RIP Yogi Berra

[Gwreck]

Age 90.

[Zvon]

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yogi was the third person to hold the title of oldest living Met. His predecessors were Gil Hodges, who never actually grew old and Warren Spahn. The new title holder is Dave Hillman, whose name is a lot less illustrious than those who came before him.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Very sad to hear this.

[Edgy MD]

An enormous chunk of baseball dies with him.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Haven't read this yet, but I'm sure when I do it will be with teary
eyes and big old baseball in my throat. RIP, Yogi.

Yogi Berra, Master Yankee Catcher With Goofy Wit, Dies at 90

Edited September 23, 2015 by Guest

[Guest cooby classic]

I think I better wait until I'm alone to read this

[Guest themetfairy]

RIP to a true icon.

[RealityChuck]

Yogi was everyone's favorite baseball personality. It wasn't just the malapropisms, but he looked so much like a regular guy, and was just so goddamned likable. He played (left field, BTW) in the first baseball game I ever attended.

The Las Vegas Sun made a classic typo, listing him as "Yogi Bear" in their obituary (probably fixed by now).

[Guest d'Kong76]

That just had to be saved for posterity... good find!

[Edgy MD]

[youtube:2wogy8pm]TmENMZFUU_0[/youtube:2wogy8pm]

[G-Fafif]

Yogi Berra was legendarily lucky and unquestionably good. If you have that going for you, there’s not much that can go against you. Berra — whose presence as a Met catcher, coach and manager for eleven seasons between 1965 and 1975 was so constant that it barely occurred to a kid reaching baseball consciousness in that period that he’d had anything to do with anybody else — passed away Tuesday night at 90. It was the last night of summer, but fall was already firmly in the air. The first thing I thought of when I heard the news this morning, what with the window open and a soft breeze brushing by, was that this is Yogi’s time of year. When others might be putting a wrap on their baseball seasons, Yogi’s was just getting going. He played, managed or coached in 23 postseasons, from his rookie year with the Yankees in 1947 to 1986, when he was the bench coach for the National League Western Division champion Astros. Nobody came to the plate more often in World Series competition and nobody recorded more hits. Nobody else guided a team from each league to the seventh game of the World Series. As this autumn alights, each of the three franchises for whom Yogi Berra wore a uniform is well positioned to make it to the playoffs. It’s a fairly fitting tribute to how whatever he touched eventually turned to good. Yogi Berra was a fall classic unto himself. And he wasn’t bad the rest of the year, either. Take April, for example. April 1972, to be specific. That was the month Yogi accepted his second managing job, taking the reins of our New York Mets. It was under the worst circumstances imaginable. The man he coached first base for, Gil Hodges, had just died young. It still stands as the most tragic episode in the history of the franchise. Gil was already a legend. Now he was a saint. There could be no tougher act to follow. But Yogi followed it. “I don’t like the way the job came,” he would say later. “But I want to prove I can manage.”

Full piece here.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm just hoping that those who write pieces over the next few days that are sure to say how much Yogi liked and was liked by everyone also remember the one guy who mistreated him badly enough to make Yogi refuse to talk to him or even mention his name for years when they think about writing their 'Steinbrenner for HoF' columns.

[RealityChuck]

My favorite Yogi Berra story was one where he wasn't actually involved in, but which shows how Yogi's luck worked.

It was during the winter meetings in the early 60s -- possibly 1961. Stan Isaacs was a columnist for Newday, and part of a group of young sportswriters nicknamed "The Chipmunks." Bored one afternoon, they decided to Isaacs and the others decided to start their own trade rumor. They decided to spread the story that the Yankees were working on a trade with the Giants: Yogi Berra for Giants catcher Tom Haller.

They knew that was preposterous on the face of it, so they threw in a twist: The Giants wanted Berra so he could take over as manager.

The Chipmunks laughed at the very idea. They loved Yogi, but the idea of him being considered for a managing position seemed absurd. But the rumor got spread. Isaacs said that it was the first time anyone had ever considered Berra as a manager.

Three years later, the Yankees gave him the job.

[Guest themetfairy]

The Tug McGraw Foundation posted this picture, which is all kinds of awesome!

[Guest d'Kong76]

The Tug McGraw Foundation posted this picture, which is all kinds of awesome!

That is a cool one!
I borrowed this from somewhere, forget already:

[MFS62]

No matter what team people rooted for, if there was one Yankee everyone liked, it was Yogi.
He will be fondly remembered.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

On to Yogi the player for a minute:

-- 7 consecutive seasons Top-4 in MVP. From 1950 at age 24: 3rd, 1st, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd
And, sure, the team he played on and his personality could have given him a leg up on other players who maybe were as deserving, but still


-- 19 years, 414 career strike-outs (or, as it's known to some guys these days, about a season and a half).
I know times and the game have changed and all, but that's an average of right around 28 for a 500 AB season and he topped out at just 38 (at age 34 in 472 ABs)

[Guest d'Kong76]

I knew that it was either Yogi or Bench, so I looked in my James'
baseball bible and Berra is his best catcher out of one hundred.
Kinda surprised that Campanella is third, I'll have read about that
when I get a chance.

[MFS62]

With all the MVP finishes, he never led his league in ANY offensive category (counting stats). Not one in any one year. It will make evaluating him more difficult as time passes, and such evaluations are based solely on numbers.

Also - I saw all three catchers Kong mentioned. And Campy was that good. It would have been interesting to see how he would have done, playing half his games in the LA Coliseum with that high screen only 250' away in left field.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I remember when Yogi was the only manager in baseball history who had won a pennant in both leagues. (1964 Yankees and 1973 Mets.)

Since then, Dick Williams has done it. (Athletics and Padres.)

Anyone else? Or is it still just those two?

[dinosaur jesus]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I remember when Yogi was the only manager in baseball history who had won a pennant in both leagues. (1964 Yankees and 1973 Mets.) Since then, Dick Williams has done it. (Athletics and Padres.) Anyone else? Or is it still just those two?

Joe McCarthy, Yogi's first manager, did it too: 1929 Cubs and multiple Yankee teams. And Tony La Russa. Joe Maddon has a shot at it this year.

[HahnSolo]

Sparky too.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe I was misremembering. I guess Yogi wasn't the first; maybe he was the first since Joe McCarthy.

I should have remembered Sparky Anderson. He joined the list the same year that Dick Williams did. LaRussa's another story. I try not to think about him.

[Lefty Specialist]

What I loved about Yogi was that he told Steinbrenner to shove it for 14 years. And he only came back to Yankee Stadium after George groveled, kissed his feet, and even apologized.

[Frayed Knot]

Lefty Specialist wrote: And he only came back to Yankee Stadium after George groveled, kissed his feet, and even apologized.

And probably paid him money.
Yogi's big 'return' was right around the time he and his family were getting that museum thing going in Jersey and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if part of that deal involved George making a fat "contribution" to the project.

[dgwphotography]

Physical proof of an actual Yogism, courtesy of Johnny Bench on Twitter:

[Guest Mets Willets Point]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I remember when Yogi was the only manager in baseball history who had won a pennant in both leagues. (1964 Yankees and 1973 Mets.) Since then, Dick Williams has done it. (Athletics and Padres.) Anyone else? Or is it still just those two?

Jim Leyland (1997 Marlins and 2006 Tigers)

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

RIP Yogi. You were truly a great player and a wonderful ambassador for the game of baseball.

[stevejrogers]

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: I remember when Yogi was the only manager in baseball history who had won a pennant in both leagues. (1964 Yankees and 1973 Mets.) Since then, Dick Williams has done it. (Athletics and Padres.) Anyone else? Or is it still just those two? Jim Leyland (1997 Marlins and 2006 Tigers)

Sparky Anderson, Reds and Tigers
Tony LaRussa, A's and Cardinals

Looking it up on B-R.com
Alvin Dark Giants, Athletics Replaced Williams in 1974, so Berra's distinction of being the only one lasted one year.

Doing more digging, Berra was not the first!
Joe McCarthy took the 1929 Cubs to the World Series, losing to the A's, before his run as MFY Skipper.