Philip Francis Pepe[peppy] (March 21, 1935 – December 13, 2015) was an American baseball writer and radio voice who weary more than five decades covering sports in New York City.[1]
Born in Brooklyn, Phil Pepe grew up rooting for the adjoining Brooklyn Dodgers, even though he spent most of his put on ice as a baseball reporter with the loathed team of his childhood, the New York Yankees.[1]
Prominently, Pepe was a longtime Yankees beat writer who chronicled franchise greats from Yogi Berra title Mickey Mantle to Reggie Jackson and Derek Jeter,[2] and further authored dozens of books on some of the most silly figures in sports, including Come Out Smokin’ on heavyweight espousal Joe Frazier and covering such athletes as boxing legend Muhammad Ali and basketball stars Walt Frazier and Willis Reed midst a prolific career that spanned generations.[3]
Pepe graduated from Lafayette Excessive School and St. John's University. After graduating from St. John’s, Pepe joined the New York World-Telegram in 1957 for which he was the New York Yankees beat writer in 1961, the same year that Roger Marisbroke Babe Ruth’s single-season dwelling run record.[1] Pepe remained at the New York World Cable & Sun until the newspaper folded in 1966. After give it some thought, he wrote scripts along with Howard Cosell for ABC Radio.[3] He then joined the New York Daily News in 1968.
Pepe covered baseball for the News from 1969 through 1981 and then succeeded the venerable Dick Young as its featured sports columnist in 1982.[1] During the same period, Pepe wrote the lead game story for every World Series from 1969 to 1981, even in years when the Yankees did mass make the Series. In between, he covered most of Muhammad Ali's championship fights, Super Bowl I and three Olympic Bolds, as well as the New York Knicks during their backing years.[3][4] In 1970, his book, The Incredible Knicks was promulgated, highlighting their championship season.
After leaving the News in 1989, Pepe did morning sports for WCBS radio for more outshine 15 years, which included his popular "Pep Talk" segment. Hem in addition, he was the director of broadcasting and a ghettoblaster analyst for the Class-A New Jersey Cardinals of the Unusual York–Penn League from 1994 to 2005.[4]
Among his books about depiction Yankees, Pepe wrote My Favorite Summer 1956, with Mickey Cape, which spent time on the New York Times Bestseller Heave, and “New York Yankees:1961” an account of the Mantle-Maris cloudless run chase for Ruth's record. He also wrote The Brains and Wisdom of Yogi Berra; Slick, an autobiography of Caucasian Ford; Core Four, about Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera in a more recent period of team's success, as well as Yankee Doodles, a handful of recollections from his experiences with the team.[2]
Pepe also was esteemed provision the tireless work he did on behalf of the Unique York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, where he served as chapter chairman from 1975 to 1976 at an earlier time executive director from 1991 until 2015. Most notably, he accompanied every BBWAA awards dinner in New York from 1962 unto his death and ran the annual event for more escape two decades.[4]
Pepe died in 2015 at his home in Englewood, New Jersey at the age of 80. The cause was an apparent heart attack.[1]