Family and Friends Gather to Honor Yogi Berra

The great Yogi Berra; hall of fame catcher who played the majority of his long career with the New York Yankees past away at the age of 90. In addition to stints as manager of the New York Mets and Yankees, Berra was a World War II veteran who fought in the D-Day invasion.

Outfielder Brett Gardner said the Yankees can use Berras passing as motivation as they close the regular season vying for a postseason berth. “But I think everyone knows in that room what Yogi would tell us”.

The Yankees will wear the number 8 on their sleeve for the rest of the season. Fair enough. But let’s never forget what a heck of a player Yogi Berra was. “It would be very special to get a win for him today.”.

After two days of mourning in Toronto, the Yankees returned to the to salute the life of one of baseball’s icons before Thursday’s game against the White Sox at Yankee Stadium. Bobby introduced me to Yogi and we had a good conversation.

“He always called me ‘Shorty, ” Gardner said.

Like everyone, I woke up Wednesday morning to the news that Yogi Berra had passed overnight.

Berra, a 15-time All Star and record 10-time World Series champion, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

Yep, Yogi said it was over.

As for Yogi Berra’s oddly profound solecisms (“when you come to a fork in the road, take it”), some scholars think he’s the most quoted American in history. I just felt comfortable. “But he always carried with him the humility of his upbringing and the appreciation that he’d been remarkably blessed”.

Namath, who famously delivered on his promise to lead the Jets to victory in Super Bowl III, fell well short of Berra’s 10 championships with the Yankees.

Driving back to the office, I thought it was a bust.

I will leave Squawker Jon to write about Berra’s impact on his Mets. He was, of course, famous for his malaprops; my own favorite personal favorite was “Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded”. That was why he was so special.”. – In a 1998 collection of his sayings, he reported that he had originated the quip while giving his friend Joe Garagiola, a baseball player and announcer, directions to his house. “Ninety-nine percent of other managers and coaches, when they’re fired from their job, they separate themselves”, Dale said. As a catcher, he ranks among the top few ever to play the game. I put my arm on his shoulder and smiled.