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:''For the similarly named animated character see [[Yogi Bear]]
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Yogi Berra (b May 12, 1925) played catcher in the Major Leagues for the [[New York Yankees]] and for four games for the [[New York Mets]] from 1946-1965. Yogi was considered one of the best clutch hitters and of the best bad-ball hitters of alltime.
  
   
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[[Image:Yogi Berra.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Yogi Berra on his 80th birthday]]
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Yogi played baseball in high school, and was passed up by both St. Louis Major League teams. However, while he was working at a shoe factory, Yogi waws signed by Yankee coach Johnny Shulte in 1943, despite the fact that Shulte had never seen Berra play. Yogi played very well in his first season in the minors, but after that season Yogi signed up to serve in the US Navy. After coming back from the Navy, he made it onto the Yankee team in 1946. However at the time Berra was not a good defensive catcher. Then Yankee manager [[Casey Stengel]] hired former Yankee catcher [[Bill Dickey]] in 1949 to help Yogi. With Dickey's help Yogi became one of the best defensive catchers in the game. In 1950 he had a breakout season by hitting for a .322 average, hitting 28 homers and 124 RBIs. The next year he won the first of his three [[MVP Award]]s. Yogi continued to produce throughout the early 1950s as the Yankees won 5 consecutive [[World Series]] championships from 1949-1953. In 1956 he had what many consider to be his best season as he for a .298 batting average, hit 30 home runs and 105 RBIs. That year the Yankees won their sixth World Series with him as their starting catcher. Yogi began to split time between leftfield and catcher in 1960 and he became fulltime manager of the Yankees in 1964, but he was fired after the Yankees lost the World Series that year. After that he became a coach of the Mets under his old manager, Casey Stengel and played in four games that year until he retired for good.
  
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'''Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra''' (born [[May 12]], [[1925]]) in [[St. Louis, Mo.]] is a former [[catcher]] and [[manager (baseball)|manager]] in [[Major League Baseball|Major League]] [[baseball]]. He played almost his entire career for the [[New York Yankees]] and was elected to the baseball [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]] in [[1972]]. He was one of only four players to be named the [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|Most Valuable Player]] of the [[American League]] three times, and one of only six managers to lead both [[American League|American]] and [[National League]] teams to the [[World Series]].
   
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Berra, who quit school while attending the 8th grade, was also famous for his tendency toward [[malapropism]] and fracturing the English language in highly provocative, interesting ways. Berra, simultaneously denying and confirming his reputation, stated "I never said half the things I really said." (''See [[Yogiisms]].'')
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In 1956 Yogi broke the record for home runs for a catcher, a record that he would hold until [[Carlton Fisk]] broke it in the 1990s. Yogi retired with 358 career home runs, a career .285 batting average and he is third in the alltime double plays for catchers list. Yogi also has the records for most World Series rings with ten. Yogi Berra was inducted in the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1972 and his number 8 was retired by the Yankees.
  
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==Early background==
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Born in [[St. Louis, Missouri]] in a primarily Italian neighborhood called "[[The Hill, St. Louis|The Hill]]", Berra was the son of immigrants who originally [[nickname]]d him ''Lawdie'', derived from his mother Paulina's difficulty pronouncing Lawrence or Larry correctly. He grew up on [[Hall of fame place|Elizabeth Avenue]], just a few doors down from his boyhood friend and later competitor [[Joe Garagiola]] (that block, also home to the late baseball broadcaster [[Jack Buck]], has subsequently been renamed "Hall of Fame Place"). Berra has also been inducted into the [[St. Louis Walk of Fame]].
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He picked up his more famous nickname from a friend who said he resembled a Hindu holy man ([[yoga|yogi]]) they had seen in a movie, whenever Berra sat around with arms and legs crossed waiting to bat, or while looking sad after a losing game. (Years later, the [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoon character [[Yogi Bear]] was named after Berra, something Berra did not appreciate after he started being periodically addressed as "Yogi Bear.")
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He began playing baseball in local American Legion leagues, where he learned the basics of play as a catcher.
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{{MLB HoF}}
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The [[St. Louis Cardinals]] spurned Berra in favor of his boyhood best friend, [[Joe Garagiola]], in 1942. On the surface, the Cardinals seemed to think Garagiola the superior prospect -- but team president [[Branch Rickey]] actually had an ulterior motive: knowing he was soon to leave St. Louis to take over the operation of the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]], and more impressed with Berra than he let on, Rickey apparently planned to hold Berra off until he could sign him for the Dodgers. The plan was ruined when the Yankees got to him first, signing him for the same $500 bonus the Cardinals offered Garagiola.
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Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. In two recent (2004) approaches by [[sabermetrics|sabermetricians]], Berra is ranked first among catchers by the [[Bill James]] [[Win shares|Win Shares]] method and third by the [[Total Baseball]] [[Total player rating|Total Player Rating]] method. However, Berra is normally rated behind such greats as Johnny Bench, Bill Dickey, and Ivan Rodriguez on the all time list due to their better defensive abilities.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
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==Playing career==
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Following a stint in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] during [[World War II]] where he served as a [[gunner]]'s mate in the [[D-Day]] [[invasion]], Berra played [[minor league]] baseball with the [[Newark Bears]] before being called up for seven games in the major leagues in [[1946 in baseball|1946]]. The following season he played 86 games for the Yankees, and he would play more than a hundred in each of the following fourteen years.
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During his nineteen-year career as a Yankee, Berra's teams dominated baseball. Berra appeared in fourteen [[World Series]], winning ten championships, both of which are records. Because Berra's playing career coincided with the Yankees' most consistent period, it enabled him to establish the major league records for World Series games (75), [[at-bats]] (259), [[Hit (baseball)|hits]] (71), [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] (10), [[Single (baseball)|singles]] (49), games caught (63), and catcher [[putouts]] (457).
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Berra has become a beloved, cuddly figure in American sport, which in some ways has obscured his immense talents as a competitive athlete. Berra was a fifteen-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], and won the league's [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] award three times, in [[1951 in baseball|1951]], [[1954 in baseball|1954]] and [[1955 in baseball|1955]]. He received MVP votes in fifteen consecutive seasons, tied with [[Barry Bonds]] and second only to [[Hank Aaron]]'s nineteen straight seasons with MVP support. ([[Ted Williams]] also received MVP votes in every year of his career, but it was twice interrupted by military service.) Between [[1949 in baseball|1949]] and [[1955 in baseball|1955]], on a team filled with stars such as [[Mickey Mantle]] and [[Joe DiMaggio]], it was Berra who led the Yankees in [[RBI]] for seven consecutive seasons.
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Berra was an expert at hitting bad pitches, covering all areas of the [[strike zone]] (as well as beyond) with great extension. He was simultaneously able to swing the [[Baseball bat|bat]] like a [[golf]] [[Golf club (equipment)|club]] to hit low pitches for deep home runs, and chop at high pitches for [[Types of batted balls in baseball|line drives]]. However, despite this wide plate coverage, he also had great bat control. Five times, Berra had more [[home runs]] in a season than [[strikeouts]]. In [[1950 in baseball|1950]], Berra struck out twelve times in 597 at-bats. This combination made him a feared "[[clutch hitter]]"; rival manager [[Paul Richards]] once called Berra "the toughest man in the league in the last three innings."
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As a fielder, Berra was truly outstanding. Quick, mobile, and a great handler of pitchers, Berra led all American League catchers eight times in games caught and in chances accepted, six times in [[double plays]] (a major league record), eight times in putouts, three times in [[Assist (baseball)|assists]], and once in [[fielding percentage]]. Berra left the game with the AL records for catcher putouts (8,723) and chances accepted (9,520)). He was also one of only four catchers to ever field 1.000 for a season, in [[1958 in baseball|1958]]. Later in his career, he became a good defensive outfielder in Yankee Stadium's notoriously difficult left field. In [[1962 in baseball|1962]], at the age of 37, he showed his superb physical endurance by catching an entire 22-inning, seven- hour game against the [[Detroit Tigers|Tigers]].
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One of the most notable days of Berra's playing career came when he caught [[Don Larsen]]'s [[perfect game]] in the [[1956 in baseball|1956]] World Series, the only [[no-hitter]] ever thrown in [[Playoff|postseason]] play. The pictures of Berra leaping into Larsen's arms following the 27th [[Out (baseball)|out]] are among the game's most memorable images.
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On [[18 July]], [[1999]], Larsen and Berra celebrated the feat with a ceremonial pitch for "Yogi Berra Day" at [[Yankee Stadium]] (the 74-year-old Berra did not jump into the 70-year-old Larsen's arms, though). This was a part of the celebration to mark the return of Berra to the Stadium, which ended his 14-year feud with Yankees' owner [[George Steinbrenner]]. The feud started in [[1985]] when Steinbrenner promised Berra a full chance as manager, then fired him in the third week of the season. Berra vowed to never return to Yankee Stadium so long as Steinbrenner owned the team. Amazingly, Yankees pitcher [[David Cone]] then hurled his own perfect game against [[Montreal Expos]], only the 16th time it had ever been done in [[Major League baseball|Major League]] history. The coincidence served to illustrate one of the more famous [[Yogiisms]] – "It's like deja vu all over again". On [[23 February]] [[2007]], Berra and Larsen are due to guest of honour at a commemorative function to be held at the Yogi Berra Museum [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070207&content_id=1797402&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb]. The evening will feature dinner and a screening of Larsen's World Series perfect game.
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In 1946, Berra wore uniform No. 38 on the Yankees, switching to 35 the next year. In 1948, he changed to No. 8, which became well-known as his number for the rest of his career on the Yankees and [[New York Mets|Mets]]. The No. 8 was retired in 1972 by the Yankees, jointly honoring Berra and [[Bill Dickey]], his predecessor as the Yankees' star catcher. Berra's uniform number and stocky build were familiar enough to baseball fans that [[Sports Illustrated]] once used a photo of Berra facing away from the camera as its cover, with the blurb "YOGI'S BACK."
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==Managing career==
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After Berra's Yankee playing career ended with the 1963 World Series, he was hired as the manager of the New York Yankees. Much was made of an incident on board the team bus in August. Following a loss, infielder [[Phil Linz]] was playing his harmonica, and Berra ordered him to stop. Seated on the other end of the bus, Linz couldn't hear what Berra had said, and [[Mickey Mantle]] impishly informed Linz, "He said to play it louder." When Linz did so, an angry Berra slapped the harmonica out his hands. All was apparently forgotten when Berra's Yankees rode a September surge to return to the World Series. But the team lost to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in seven games, after which Berra was fired. It was later written that general manager [[Ralph Houk]] had been ready to discharge Berra since midseason, apparently for a perceived loss of control over the team.
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Berra made a very brief return to the field as a player-coach for the crosstown Mets, playing in just four games. His last at-bat came on May 9, 1965, just three days shy of his 40th birthday. Berra stayed with the Mets as a coach for the next eight seasons, becoming the team's manager in 1972. That same year, he was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]. The following year, his Mets won the NL East division despite winning just 82 games, and eventually lost that year's World Series in seven games. Berra remained the team's manager for two more seasons. In 1976, he rejoined the Yankees as a coach. The team won its first of three consecutive AL titles, and (as had been the case throughout his playing days) Berra was regarded as a lucky charm. Berra was eventually elevated to Yankee manager before the 1984 season. Berra agreed to stay in the job for 1985 after receiving assurances that he would not be fired, but the impatient Steinbrenner did fire Berra after the 16th game of the season. This caused a rift between the two men that would not be mended for almost 15 years.
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On August 22, 1988, Berra and Dickey were honored with plaques to be hung in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Berra's plaque calls him "A legendary Yankee" and cites his most frequent quote, "It ain't over till it's over." In 1999, he placed No. 40 on ''[[The Sporting News]]''' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and fan balloting elected him to the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]].
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[[Image:sparky bush yogi berra.jpg|thumb|295px|Yogi Berra (right) with [[George W. Bush]] and [[Sparky Anderson]]]]
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==Coaching and Managing career==
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*1963 – New York Yankees player-coach
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*1964 – New York Yankees manager (won American League pennant)
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*1965–1972 – New York Mets coach
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*1972–1975 – New York Mets manager (won National League pennant in 1973)
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*1976–1983 – New York Yankees coach
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*1984–1985 – New York Yankees manager
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*1986–1989 – [[Houston Astros]] coach
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<!-- I plan to rewrite this section in prose at some point. There are some things worth mentioning here, such as the harmonica incident. -- User:Flamurai -->
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==Career statistics==
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{| border="true"
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|-----
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| G || AB || R || H || 2B || 3B || HR || RBI
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| SB || BB || BA || OBP || SLG || TB || SH || HBP ||
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|-----
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| 2,120 || 7,555 || 1,175 || 2,150 || 321
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| 49 || 358 || 1,430 || 30 || 704 || .285 || .348
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| .482 || 3,643 || 9 || 52 ||
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|}
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==Non-Baseball Activities==
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Berra married his wife Carmen in 1949. They have three children and have lived in [[Montclair, New Jersey|Montclair]], [[New Jersey]] since Berra's playing days. Two of Berra's sons also played professional sports - his son [[Dale Berra]] played shortstop for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], New York Yankees, and [[Houston Astros]] and his son Tim Berra played [[American football]] for the [[New York Jets]].
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In 1998, The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center [http://www.yogiberramuseum.org/] and Yogi Berra Stadium (home to the [[New Jersey Jackals]] baseball team) opened on the campus of [[Montclair State University]] in Upper Montclair, N.J. The Museum is currently the home of various collector's items, including the mitt with which Yogi caught the only perfect game in World Series history, several autographed and "game-used" items, three World Series Championship trophies, and all of Yogi's championship rings. It was an appearance on behalf of the Museum by George Steinbrenner that led to their ultimate reconciliation. Berra is very involved with the project and frequents the museum for signings, discussions, and other events. It is his vision to teach children important values such as sportsmanship and dedication both on and off the field of play. When asked "So, what is it you do here?" Yogi, without missing a beat, replied convincingly, "It's my museum."
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Berra is a recipient of the [[Boy Scouts of America]]'s highest adult award, the [[Silver Buffalo Award]].
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In February 2005 Berra filed a lawsuit against [[Turner Broadcasting System]]. He alleges that they used his name in a racy advertisement for ''[[Sex and the City]]''. The advertisement asks what the definition of a "yogasm" is: a) a type of yo-yo trick; (b) sex with Yogi Berra; or c) what Samantha has with a guy from [[yoga]] class. (The answer given was C.) This case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum of money.
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Berra has frequently appeared in advertisements for [[Yoo-hoo]], [[AFLAC]], [[Entenmann's]], and Stovetop stuffing, among others, frequently demonstrating his famous "[[yogiisms]]." He is probably the longest running commercial pitchman in the US, his television commercials spanning the early 1950s to the present day. Based on his style of speaking, Yogi was named [http://www.economist.com/diversions/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3598744 Wisest Fool of the Past 50 Years] by the [[The Economist|Economist magazine]] in January 2005.
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==Quotes==
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{{main|Yogiisms}}
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'''Yogi Berra''' is famous around the non-baseball world for his pithy comments and witticisms. Many of these are in the vein of the [[gravedigger]] in [[Shakespeare]]'s [[Hamlet]], the comments of a worldly-wise philosopher who does not have the education and vocabulary to express his thoughts accurately. These quotes are often called [[Yogiisms]] and are the subject of a further article. These are examples:
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*"Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded!"
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*"It ain't over till it's over." - After Berra's 1973 Mets trailed the [[Chicago Cubs]] by 9½ games in the [[National League East]]; the Mets rallied to win the division title on the next-to-last day of the season.
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*"I don't know if it's good for baseball, but it sure beats the hell out of rooming with [[Phil Rizzuto]]." &ndash; on hearing team-mate [[Joe DiMaggio]] was to marry [[Marilyn Monroe]]
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==Books==
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Four books by Yogi Berra (with co-authors):
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*ISBN 0-07-096947-7; (April 1989) ''Yogi: It Ain't Over''
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*ISBN 0-7611-1090-9; (April 1998) ''The Yogi Book: 'I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said' ''
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*ISBN 0-7868-6775-2; (May 2001) ''When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes''
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*ISBN 0-7432-3768-4; (October 2002) ''What Time Is It? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All''
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==See also==
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* [[Top 500 home run hitters of all time]]
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==External links==
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*[http://www.YogiBerra.com The Official Yogi Berra Website]
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{{wikiquote}}
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*[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers%5Fand%5Fhonorees/hofer%5Fbios/berra%5Fyogi.htm Baseball Hall of Fame]
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*{{baseball-reference|id=b/berrayo01}}
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*[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=berrayo01 Baseball-Almanac.com] - career statistics
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*[http://www.yogiberramuseum.org Yogi Berra Museum]
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*[http://www.umpirebob.com/DATA/yogiisms.htm A list of Yogi-isms]
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*[http://www.figarospeech.com/it-figures/2005/7/30/yogiisms-dont-make-sense-till-you-get-them.html Yogiism as a figure of speech]
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*[http://www.yorku.ca/paull/textes/yogiberra.html A university study into the philosophical implications of Yogiisms]
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*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4230051.stm BBC News: Baseball star sues over TV advert]
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*[http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=110925&section1=1&section2=1&statSet2=1&section3=1&statSet3=1&statSet1=1 '''Yogi Berra''''s Stats page on mlb.com]
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*[http://www.philsilversshow.homestead.com/YogiBerra.html Yogi's appearance on the Phil Silvers Show]
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{{start box}}
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{{succession box | title=[[New York Yankees/Managers and ownership|New York Yankees Manager]] | before=[[Ralph Houk]] | years=1964| after= [[Johnny Keane]]
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}}
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{{succession box | title=[[New York Mets/Managers and ownership|New York Mets Manager]] | before=[[Gil Hodges]] | years=1972-1975| after= [[Roy McMillan]]
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}}
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{{succession box | title=[[New York Yankees/Managers and ownership|New York Yankees Manager]] | before=[[Billy Martin]] | years=1984-1985| after= [[Billy Martin]]
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}}
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{{succession box | before = [[Phil Rizzuto]] | title = [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|American League Most Valuable Player]]| years = [[1951]] | after = [[Bobby Shantz]]}}
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{{succession box | before = [[Al Rosen]]| title = [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|American League Most Valuable Player]]| years = [[1954]]-[[1955]] | after = [[Mickey Mantle]]}}
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{{end box}}
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{{MLBACT}}
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{{Yankeesmanager}}
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{{Metsmanager}}
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[[Category:1925 births]]
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[[Category:Baseball Hall of Fame]]
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[[Category:Major league catchers]]
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[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
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[[Category:New York Mets players]]
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[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
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[[Category:Major league players from Missouri]]
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[[Category:1947 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1949 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1950 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1951 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1952 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1953 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1956 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1958 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1961 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:1962 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team]]
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[[Category:Baseball managers]]
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[[Category:New York Mets managers]]
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[[Category:New York Yankees managers]]
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[[Category:Major League Baseball families]]
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[[Category:Players|Berra, Yogi]]

Revision as of 02:48, 19 February 2007

For the similarly named animated character see Yogi Bear
File:Yogi Berra.jpg

Yogi Berra on his 80th birthday

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born May 12, 1925) in St. Louis, Mo. is a former catcher and manager in Major League baseball. He played almost his entire career for the New York Yankees and was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. He was one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times, and one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series.

Berra, who quit school while attending the 8th grade, was also famous for his tendency toward malapropism and fracturing the English language in highly provocative, interesting ways. Berra, simultaneously denying and confirming his reputation, stated "I never said half the things I really said." (See Yogiisms.)

Early background

Born in St. Louis, Missouri in a primarily Italian neighborhood called "The Hill", Berra was the son of immigrants who originally nicknamed him Lawdie, derived from his mother Paulina's difficulty pronouncing Lawrence or Larry correctly. He grew up on Elizabeth Avenue, just a few doors down from his boyhood friend and later competitor Joe Garagiola (that block, also home to the late baseball broadcaster Jack Buck, has subsequently been renamed "Hall of Fame Place"). Berra has also been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

He picked up his more famous nickname from a friend who said he resembled a Hindu holy man (yogi) they had seen in a movie, whenever Berra sat around with arms and legs crossed waiting to bat, or while looking sad after a losing game. (Years later, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after Berra, something Berra did not appreciate after he started being periodically addressed as "Yogi Bear.")

He began playing baseball in local American Legion leagues, where he learned the basics of play as a catcher.

Baseball Hall of Fame
Yogi Berra
is a member of
the Baseball
Hall of Fame

The St. Louis Cardinals spurned Berra in favor of his boyhood best friend, Joe Garagiola, in 1942. On the surface, the Cardinals seemed to think Garagiola the superior prospect -- but team president Branch Rickey actually had an ulterior motive: knowing he was soon to leave St. Louis to take over the operation of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and more impressed with Berra than he let on, Rickey apparently planned to hold Berra off until he could sign him for the Dodgers. The plan was ruined when the Yankees got to him first, signing him for the same $500 bonus the Cardinals offered Garagiola.

Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. In two recent (2004) approaches by sabermetricians, Berra is ranked first among catchers by the Bill James Win Shares method and third by the Total Baseball Total Player Rating method. However, Berra is normally rated behind such greats as Johnny Bench, Bill Dickey, and Ivan Rodriguez on the all time list due to their better defensive abilities.[citation needed]

Playing career

Following a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II where he served as a gunner's mate in the D-Day invasion, Berra played minor league baseball with the Newark Bears before being called up for seven games in the major leagues in 1946. The following season he played 86 games for the Yankees, and he would play more than a hundred in each of the following fourteen years.

During his nineteen-year career as a Yankee, Berra's teams dominated baseball. Berra appeared in fourteen World Series, winning ten championships, both of which are records. Because Berra's playing career coincided with the Yankees' most consistent period, it enabled him to establish the major league records for World Series games (75), at-bats (259), hits (71), doubles (10), singles (49), games caught (63), and catcher putouts (457).

Berra has become a beloved, cuddly figure in American sport, which in some ways has obscured his immense talents as a competitive athlete. Berra was a fifteen-time All-Star, and won the league's MVP award three times, in 1951, 1954 and 1955. He received MVP votes in fifteen consecutive seasons, tied with Barry Bonds and second only to Hank Aaron's nineteen straight seasons with MVP support. (Ted Williams also received MVP votes in every year of his career, but it was twice interrupted by military service.) Between 1949 and 1955, on a team filled with stars such as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, it was Berra who led the Yankees in RBI for seven consecutive seasons.

Berra was an expert at hitting bad pitches, covering all areas of the strike zone (as well as beyond) with great extension. He was simultaneously able to swing the bat like a golf club to hit low pitches for deep home runs, and chop at high pitches for line drives. However, despite this wide plate coverage, he also had great bat control. Five times, Berra had more home runs in a season than strikeouts. In 1950, Berra struck out twelve times in 597 at-bats. This combination made him a feared "clutch hitter"; rival manager Paul Richards once called Berra "the toughest man in the league in the last three innings."

As a fielder, Berra was truly outstanding. Quick, mobile, and a great handler of pitchers, Berra led all American League catchers eight times in games caught and in chances accepted, six times in double plays (a major league record), eight times in putouts, three times in assists, and once in fielding percentage. Berra left the game with the AL records for catcher putouts (8,723) and chances accepted (9,520)). He was also one of only four catchers to ever field 1.000 for a season, in 1958. Later in his career, he became a good defensive outfielder in Yankee Stadium's notoriously difficult left field. In 1962, at the age of 37, he showed his superb physical endurance by catching an entire 22-inning, seven- hour game against the Tigers.

One of the most notable days of Berra's playing career came when he caught Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, the only no-hitter ever thrown in postseason play. The pictures of Berra leaping into Larsen's arms following the 27th out are among the game's most memorable images.

On 18 July, 1999, Larsen and Berra celebrated the feat with a ceremonial pitch for "Yogi Berra Day" at Yankee Stadium (the 74-year-old Berra did not jump into the 70-year-old Larsen's arms, though). This was a part of the celebration to mark the return of Berra to the Stadium, which ended his 14-year feud with Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner. The feud started in 1985 when Steinbrenner promised Berra a full chance as manager, then fired him in the third week of the season. Berra vowed to never return to Yankee Stadium so long as Steinbrenner owned the team. Amazingly, Yankees pitcher David Cone then hurled his own perfect game against Montreal Expos, only the 16th time it had ever been done in Major League history. The coincidence served to illustrate one of the more famous Yogiisms – "It's like deja vu all over again". On 23 February 2007, Berra and Larsen are due to guest of honour at a commemorative function to be held at the Yogi Berra Museum [1]. The evening will feature dinner and a screening of Larsen's World Series perfect game.

In 1946, Berra wore uniform No. 38 on the Yankees, switching to 35 the next year. In 1948, he changed to No. 8, which became well-known as his number for the rest of his career on the Yankees and Mets. The No. 8 was retired in 1972 by the Yankees, jointly honoring Berra and Bill Dickey, his predecessor as the Yankees' star catcher. Berra's uniform number and stocky build were familiar enough to baseball fans that Sports Illustrated once used a photo of Berra facing away from the camera as its cover, with the blurb "YOGI'S BACK."

Managing career

After Berra's Yankee playing career ended with the 1963 World Series, he was hired as the manager of the New York Yankees. Much was made of an incident on board the team bus in August. Following a loss, infielder Phil Linz was playing his harmonica, and Berra ordered him to stop. Seated on the other end of the bus, Linz couldn't hear what Berra had said, and Mickey Mantle impishly informed Linz, "He said to play it louder." When Linz did so, an angry Berra slapped the harmonica out his hands. All was apparently forgotten when Berra's Yankees rode a September surge to return to the World Series. But the team lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, after which Berra was fired. It was later written that general manager Ralph Houk had been ready to discharge Berra since midseason, apparently for a perceived loss of control over the team.

Berra made a very brief return to the field as a player-coach for the crosstown Mets, playing in just four games. His last at-bat came on May 9, 1965, just three days shy of his 40th birthday. Berra stayed with the Mets as a coach for the next eight seasons, becoming the team's manager in 1972. That same year, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The following year, his Mets won the NL East division despite winning just 82 games, and eventually lost that year's World Series in seven games. Berra remained the team's manager for two more seasons. In 1976, he rejoined the Yankees as a coach. The team won its first of three consecutive AL titles, and (as had been the case throughout his playing days) Berra was regarded as a lucky charm. Berra was eventually elevated to Yankee manager before the 1984 season. Berra agreed to stay in the job for 1985 after receiving assurances that he would not be fired, but the impatient Steinbrenner did fire Berra after the 16th game of the season. This caused a rift between the two men that would not be mended for almost 15 years.

On August 22, 1988, Berra and Dickey were honored with plaques to be hung in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Berra's plaque calls him "A legendary Yankee" and cites his most frequent quote, "It ain't over till it's over." In 1999, he placed No. 40 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and fan balloting elected him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

File:Sparky bush yogi berra.jpg

Yogi Berra (right) with George W. Bush and Sparky Anderson

Coaching and Managing career

  • 1963 – New York Yankees player-coach
  • 1964 – New York Yankees manager (won American League pennant)
  • 1965–1972 – New York Mets coach
  • 1972–1975 – New York Mets manager (won National League pennant in 1973)
  • 1976–1983 – New York Yankees coach
  • 1984–1985 – New York Yankees manager
  • 1986–1989 – Houston Astros coach


Career statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB BA OBP SLG TB SH HBP
2,120 7,555 1,175 2,150 321 49 358 1,430 30 704 .285 .348 .482 3,643 9 52

Non-Baseball Activities

Berra married his wife Carmen in 1949. They have three children and have lived in Montclair, New Jersey since Berra's playing days. Two of Berra's sons also played professional sports - his son Dale Berra played shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros and his son Tim Berra played American football for the New York Jets.

In 1998, The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center [2] and Yogi Berra Stadium (home to the New Jersey Jackals baseball team) opened on the campus of Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, N.J. The Museum is currently the home of various collector's items, including the mitt with which Yogi caught the only perfect game in World Series history, several autographed and "game-used" items, three World Series Championship trophies, and all of Yogi's championship rings. It was an appearance on behalf of the Museum by George Steinbrenner that led to their ultimate reconciliation. Berra is very involved with the project and frequents the museum for signings, discussions, and other events. It is his vision to teach children important values such as sportsmanship and dedication both on and off the field of play. When asked "So, what is it you do here?" Yogi, without missing a beat, replied convincingly, "It's my museum."

Berra is a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America's highest adult award, the Silver Buffalo Award.

In February 2005 Berra filed a lawsuit against Turner Broadcasting System. He alleges that they used his name in a racy advertisement for Sex and the City. The advertisement asks what the definition of a "yogasm" is: a) a type of yo-yo trick; (b) sex with Yogi Berra; or c) what Samantha has with a guy from yoga class. (The answer given was C.) This case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum of money.

Berra has frequently appeared in advertisements for Yoo-hoo, AFLAC, Entenmann's, and Stovetop stuffing, among others, frequently demonstrating his famous "yogiisms." He is probably the longest running commercial pitchman in the US, his television commercials spanning the early 1950s to the present day. Based on his style of speaking, Yogi was named Wisest Fool of the Past 50 Years by the Economist magazine in January 2005.

Quotes

Main article: Yogiisms

Yogi Berra is famous around the non-baseball world for his pithy comments and witticisms. Many of these are in the vein of the gravedigger in Shakespeare's Hamlet, the comments of a worldly-wise philosopher who does not have the education and vocabulary to express his thoughts accurately. These quotes are often called Yogiisms and are the subject of a further article. These are examples:

  • "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded!"
  • "It ain't over till it's over." - After Berra's 1973 Mets trailed the Chicago Cubs by 9½ games in the National League East; the Mets rallied to win the division title on the next-to-last day of the season.
  • "I don't know if it's good for baseball, but it sure beats the hell out of rooming with Phil Rizzuto." – on hearing team-mate Joe DiMaggio was to marry Marilyn Monroe

Books

Four books by Yogi Berra (with co-authors):

  • ISBN 0-07-096947-7; (April 1989) Yogi: It Ain't Over
  • ISBN 0-7611-1090-9; (April 1998) The Yogi Book: 'I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said'
  • ISBN 0-7868-6775-2; (May 2001) When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes
  • ISBN 0-7432-3768-4; (October 2002) What Time Is It? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All

See also

External links

Template:Wikiquote

Preceded by:
Ralph Houk 		New York Yankees Manager
1964 		Succeeded by:
Johnny Keane
Preceded by:
Gil Hodges 		New York Mets Manager
1972-1975 		Succeeded by:
Roy McMillan
Preceded by:
Billy Martin 		New York Yankees Manager
1984-1985 		Succeeded by:
Billy Martin
Preceded by:
Phil Rizzuto 		American League Most Valuable Player
1951 		Succeeded by:
Bobby Shantz
Preceded by:
Al Rosen 		American League Most Valuable Player
1954-1955 		Succeeded by:
Mickey Mantle
Major League Baseball | MLB All-Century Team

Nolan Ryan | Sandy Koufax | Cy Young | Roger Clemens | Bob Gibson | Walter Johnson | Warren Spahn | Christy Mathewson | Lefty Grove
Johnny Bench | Yogi Berra | Lou Gehrig | Mark McGwire | Jackie Robinson | Rogers Hornsby | Mike Schmidt | Brooks Robinson | Cal Ripken, Jr. | Ernie Banks | Honus Wagner
Babe Ruth | Hank Aaron | Ted Williams | Willie Mays | Joe DiMaggio | Mickey Mantle | Ty Cobb | Ken Griffey, Jr. | Pete Rose | Stan Musial


New York Yankees Managers

Chance • Peckinpaugh • Donovan • Huggins • Fletcher • Shawkey • McCarthy • Neun • Dickey • Harris • Stengel • Houk • Berra • Keane • Houk • Virdon • Martin • Howser • Lemon • Michael • King • Martin • Berra • Martin • Pinella • Martin • Pinella • Green • Dent • Merrill • Showalter • Torre

New York Mets Managers

Casey Stengel • Wes Westrum • Salty Parker • Gil Hodges • Yogi Berra • Roy McMillan • Joe Frazier • Joe Torre • George Bamberger • Frank Howard • Davey Johnson • Bud Harrelson • Mike Cubbage • Jeff Torborg • Dallas Green • Bobby Valentine • Art Howe • Willie Randolph

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