1951,
Yogi Berra was behind the plate catching
for
the Yankees, a St. Louis Italian Hill boy, born
and
raised.
Yogi
became famous for his hitting and catching,
as
a player, as a manager in later years, and for his
seemingly
silly and rediculous quotes: “It ain’t over
till
is’ over,” and “It’s
like déjà vu all over again.”
Everyone
would think about what Yogi
said, then
laugh.
When
asked by reporters about his sport, he
gave
it a
few seconds to sink in then replied,
“Baseball
is 90% mental and the other half is physical.”
Yogi
was no dummy, mind
you,
and he wasn’t trying
to
be funny either.
That
was just Yogi being Yogi.
In
addition to his 21 World Series appearances and
10
World Series Rings as player, coach and manager,
Yogi
was a 5’7” titan on the field of play.
I
can still see him crouching
behind the plate, adjusting
his
mask, pounding his dusty mit then
placing
three
fingers, tapping the inside of his right thigh.
On
the mound, Don
Larsen looks
in,
winds and pitches,
a
slider low
and away. The batter swings and misses.
“You
can observe a lot by just watching,” Yogi
used
to
say.
-30-
Chris
Hanch 5-27-2020
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