Editorial

A Hall of Famer on and off the field

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Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra left school in the eighth grade to help support his family. He grew up poor in the Hill section of St. Louis, an area where many Italian-Americans made their homes.

Like so many men of his generation, Berra served in the military during World War II. A Navy man, he was a gunner on the USS Bayfield, an attack transport ship that took part in the D-Day invasion. And, like so many men of his generation, he never made a big deal of his service, which included several commendations for bravery and a Purple Heart.

Indeed, the life Yogi Berra led before his death at age 90 last week can teach us many lessons. He had so much to brag about, but never did. His unmatched baseball career, his penchant for memorably logic-twisting turns of phrase and his second career in TV commercials made him into a household name, one of most well-known faces — and personalities — on the planet.

Yet he was genuinely humble, and remained so in a world where many celebrities seem to crave the spotlight all the time.

In looks and stature, Yogi was an Everyday Joe. But by making the most of a stout work ethic and a love of baseball, he became a legend of the game, winning three American League Most Valuable Player awards in his 14-year career with the Yankees and an astonishing 10 World Series championships. He was a team leader on squads that included no shortage of superstars — Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, to name just a few — and a Baseball Hall of Fame shoo-in.

If he had faded away into a quiet retirement after baseball, Yogi would have remained a sports icon, a shining example for every Little Leaguer in America. Who could have imagined that he would become even more widely known in his golden years? With his “Yogi-isms,” at once nonsensical and full of common sense, he came across as the sporting world’s Will Rogers. The commercials that made the most of his often unintended wit only cemented his image as an everyday, aw-shucks guy, humble and good-natured — one of us.

Which, by all accounts, was exactly what he was. No matter how outsized his public profile grew, Yogi could be counted on for his loyalty to his family, to his fellow players and those he managed, as well as to the Yoo-hoo chocolate drink for which he served as pitchman for many years. Not many members of the Greatest Generations inspired and brought smiles to those in each generation that followed, but Yogi did.

He was a longtime resident of Montclair, N.J., and the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center, on the campus of Montclair State University, in nearby Little Falls, celebrates his life and legacy. We suggest a visit. And by all means, take your Little Leaguer along, and give him — or her — a glimpse of a true American hero.