THE SIDELINES : Broadcaster Marks 7th Decade

Mel Allen marked his seventh decade as a baseball broadcaster Monday night, working 1 1/2 innings of the New York Yankees-Oakland Athletics game.

Allen, who began his major-league broadcasting career with the Yankees in 1939, joined former partner Phil Rizzuto and George Grande on the team’s telecast over superstation WPIX.

“It was a thrill to do it,” he said. “I’m glad they asked me.”

Allen reminisced about Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, did some play-by-play and got to call a long home run by Jose Canseco in the top of the third inning.