Yogi

February 3, 2020
Legendary Hall-of-Famer and folk sage Yogi Berra is baseball’s humble yet profound everyman in this warmhearted biography. Pessah (The Game), founding editor of ESPN the Magazine, recounts Berra’s ascent from a childhood in a working-class Italian-American neighborhood in St. Louis to his career as the catcher of the storied Yankees of the 1940s and ’50s, when he won five consecutive World Series rings. Pessah styles Berra as beloved but insufficiently respected: he suffered secret pain from jibes at his intelligence and looks—his long arms and fire-hydrant silhouette got him dubbed “the Ape”—and his kindness earned him a reputation as a weak, ineffectual manager even though he won two pennants in six seasons. He’s a down-to-earth and well-behaved but recessive figure in much of the book, a stolid foil for the antics of more dramatic Yankees like the tragic aristocrat Joe DiMaggio, the rebel boozehound Mickey Mantle, and the soap opera trio of George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, and Reggie Jackson. Throughout, Pessah celebrates Berra’s cultural afterlife as a font of artless aphorisms in which wisdom rises from the ruins of logic (“You should always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise, they won’t come to yours”). The funny anecdotes and exciting play-by-play from baseball’s golden age will keep Berra’s legions of fans happy.

February 1, 2020
A vigorous biography of the New York Yankees legend. Lorenzo Pietro Berra (1925-2015), first nicknamed "Lawdie," wasn't supposed to be a baseball star. His father, an Italian immigrant to St. Louis, discouraged his ambitions, saying that it wasn't seemly for a man to make a living playing a boy's game. Branch Rickey shook his head at the young man's prospects. He was goofy looking and odd, speaking a "mangled English [that was] the product of his Italian-language household and his uneasy relationship with school." Yet, as Pessah, a founding editor of ESPN the Magazine, writes, Lawdie shook them off. Soon given the new nickname of "Yogi" for his habit of sitting cross-legged while waiting to bat or take the field, he started racking up admirable statistics--and a solid sense of how the business of baseball worked, which served him well. He was especially well served by a mistrust of management early on, for Yogi would fare ill at the hands of executives like George Steinbrenner in his later career as a coach and manager. The narrative often takes a play-by-play flavor ("Bodie doesn't disappoint. He brings in Yankee Phil Rizzuto to play shortstop and Red Sox star Dom DiMaggio--Joe D's younger brother--to man center field") that suits the story just fine. Yogi emerges as a man who was more thoughtful than many give him credit for, even if he may have often played the rube--when told he was at an impasse in negotiating a contract, he replied, "What the hell is an impasse?" Of course, as any baseball fan knows, he was no slouch on the field, known far and wide for hammering pitches into the parking lot and giving teammate Mickey Mantle a run for his money as a slugger. A welcome life of the Yankees icon and worthwhile reading for any baseball buff.

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March 1, 2020

While a number of books have been written about Yogi Berra (1925-2015), none are as comprehensive as this in-depth account by sportswriter Pessah (The Game). Featuring firsthand interviews with those who knew Berra well, supported by research from secondary sources, the book sheds insight into baseball history during Berra's playing career (1946-63). Pessah offers a year-by-year recounting of Berra's evolution as a catcher for the New York Yankees, including ten World Series championships. Yankee fans will appreciate knowing more about Berra's relationship with owner George Steinbrenner and teammates Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. Not only does the work focus on Berra's career, it also explains how he became such a legendary figure in the sport. The one possible drawback might be the work's high level of detail, which may be overwhelming for most casual readers. VERDICT A thorough, engaging read for Berra fans and Yankee admirers.--Pamela Calfo, Bridgeville P.L., PA

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