He Wants To Thank Everybody Who Made This Book Necessary

A new Yogi Berra book is coming out, "Yogi Berra - Eternal Yankee" by Allen Barra.

But, as Barra points out, Yogi's been a success at almost everything he ever tried. Pitchers who were brilliant when he was behind the plate never did anything much when he wasn't. Whitey Ford, one of the greatest left-handers ever, often says he never shook off one of Berra's signs, and Don Larsen has said the same thing about his World Series perfect game.

Berra won more World Series than any other player. He won three Most Valuable Player awards and appeared in 17 straight All-Star games. He was the leader and the on-field constant of the only team ever to win five straight World Series, the 1949-53 New York Yankees.

He was only the second manager ever to win a pennant in each league. He was a great coach and he's a good businessman. And just about everyone who's ever dealt with Yogi Berra has come away not just liking him, but respecting his decency, his integrity and his intelligence. There's more to Yogi Berra than meets the eye.

Sure, everybody loves Yogi - here.  But this is a story from the Yankees 2004 trip to Japan:

Berra, 78, accompanied the Yankees on this trip. He has done his part to help the game grow here, but Torre found out Saturday that Berra's celebrity has its limits.

''I'm sitting having breakfast with Yogi and Brian Cashman, and somebody came in and asked me for my autograph,'' Torre said. ''I signed for him, and about 30 minutes later he comes back with a camera. He said, 'Would you mind taking a picture with me?' I said, 'Not at all.'

''He hands Yogi the camera and says, 'Will you please take it?' I thought that was priceless. It was absolutely priceless. I wasn't going to say who he is. Yogi held it steady and took the picture.''

At least the fan got a picture of a smiling Joe Torre.

Comments

[clarice]

And his contribution to American speech is inestimable.

[Thomas Collins]

TM's post brings back memories of the early 60s when I would visit my Uncle and Aunt who owned a deli in Manhattan and lived in Hell's Kitchen (when it was still Hell's Kitchen). My father would take me to Yankee Stadium and we would see Berra, Mantle, Ford, Maris and the rest of the early 60s Yankees. Berra's best playing days were behind him, but it was still a thrill to see the guy I referred to as "Yogi Bear" (I thought it was great that a baseball player was named after a cartoon character).

By the way, on the subject of catchers in general, more should be in the Hall of Fame. They are involved in every pitch; catching is truly a position in which the usual stats don't show the true worth of a player. Yogi made it to the Hall of Fame, but there aren't enough catchers who have joined him.

Glad to see, TM, that in all of this financial heaving and hoing we are going through, you are still posting on the truly important stuff in life!

[narciso]

Yes, it really does feel like dejavu all over again.

[clarice]

Hey narciso! Welcome back!

Drudge says "Sperm Bank Offers Stimulus Deals"..I'm not opening that link..No way.

[Porchlight]

I thought it was great that a baseball player was named after a cartoon character

I thought the exact same thing!

Catcher is my favorite position because it's ninety percent mental and half physical.

[matt]

many years ago my best friend's family had Mr. & Mrs. Berra over for Thanksgiving dinner. I rushed over after we had finished our dinner down the street, and it was one of the most wonderful days of my young life at the time. One of the kindest, most gracious people I ever met.It was a time when athletes were much more accessible and part of day to day life. We really have lost that.

Torre is great too, by the way. He announced Angel games for years before he went to the Cardinals.I wish there were a lot more men like both Torre and Berra out there. They understand that they are, in fact, role models and relish and are humbled by the responsibility.

[narciso]

I haven't been to Drudge in a long time, and you've reminded me why.

[daddy]

Narciso,

I'm reposting this from last night just to get your blood flowing:

Today Sarah Palin went on offense and it was nice to see.

She had just received her 11th Ethics Complaint since taking office. This one was filed by a local Left Wing Blogger. You'll remember that her Husband Todd races in the Iron Dog Sled race and has won it a few times. He races Arctic-Cat Snow-machines and they are one of his sponsors. At this years start of the race Sarah wore a jacket with an Arctic Cat Logo. The Filed Ethics Complaint contends'' that she is a walking billboard for Arctic Cat," and that this is unethical.

The governor hit the roof over the latest accusation.
"Are Alaskans outraged, or at least tired of this yet -- another frivolous ethics charge by a political blogger? This would be hilarious if it weren't so expensive for the state to process these accusations and for me to defend against these bogus harassments," Palin said in Tuesday's written release.

It was nice to see her getting mad today, and getting vocal about getting mad. Even the local Talk Show guys, who regularly bang her to death, considered this complaint beyond the pale.

"To defend against various complaints, the governor has accumulated legal bills of more than half a million dollars, she said last week."

Posted by: daddy | March 25, 2009 at 05:26 AM

[daddy]

I think we can safely conclude from this post that TM did not go to a college with a decent Basketball Team.

And if you want to see a photo and story of Sarah violating ethics, go">http://www.adn.com/palin/story/735153.html">go here.

[narciso]

I saw it, Flynn, there was a long drawn out troll infested thread on C4P, it's too conicidental that this would happen when
her Lincoln Day Speech would come to light,
By the way in the LUN, I think BobS was tweaking me, suggesting I was running Robocalls in Iowa. now you folks know me too well for that, It's unclear where the calls came from, but it's not from SarahPac,
it maybe from an outfit run by Fmr.Interior
Secretary Hodel

[clarice]

Anyone who wants to let the author(ess) of that last stupid ethics complaint know how you feel--Here's her address..Pretend you're governor Cuomo talking to AIG or something:

http://divasblueoasis.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=AA0C9E605A4FBC7319B0B87C9569FCD0?diaryId=479>Stupid Cow Abuses Legal System

[bad]

Jeez, Clarice. One look at her picture and you can tell why that chick has a problem with Sarah.

Well, that and the stupidity of her blog....

[daddy]

In the "If you were wondering" category,

Last month I helped collect signatures outside Safeway for a petition to cap property taxes. Needed 7,000 signatures, got over 13,000, and did it in a very limited time-span. Today I got to vote absentee ballot for our baby, Prop 9. The other 8 listed Prop's were all for more spending via incurring more debt for etc, etc, etc. The real election will be 7 April, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping that when I wake up on 8 April, I'll have discovered that citizen government still works, and that we have a new Conservative Mayor of Anchorage.

[JorgXMcKie]

That's Senator StupidCow, to you, clarice. Oh. Wait. I thought you were referring to the junior senator from Michigan. Nevermind.

As for Yogi Berra, got introduced to him in a St.Louis steak house owned the family of a friend many years ago (back in the mid-60s. I think his playing career was just over). If what I saw that night was any indication it would be hard to find a nicer guy.

Plus, "I never said all the things I said" is a classic.

[Jane]

Daddy,

What time is it there?

[glasater]

Jane~

Daddy is four hours "behind" you.

[daddy]

Jane, it is exactly 2 PM as I click "Post".

[Danube of Thought]

I saw Yogi play for the first time in 1953, in Griffith Stadium against the Senators. He hit a homerun to right off a pitch that appeared to be over his head and a foot inside.

My favorite quote of his concerned low attendance at some game or other. He said "If people don't wanna come, there's no way you can stop 'em."

[bad]

DoT,

This is an answer I received to the constitutionality issue of the treasury grab for power.

constitutional law reference Article 1, Section 9

Of course, I am clueless.

[Larry]

Joe Garagiola, who grew up with Yogi, had 100's of hilarious stories of their childhood. Joe was network baseball color guy for years. Also a host on Today(?) show.

[clarice]

It was nice when athletes understood how they could make kids' lives richer. My grandfather lived near Warren Spahn and when the Braves plaed home games, my brother and his friends would camp out on Spahn's lawn hoping for a glimpse of him.

[daddy]

Amazing,

Dan Fagan (Local Conservative Talk Radio guy and Sarah hater) has been on the air only 12 minutes, and already he is attacking her because he thought her angry response at this new ethics complaint was like a whiny teen age girl, so he is going to dwell, not on the bogus ethics complaint, but on her unbecoming response to the complaint when he comes back from the break. Then on tomorrows show he will wonder out loud why good people don't run for office?

I can't stand it, so I'm off to the gym.

BTW, 2 eruptions today, but nothing big.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Then, there's Yankees version 200.9:

Alex Rodriguez says he has "given up" hoping to be widely liked, accepting that many people he does not know well simply do not care for him personally.

"I've given up on that; it's just the way it is," the New York Yankees' third baseman told Yankees Entertainment and Sports network's Michael Kay in an interview recorded earlier this month that debuted Tuesday night on the network's preseason special.

[narciso]

The real point of the ethics complaint, is that much like the Holy bomb, in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, is you do not blaspheme the holy stimulus, which is what Sarah did while wearing the Arctic Cat gear, and it goes without saying, that if she didn't look go in them, they wouldn't complain.

[E. Nigma]

I generally don't like anything about the Yankees, but Yogi Berra, with all his funny malapropisms, is really a prince among men. He is truly a gentle and decent man.

[hit and run]

E. Nigma:
I generally don't like anything about the Yankees

Agreed, but you gotta admit that they had one helluva Assistant to the Traveling Secretary back in the 90s.

[matt]

one thing most of the old Yankees had was humility. I think it was part of the "Yankee Pride" ethic they insisted upon for so many years, and one of the real issues between Reggie Jackson and Steinbrenner. It was team first, and it was an honor to be a Yank.

It was funny, because my family being true Dodger blue from Brooklyn, I ended up meeting a lot of the Yanks, and to a man they were great people. same with most of the Dodgers, but my hatred for the Yanks was always tempered by my personal admiration for them as men.

As to the Giants, they couldn't be in a more appropriate town. Just one more reason to despise 'em! Ever since Marichal hit Roseboro it's been a grudge match every game, and when the Angels beat them in '02, never was there a sweeter baseball moment.

[BobS]

TM: thanks for posting this little blurb about Yogi Berra. So much of the game is parallels our rich history, and it was classy of the Yankees to makw sure one of their legends accompanied them on their trip to Japan. I'd be willing to be though, that there were many, many more Japanese baseball fans who recognized Berra than did not.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

That's Senator StupidCow, to you, clarice. Oh. Wait. I thought you were referring to the junior senator from Michigan.

Jorg, I call your junior Senator Stupidcow from Michigan with my senior Senator StupidCow from California and raise you one junior Senator StultifyinglystupendouslystudidCow from California.
At least our California StupidCows would be happy cows, per the commercials, if only we could get the two old cudsters out to pasture.

[Danube of Thought]

Thanks, Bad. I don't see how Article 1 Section 9 addresses the issue. I'll look around...

When I was a kid, the Yankees were really America's team--they just reeked of class and dignity, led of course by the great DiMaggio. When I was 12-13 years old I kept scrapbooks of Mickey Mantle clippings. When he retired and Steinbrenner took over, with his unique brand of boorishness, I soured on the organization and have not rooted for them in a long time, much as I love Derek Jeter.

I hope they fail.

[SukieTawdry]

Have always had a thing for catchers--can't imagine why--and the Yanks have had some great ones. Grew up watching--and loving--Yogi, Mickey and the boys (named my first dog Casey). And drinking Yoo-hoo. Had scrapbooks galore (wasn't much of a girly-girl). Those were my favorite years (although the Joe Torre era was kinda nice, too, even in 2001 when they broke my heart). George Steinbrenner may have been an embarrassment and a royal pain in the ass, but I will always be grateful that he rescued the team from corporate hell and brought the great Catfish Hunter to New York to spearhead the resurgence. My former step-mother liked to tell about the day her boss couldn't use his World Series tickets and gave them to her. The date: October 8, 1956. My favorite Yogi-ism: If you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Any Yankee fan who hasn't seen 9 Innings from Ground Zero should (although you, like I, may want to skip the part where they go back to Arizona).

[memomachine]

Hmmm.

When you come to a fork in the road you take it.

I love that one.

[Gringo]

As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I regret the addition that Yogi made to the Evil Empire. That being said, Yogi is a national treasure. His additions to our language are priceless. While some consider Yogi dumb for having said them, my take on the "Yogi-isms" is that most of the time he deliberately created them for comic effect. He was a Hall of Fame catcher, and great catchers are not stupid- they are like managers on the field.

So, we have Yogi Berra, great ballplayer and comic. Just like we had Ted Williams, great ballplayer, fisherman, and fighter pilot. They both shared a keen intelligence with achievement in and love for the game of baseball.

[Larry]

My fave: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."