A sports thrill for me was visiting Dodger Stadium on Thursday, September 8, 1988 to see the Houston Astros play Los Angeles. Two of my all-time favorite baseball players, Yogi Berra and Nolan Ryan, were there.
The Dodgers went on to win the World Series.
I felt very fortunate to see one of 33 games Ryan pitched that season and enjoyed watching him strike out seven batters. The Astros won by a 2 to 1 score.
I sat near the Dodger dugout and was unable to get to meet any Astros players, but managed autographs from Steve Sax, Kirk Gibson and young third-baseman, Jeff Hamilton, plus a quick handshake from manager Tommy Lasorda.
Although this game was a loss, Gibson carried the Dodger offense forward to the Series, winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
(A week later, I was back in San Antonio coordinating mitigation Hurricane Gilbert efforts for H-E-B Food-Drug stores and properties in Texas.
I was very concerned sending my teams to the lower Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi, knowing these men could be in danger installing hurricane shutters and fortifying our assets.
Gilbert made landfall in northern Mexico with winds of 135 mph.
Little did we know that the real devastation would be many miles away.
Twenty-nine tornadoes were recorded across Texas, with the worst damage in San Antonio. Gilbert caused three deaths in Texas, all resulting from tornadoes in San Antonio.)
Yogi Berra was born Lorenzo Pietro Berra or, Lawrence. He came from a family of Italian immigrants. His father, Pietro, was originally from Malvaglio and was the first to migrate. His wife, Paolina, followed him later, bringing along Yogi’s brother. Yogi himself was born in St. Louis, in a majority Italian community called “The Hill.”
In his childhood, he was known as “Lawdie” because his mother found it difficult to pronounce either “Lawrence” or “Larry.” By the time he received the nickname of “Yogi”, he was already a teenager and playing for the American Baseball League.
He and Jack Maguire had just seen a movie that featured a quick look at India. When it was over, Maguire remarked that Berra reminded him of the Hindu yogis they saw on the screen. Since then, he’d taken to calling Berra as “Yogi” – and the nickname stuck.
It seems Berra inherited his love for baseball from his older brothers, all of whom were scouted by major-league teams.
Yogi Berra married Carmen Short in 1949, and they lived in Montclair, New Jersey until Carmen’s illness forced them to move to an assisted facility. All three of Berra’s sons became athletes; two of which played baseball, while the other played pro football.
After a brief stint in the minor league (having signed on with the Yankees in 1943), the world found itself in the grips of war – and Berra was dragged along with it. He was a gunner’s mate in the U.S. Navy and was also present in events like the D-Day invasions of France and later, on Utah Beach. After the war, he received several commendations.
When he came back to the minor league, he played for the Newark Bears. It was then when he met his mentor, Bill Dickey, for whom he owed “everything he did in baseball.”
It was in 1946 when Yogi Berra started his major league career with the Yankees as one of their catchers. He quickly became an icon with his stellar record. He had a batting average of .285, which includes 358 home runs and 1,430 batted runs.
He won the American League Most Valuable Player award three times, during 1951, 1954, and 1955. There has, so far, only been five players in history to achieve this feat, Berra included.
When he was a player, he won 10 World Series championships. There were 18 All-Star games which he played in.
All in all, Yogi Berra was one of the best catchers in the history of baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Yogi Berra died on September 22, 2005 (aged 90) due to natural causes. New York City mourned him, lowering its flags to half-staff for a day and lighting up the Empire State building with blue and white pinstripes. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom two months later.
☆☆☆☆☆
IN GOD WE TRUST
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Growing up as a tomboy, I loved Yogi Berra. I had his baseball card along with his teammates Mickey Mantle, and Roger Maris. What a trio. My favorite player was Jimmy Piersall because his behavior was so off the wall. 🙂
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That man sounds like he could think backwards and forwards, and make you think, too.
And laugh.
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