Yogi Berra was a New York Yankee, but he belonged to all of us. His passing Tuesday night at the age of 90 is as sad a time for baseball fans in general as it is for fans of the team he played for for 18 years. The legacy of this great baseball player, and perhaps an even better human being, leads off episode 25 of the Sports Microscope podcast this week.
Perhaps the greatest ambassador for the game of baseball in the last fifty years, Yogi Berra played for the Yankees, managed the Yankees and the Mets, and coached for the Houston Astros. He retired when I was a toddler, so I never had the chance to see him play. However, as a student of the game’s history, I feel like I did (if that makes any sense).
A look at a few of his accomplishments:
* A 15-time all star
* A three-time MVP
* Finished second in MVP voting twice (lost to Al Rosen and Mickey Mantle)
* .285 career batting average
* 2,150 career hits
* 358 career home runs
* Played in 14 World Series (winning 10)
* His 71 World Series hits is an all-time best
* Took the Yankees and Mets to World Series as manager
Think about these two facts. In his career, he caught both ends of a doubleheader 117 times! His top salary? $60,000 in 1958.
A navy veteran, Berra joined the service at the age of 18 and was a machine gunner on a ship during the D-Day invasion in 1944. Despite not going past the eighth grade, education was also important to Berra, and he established a scholarship at Columbia University while still a player. He was also involved in the development of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center at Montclair State University.
The younger generations probably best remember him for his beer commercials and appearances on television talk shows and sitcoms, and the number of “Yogi-isms” that have become part of the American lexicon is amazing. The best way to end this tribute to Yogi Berra might be with something he once said to his beloved wife, Carmen (who died a year ago). She asked him where he wanted to be buried when he past away. His answer? “Surprise me.”
Priceless.
Also in this episode:
* Can the Cardinals hang on without Yadier Molina?
* The Houston Astro nose dive
* Saturday nights Tim Hudson – Barry Zito matchup.
* Tom Brady sticking it to the haters
* My pick for team of the week
You can listen to the latest episode here or subscribe to it on iTunes to have it automatically downloaded to your iOS devices. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Enjoy, and thanks for continuing to listen every week!
