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Yogi Berra

by Harrison from St. Louis

How would you feel if you worked your entire life to get somewhere, but once you got there, you were made fun of?  How would you feel if once achieving your dream, it was taken from you?  I know what you would feel like.  You would feel like Yogi Berra did.  Despite all of the media torment Yogi went through at the beginning of his career, he still managed to stay strong, and even go to win thirteen World Series.  This is why Yogi Berra is one of the bravest, most intelligent, and overall best baseball player to ever be in the MLB.

Yogi Berra showed a lot of bravery both on the field, and with the media.  It certainly takes bravery to play in front of thousands of people, and talk to people when they are just out to get you.  Yogi Berra put up with unbearable amounts of anguish that you could not possibly imagine.  In fact, the name Yogi is actually a joke people made about him.  His real name is Lawrence Peter Berra.  But that is not really important.  What really made Yogi so brave is that he just ignored all of the hate that was put his way, and he did not lose his composure.  I think that that kind of stoicism should be more recognized and valued in American society.  In the new Jackie Robinson movie, they talked about courage,  "They did not want a man who had the guts to fight back.  They wanted a man who had the guts to not fight back."  Yogi did have the guts not to fight back, and that is what made him so great.  And, to put the icing on the cake, Yogi went to war for America in WWII.  He was even there when America landed on the beaches of Normandy.


    Yogi showed his social and athletic intelligence both on and off the field.  When Yogi was on the field, he could provide an edge to the game.  He would always know what to do with the ball, and, most importantly, what pitch the pitcher should be throwing.  That is not where most of his cunning comes from though.  Yogi Berra came up with some of the most clever jokes out there.  You may recall things like, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it", or "You better cut the pizza into four slices because I am not hungry enough to eat six."  These jokes are one of the things that Yogi is best remembered for, along with his baseball.  I have a lot of respect for this.  Not only are the jokes clever themselves, but it is also a clever way to get the media off your back. 

Yogi Berra in his catchers gear. (www.achievement.org  ())
Yogi Berra in his catchers gear. (www.achievement.org ())

    Yogi was one of the greatest baseball players to ever live.  It all started when Yogi was drafted onto the Yankees.  Yogi would have been drafted onto the Cardinals, but they had their sights set on a more "superior" prospect.  On September 22,1946, Yogi made his debut for the New York Yankees.  Two years later Yogi got his first All Star award, and he got at least one for every single year until 1962.  Yogi also won 13 World Series, and won the AL MVP award 3 times.  That totals 24 very prestigious awards in the span of only 16 years in the MLB.  So not only was his career very successful, but it was a very long career.

Yogi Berra had all of the values that I believe people should live by.  I chose Yogi for those reasons.  Also, because he is an inspiration to me.  Not only does he come from the same place that I do, but he also plays the same position in baseball that I do, and to put the cherry on top, he is also short. 

Page created on 5/3/2013 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/3/2013 12:00:00 AM

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