FanNation

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAWRENCE

Today is the birthday of Mr. Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, born May 12, 1925. It is a pleasure to share 83 Yogi-toids with you, one for each year:

1. He said, “I never said most of the things I said.”2. Yogi grew up on Elizabeth Street in St. Louis, in a neighborhood called “The Hill”.3. He picked up his 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.

4. One of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times.

5. He was signed at age 17 by the Yankees.

6. ”I wanted to play for the Cardinals or the Browns, to stay in my hometown,” he said, ”but they didn’t want me.”

7. Yogi participated in the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach.

8. He is one of only four catchers to ever field 1.000 in a season (1958).

9. Yogi was named the Yankees manager in 1964 and went on to win the AL pennant, but he was fired after losing to the Cardinals in a seven-game series.

10. One of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series.

11. Five times Yogi drove in more than 100 runs.

12. As manager, his team lost in the World Series twice, both in seven games.

13. He caught two no-hitters by Allie Reynolds in 1951 and Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.

14. Yogi appeared on an episode of “The Phil Silvers Show” in 1957.

15. His quotes are known as “Yogisms.”

16. He said, “Steve McQueen looks good in this movie. He must have made it before he died.”

17. Berra led all American League catchers six times in double plays (a major league record).

18. He was a player-coach for the Mets.

19. He participated in a record 21 World Series, 14 as a player with the Yankees, four as a Yankee coach, one as a Met coach and one each as a Yankee manager and Met manager.

20. Yogi wrote the forword for the book ‘Elston and Me: The Story of the First Black Yankee” written by the widow of Elston Howard.

21. He said, “How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?”

22. The Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in five of six World Series during Yogi’s era with the team.

23. Following Gil Hodges’s death in 1971, Yogi was named as the Mets manager in 1972.

24. He was childhood friends with Joe Garagiola.

25. The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center is located on the campus of Montclair State University in New Jersey.

26. Ron Guidry said about Berra, “He epitomizes what baseball’s all about. To be able to hang around him as much as I have, it’s a pleasure.”

27. Berra had a streak of 148 errorless games.

28. He said, “You can observe a lot by watching.”

29. Yogi appeared on an episode of “The Tony Danza Show” in 2005.

30. In 1950, he struck out only 12 times in 597 at bats.

31. From 1986 to 1989, Berra coached the Houston Astros.

32. His record as a manager was 484-444.

33. Yogi appeared on an episode of “Arli$$” in 2002.

34. He won 10 World Series and appeared in 14, most ever by any player.

35. He said, “You should always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”

36. He was named to the American League All-Star team every year from 1948 to 1962.

37. He received MVP votes in fifteen consecutive seasons.

38. “I stayed in baseball, until I quit,” Berra said.

39. His number 8 was retired from the Yankees in honor of him and another great Hall of Fame catcher, Bill Dickey.

40. Yogi stole 30 total bases.

41. Yogi appeared on an episode of “Saturday Night Live” in 1984.

42. He said, “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.

43. Yogi hit 358 home runs.

44. He was an All-Star 15 times.

45. He said, “Congratulations on breaking my record. I always thought the record would stand until it was broken.”

46. The Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after Berra.

47. Yogi played 2,120 games and had 2,150 hits.

48. Yogi played two games at first base.

49. He said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

50. Berra led all American League catchers once in fielding percentage.

51. Five times, Berra had more home runs in a season than strikeouts.

52. He said, “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”

53. Berra spent 14 years in a self-imposed exile from the Yankees, staying away after George Steinbrenner fired him as manager just 16 games into the 1985 season. He reconciled with Steinbrenner and returned in 1999.

54. Yogi had nine sacrifice bunts in 19 years of playing.

55. He said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

56. He only struck out 414 times in his career.

57. Yogi Berra Stadium is home to the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am League.

58. Berra’s three sons, Larry, Tim and Dale, and a daughter-in-law, Betsy, formed LTD Enterprises to market Yogi’s merchandise.

59. Yogi appeared in 75 World Series games.

60. Yogi played 260 games in the outfield.

61. Yogi hit the first pinch hit home run in World Series history in 1947.

62. He said, “When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.

63. The famed advertising executive George Lois said that in an award-winning television spot he created for the Quaker Oats Company’s Puss ‘n Boots cat food in 1960, Yogi was one of the first athletes to be featured not as a direct pitchman, but as part of a story. The spot featured Berra, amazed by a cat that had just performed aerobics on a trampoline, talking to the cat about how to stay in shape. The cat answers in Whitey Ford’s voice.

64. Yogi drove home 1,430 runs.

65. Berra wrote, writes: “Now players are more like entertainers. Still, I wonder if they realize how self-centered and glory-minded they appear . . . I don’t like players who stand and admire their home runs like they finished painting a masterpiece . . . It becomes more about self and showing off than teamwork and working together.”

66. He said, “So I’m ugly. So what? I never saw anyone hit with his face.”

67. On three different occasions Yogi was the mystery guest on “What’s My Line?”

68. Berra led all American League catchers eight times in games caught and in chances accepted.

69. Yogi played one game at third base.

70. He said, “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”

71. Yogi and Derek Jeter have been named the official spokesmen for the 2008 DHL All-Star FanFest, which will be held July 11-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York and is Major League Baseball’s major fan event for the All-Star Game festivities.

72. Yogi caught Don Larsen’s perfect game and two of Allie Reynolds’ no-hitters.

73. He was the first player to ever win two consecutive MVP awards.

74. Berra and Phil Rizzuto were partners in a Clifton, New Jersey bowling alley called Rizzuto-Berra Lanes.

75. Berra has frequently appeared in advertisements for Yoo-Hoo, AFLAC, Entenmann’s, and Stovetop stuffing and others.

76. Berra once told Joe Torre he was leaving for Washington to film a television advertisement. Torre asked which company Berra was endorsing. “Amtrak,” he replied. He meant to say Aflac, the insurance company.

77. His last at-bat came on May 9, 1965.

78. Yogi had a .348 On Base Percentage.

79. He said, ‘Wherever I go, people say, ‘You’re not Yogi Berra, are you?’ and I’ll say, ‘No, I just look like him.”’

80. Yogi was elected the the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

81. On a trip to Cooperstown, Phil Rizzuto commented to Yogi, “I think we’re lost.” To which Yogi responded “Yeah, but we’re making great time.”

82. ”I don’t want to know how old I am,” Yogi said about turning 80. ”I want to go backwards.”

83. He said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.

Bill Chuck is the creator of Billy-Ball.com and, with Jim Kaplan, is the author of the book, “Walk-Offs, Last Licks, and Final Outs – Baseball’s Grand (and not so Grand) Finales,” with a Foreword by Jon Miller, published by ACTA Sports, and available worldwide. Autographed first editions are available by contacting, Bill@billy-ball.com or order directly from Acta Sports, http://www.actasports.com/detail.html?&id=3427 or from your favorite bookstore.