"Yogi Berra, one of baseball’s greatest catchers and characters, who as a player was a mainstay of 10 Yankee championship teams and as a manager led both the Yankees and Mets to the World Series — but who may be more widely known as an ungainly but lovable cultural figure, inspiring a cartoon character and issuing a seemingly limitless supply of unwittingly witty epigrams known as Yogi-isms — died on Tuesday. He was 90."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/24/sports/baseball/yogi-berra-dies-at-90-yankees-baseball-catcher.html?_r=0
Comments
Gary
Regards,
Ted
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/berrayo01.shtml
How far the game has fallen since Yogi's days ...
Tigers Send Player Home Early, Citing Lack of Effort
http://isportsweb.com/2015/09/23/detroit-tigers-rondon-sent-home-for-lack-of-effort
ESPN MLB analyst called Rondon “an embarrassment to the game of baseball”.
I’ve been a baseball fan forever.
I had the good fortune to live in New York City during the reigns of Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella as catchers for the Yankees and the Dodgers. What a treat! I had the privilege of seeing both all stars play the game the way it should be played.
The endless arguments of who was the “best” at his position filled many pleasurable summer evenings. In my judgment that was an impossible assignment to resolve. I believed Berra was the better hitter; I believed Campanella was the better defensive catcher. Choose your own poison.
My favorite Berra quote is “You can’t win all the time. There are guys out there who are better than you”. That’s being realistically true. But there where not many of those guys, and it was situational dependent. That bit of Yogi wisdom is also true in the investing world.
Berra was a humble man. When asked about his biggest thrill, his response centered not directly on him, but on Don Larson. Berra caught the no-hit Larson game against the powerful Brooklyn Dodger team in the 1956 World Series.
I will miss Yogi, just as I miss Jolting Joe and King Kong Keller. Yes, I’m old enough to have seen them play when they, and the Yankee teams, dominated the game. Things change.
Thanks for allowing me to share.
Best Wishes.
"...And that ain't all! He STOLE HOME!"
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2015/Ernie-Banks/
If you are a true blue baseball fan you are familiar with the excellent Ken Burn's 18 and 1/2 hour historical PBS baseball series. The videos are available on the Internet.
Even the music is worthwhile,
Here is a Link to the "First Inning" in that series:
Just like a ball game, some patience is needed since the First Inning is almost 2 hours long. Enjoy.
Best Wishes.
But what of the adversarial pitches and the tenacious defense that were responsible for such a struggled success? Or what of the struggled life itself, outside the lines...in a factory, throughout a city, or across a country that, like a ball field, was more foul than fair.
With baseball you had a chance to proved your humanness between the lines of limestone...and you often went home feeling you did.
@Crash @icyone
I'm glad you enjoyed the Banks piece, but sorry you had to go to a dark place to get it. When he passed earlier this year, it seemed odd to me that sports media only focused on his baseball exploits, since when great players die the media almost always does a thorough retrospective. I understand the original intention; but, dang it, when you pass the memory of a person through a filter, how can you claim you truly have embraced that person's life? IMO, it seems you are betraying a larger Truth of who that person really was. Now, with this piece, it does seem "right"; I appreciate Rappaport writing up what he had.
Nevertheless, in preparation for the playoffs, I stumbled across some sunshine this afternoon that can lighten the dark spot I've created. It comes from Banks' happier days, and ties the thread back to the memory of Yogi as well: "it ain't over 'til it's over":
In the Summer of 1956, the Cubs and Banks were playing an away game against a division rival. Trailing 4-0, they erupted for 7 runs in the 8th, and then followed a single run by the host team with a single run of their own in their top of the 9th. Trailing 8-5 against a pitcher who had been getting stronger as the game progressed, fans started to exit until ... Turl Lown completely lost it, couldn't find the plate, and walked the bases full without getting an out. In came Jim Brosnan to best handle the next batter, a great young player who was even more dangerous with runners on base. There was to be no messing around--- the first pitch was lined to the L-center field wall, and the race was on. All base occupants would score easily, so the game would be tied, except---wait!--- the maniac batter ignored the stop signal at third and headed for home. Banks was the cutoff and fired a perfect relay to the plate, but the batter slid under the tag, missing the plate, before reaching back with a hand to make the touch before the second tag attempt could be made. The fans at Forbes Field [hint] went crazy as they had just witnessed something that had never been done before in the history of baseball--- an inside-the-park, walk-off grand slam home run.
And.... to this very day, it has not happened again. Who was that player?
Wow!! What a great description of this base clearing, game ending inside-the-park home run. I could feel the excitement and tension as if I were actually there. Great job.
You also have a great memory, especially for detail. You remember more about that one-of-a-kind play than I do about my marriage day. Please don’t contact my wife.
I was motivated by your question to go to the Internet. It was an easy find. Roberto Clemente was the hero that day, like for so many other days, including his humanitarian work away from the ball game. He was an all-star both on and off the ball field. His early death in an airplane accident was a tragedy.
Best Wishes.
My fav quote, too!!
Also like this one:
Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bartman_incident
(I had my OWN picture of this and wanted to share it, but Windows just sucks it.) Here, then, is uncle Honus, who played for the same team as Roberto Clemente.
https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/g8XJlJ2eRLG3IZVXw4CSmg--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NTAwO3E9OTU7dz0zNzU-/http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2694/4342822820_d156da964b_z.jpg?zz=1
https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/wS3nj.BJwTNWPp_BXkKBIQ--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NDAwO3E9OTU7dz02MDA-/http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0908/mlb_g_rclementets_600.jpg
Derf
Don Larsen was the Yankee no hit pitcher in that World Seres game.
Not only did he pitch the no hitter, I recall that it was a perfect game no hitter. Now that's domination over a tough Dodger ball club.
Best Wishes.