next inning and made a comment to him, Garagiola reportedly responded with a racial slur. An argument ensued and umpire Beans Reardon held back Garagiola while Robinson responded with a mock clap. 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 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." 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). Baseball broadcasting Garagiola turned to broadcasting following his retirement as a player, first calling Cardinals radio broadcasts on KMOX from to . 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 (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 to 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; 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