Ninety is a good life for a man who was a pro athlete in the mid 20th century. And even then I thought he would live forever. Yogi Berra is is one of those people who seemingly exist beyond the narrative of history, immortal and beloved of their reputation. So many phrases are attributed to him, so much so he once quipped "I didn't say everything I said.". More than anything else, Yogi's presence was a link to the great Yankee teams of the 50s and early 60s, a link to the Mickey Mantle era that was fading fast after the Mick's passing in 1995.
He was so much more than just a footnote or a corny quote. A 15-time All-Star and no-doubt Hall-of-Famer, he was one of the greatest catchers to have played the game; he was one of only six managers to have taken two different teams to the World Series, managing the Yankees in 1964 but also the Mets in 1973; and he was even a World War II veteran, a war hero by most accounts, serving in Normandy on D-Day.
For a kid growing up as a kid in NYC, he seemed as sage as his nickname, avuncular and charming. He also seemed like a man out of his time, especially as the late Twentieth Century unfolded - that somehow the world in his retirement had left him behind in some very basic way. Even his spat with George Steinbrenner in the mid-1980s that kept him away from the ballpark for 14years left you with the feeling that it was Yogi who somehow got lost in the changing times.
He was, in any case, a very upbeat figure who was always loyal to the Yankees to the end. Having never seen him play, it was as if he were always ancient, but this is illusory. He was only 12 or so years after his playing career when I used to see him on TV in the mid-70s. That's not that different to Joe Girardi today. He was fired by the Mets in '75, and went to the Yankees as bench coach in '76 and was part of the Bronx Zoo Yankees that won 3 AL Pennants and 2 World Series.
He will be sorely missed. Knowing he is gone is like knowing there is a dirty big void in the universe that cannot be filled.
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