Beginning perhaps tonight, and for the rest of the season, the Yankees will wear the black memorial armbands on their uniforms, this time in memory of one of their legends.
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra passed away at age 90, just 4 months after reaching the milestone. Born in St. Louis, Berra became a New York icon, winning 4 MVP awards, and leading both the Yankees and Mets to the World Series. He was the field pilot when the Mets lost a 7 game Fall Classic to Oakland in 1973, but would later return to the Yankees as a manager. Unfortunately, that last managerial gig was a short one, as he was let go after 16 games by the late George Steinbrenner, who was unhappy with the Yanks getting off to a 6-10 start in 1985. Steinbrenner's short temper and quick trigger angered Berra to the point where he didn't return to Yankee Stadium for several years before mending fences with Steinbrenner prior to the egotistical owner's passing a few years ago.
Berra was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972. In addition to playing for, and, later, managing the Yankees, and his short stint as a manager and coach with the Mets, Berra did commercials for Camel cigarettes, Puss 'n' Boots cat food (with teammate Whitey Ford voicing a talking cat), Yoo Hoo chocolate drink, and a legendary late 80's Miller Lite ad that poked fun at Berra's penchant for malaprops. If you looked quick, you'd see Jason Alexander (pre-Seinfeld) in the background. We'll run those ads down the line.
Tim Moore uploaded this highlight reel, taken from a cable special.
Rest in peace, Yogi. You won't find any forks in the road in Heaven.
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