Yogi: The Life and Times of an American Original
A warts-and-all biography of one of baseball鈥檚 living legends.
Yogi. Few names have ever needed less introduction. We all know the iconic Yankee catcher and his priceless sayings. Is it even possible to utter 鈥渄茅j脿 vu鈥� today without adding 鈥渁ll over again鈥�?
Yet America鈥檚 saturation with Yogi Berra didn鈥檛 deter Carlo DeVito from writing a 412-page biography, Yogi: The Life and Times of an American Original. It鈥檚 a good thing, too, because while this may be a mediocre telling of a life story, it鈥檚 a valuable reminder of how easily public figures can be held captive by caricatures created by journalists.
DeVito鈥檚 work is the literary equivalent of photorealism: It鈥檚 heavy on details and light on meaning. But the warts-and-all treatment largely succeeds in separating fiction from fact. That鈥檚 not an easy feat: As Yogi himself put it, 鈥淚 really didn鈥檛 say everything I said.鈥�
DeVito鈥檚 portrayal is a sympathetic one, though the figure that emerges may end up leaving baseball fans, especially Yankee fans (like me), with a somewhat diminished appreciation for one of the game鈥檚 most beloved players.
Yogi鈥檚 rise from humble beginnings in St. Louis to become one of baseball鈥檚 greatest catchers and elder statesmen is indisputable. He hit 358 home runs, was a 15-time All Star, earned three MVP Awards, and appeared in 21 World Series as a player, coach, and manager, winning 10 rings and setting many records along the way. For all his verbal blunders and bad-ball hits, he was one of the smartest men in baseball. His expert observation brought out the best in the pitchers he caught 鈥� Don Larsen鈥檚 perfect game in 1956 is Exhibit A.
But Yogi鈥檚 road to the mountaintop isn鈥檛 exactly exemplary. He clearly loved baseball, but his work ethic and habits left something to be desired. He didn鈥檛 uphold the highest professional standards. His management style was too laissez-faire. And his impressively shrewd promotional work (for businesses and for himself) was extreme, even by today鈥檚 PR standards.
The recurring theme in Yogi鈥檚 story is stubbornness, mostly about money. Yogi鈥檚 pride was fierce, and a salary slight from Yankees management early in his career turned into a lifelong chip on his shoulder. The flip side of stubbornness, of course, is doggedness, and Yogi was a tenacious competitor. He鈥檚 the guy you wanted on your side, whether in a World Series game, or attacking German defenses, as he did as a soldier on D-Day.
This isn鈥檛 a biography with the penetrating insight of David McCullough. Nor is it a sports story with the crackling prose of John Feinstein. But for the abundance of its anecdotes, and for its effort to see the man behind the myth, it鈥檚 a pleasant trip down memory lane and a worthy tribute to a living legend.
Josh Burek is the Monitor鈥檚 Opinion editor.