Yogi

Just let this roll over your brain.

Yogi Berra has 10 World Series championships.

As a coach, manager or player he participated in, appeared in 21 World Series.

Think about that. 21 World Series. This is a staggering, almost overwhelming fact.

Freakin' living legend.

The second most winning ball club, the St. Louis Cardinals, in their entire history have been to 17 World Series. Yogi? 21.

3 MVP's, 10 rings, except three times he didn't actually get a ring, cause he said, who needs a ring? Once he took the money and bought something for his wife Carmen. One year he got a cigarette box.

Most humble superstar ever. Yogi said that all his brothers were better players than he was.

His average is 30 points higher with men on base.

Volunteered for the Army, was on a rocket boat at Utah Beach on D-Day. He stuck his head out the window to watch "the fireworks."

5' 7" and considered so ugly he was relentlessly teased. Said, "I don't hit with my face."

He never struck out more than 38 times in one season!

And tough, during his golden years-1950-1956, he caught both games of a double-header 117 times!! Seven times he started both games on back to back days!! Take that Joe Mauer.

During those years he hit 191 home runs and struck out 166 times.

This is an appropriate time to use the word epic.

In 1985 Steinbrenner fired Yogi who was managing the Yankees, by sending some else to do it and Yogi didn't return to Yankee Stadium for 14 years. George came and apologized to he and Carmen.

On Yogi Berra Day, July 18, 1999, a day I remember because I remember what a big deal it was and watched the game; David Cone pitched a perfect game with Don Larsen watching. Wow. I'll never forget it. It was one of those magical baseball days.

He talked all the time on the diamond, like the catcher in "Sand Lot." Larry Doby once walked up to hit and said to the umpire,, "Please tell him to shut up." Once Ted told him, "Shut your yap, I'm trying to hit here."
I guess it worked to talk all the time.

Derek and Yogi are very close, Jeter asks for advice all the time. One day Yogi chided Derek for missing an eye-high fast ball. Yogi says, "Why did you swing at such a lousy pitch?" Derek says, "Well, you did."
Yogi said, "I hit 'em."

Classic. Stud.