally well.

 

Godspeed TR

 

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TR was a one of a kind for sure.  While I may not have always agreed with his viewpoints, I always respected his passion for music, baseball and most of all his wife and family.  My condolences and sympathy to all of them.

 

I have not been on these boards routinely as I have been in the past. Given the age of social media, specifically Facebook, I have routinely turned my attention to that medium. I was looking through my old Facebook messages and came across one from 9/7/2013 from Tom (TRHit) that read "Yo". Three days earlier he sent me a message that read "U STILL COACHING?"

 

I wished I had answered those messages. If i'd have only known... 

Hey Everyone,

 

This is a long time coming, but we are proud to announce that we have come up with our plan's in honoring TRhit's life.   We started the TRhit Memorial Scholarship Fund shortly after Tom's passing.  Through the help of friends and family, we were able to give away a scholarship to a deserving young baseball player from Connecticut who is not attending St. Anselm College in New Hampshire this year. 

 

We have now taken this a step further.  The College Select Baseball website has been revamped and we are running a memorial showcase tournament in TR's honor in June at the University of Rhode Island.  We have some great teams in line and are going to add a few more.  The proceeds of the tournament are going to the TRhit Memorial Scholarship Fund which will ensure the future of future scholarships to deserving high school ball players.

 

Please feel free to visit www.collegeselectbaseball.com and if you know of a team intersted in participating in the tournament, send them our way!

 

Again thank you everyone for your kind words...they were a gift during a still hard time for our family. 

This is awesome