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Yogi Berra, Yankees Hall of Fame Catcher With a One-of-a-Kind Wit, Dies at 90
March 20, 1957. "New York Yankees baseball player Yogi Berra, three-quarter length portrait, in uniform, in the locker room." 35mm negative by Marvin Newman for Look magazine. View full size.
Next locker door neighbor to Marv Throneberry, MLBer who came up with the Yankees in 1955 but achjeived his greatest fame as "marvelous Marv", terrible fielding first baseman for the worst team in baseball history, the '62 NY Mets (managed by Yogi's former boss, Casey Stengel). Casey once told Marv "We was going to get you a birthday cake, but we figured you'd drop it."
Yogi was born and raised in the St. Louis Italian neighborhood known as "The Hill" along with childhood friend Joe Garagiola. They grew up across the same street from each other.
My dad took me to my first Yankees game in 1952, when I was four years old.
I had the pleasure of seeing Yogi play many times over the ensuing years.
Year after year, all my heroes are passing away.
RIP MR BERRA - you may be gone but you will NOT be forgotten by all your loving fans....
The three cards I was most proud of back in about '62 (I'm 63 now) were Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra. And I was a little kid in Colorado. It's dang sure like dey-javoo all over a'gin. Thanks, Dave.
Berra, the name on his locker reads Berra S. what's that all about?
[That's an 8, his number. -tterrace]
Yogi died on September 22, 2015, sixty-nine years to the day his made his major league debut: September 22, 1946.
The Yankees won the American League pennant in 14 of the 17 years Yogi played for the Bronx Bombers.
I had the pleasure of working with Yogi Berra several times during his public autograph signings. Once, in Orlando, a young boy was standing on the fringes of the roped-off area watching quietly and holding a baseball. After awhile, Yogi asked one of the assistants to "bring that kid over here." Turns out that the boy bought the baseball, but didn't know that you had to pay for Yogi's signature. Yogi talked with the boy and happily signed his ball. I'm sure that the now-adult fan is saddened by Berra's death and will always remember the kind gesture. RIP Yogi.
Quotes from Yogi and comments thereon were a mainstay of every sportswriter striving to craft colorful and memorable articles. His skills on the diamond were hardly negligible either.
It's worth pondering that today's hot rookie probably signs for a larger bonus than Berra's lifetime Yankees earnings, even adjusting for inflation.
R.I.P., Yogi. You've come to the fork in the road, and taken it. They don't make 'em like you any more and, yourself excepted, probably never did.
I learned to love baseball as a kid growing up in New York watching the Yankees on WPIX TV Channel 11 during the late 1950's-early 1960's. When the NY Mets were born in '62, I was smitten by their utter ineptitude and have been a lifelong Mets fan since. However, Yogi still remained a favorite player of mine. Somehow it's fitting that Berra should have a locker next to another New York baseball legend, although not quite for the same reasons: Marvelous Marv Throneberry of the Mets.
Thanks for the precious memories, Yogi. Let's raise a glass of Yoo-hoo and toast this true one-of-a-kind legend!
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