L'Italo-Americano

LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano f r o z e a n d d i d n o t u t t e r a word to the American icon. Viewing the documentary, I realized how much I regret- ted my feeble reaction to the Yankees legend. Retrospectively, my visit to the museum allowed me to relive the moment with Mr. Berra. The museum has sev- eral personal items that visi- tors can view, from pictures of Yogi as a US Navy gunner to love letters written for his beloved wife of sixty-five years, Carmen. The muse- u m ' s t h e m e s h o w s Y o g i ' s devotion to his family and friends, learned by his Ital- ian-American upbringing. I heard from a staff member that when one of his closest friends and teammates, Phil The Scooter Rizzuto, another paisano, was in an assisted living facility, Yogi visited him daily. The stories about Berra a r e m o v i n g . I a s k e d o n e museum attendant how he would describe the American i c o n . " H o n e s t l y , t h e b e s t word to describe Yogi would b e a m e n s c h , " h e s a i d . father that he had a chance to be a professional baseball player. He became one of the best players in the game's history. Yogi was voted Most Valuable Player 3 times and won 10 World Championship rings, all with the New York Yankees. It Ain't Over motivated me to visit the Yogi Berra Muse- um and Learning Center in Little Falls, NJ. I wanted to know less about his career and more about the person. The quaint museum's memo- r a b i l i a o n t h e g r o u n d s o f Montclair State University is worth the visit. There is also a good chance of meeting s o m e o n e w h o w a s Y o g i ' s acquaintance. He interacted with the staff and was a fre- quent visitor from when the museum opened in 1998. The other reason for my visit was, for a New York minute, I met Yogi Berra in t h e l a t e 1 9 9 0 s . M y b r i e f encounter occurred while Yogi exited a restroom at the now-defunct ESPN restau- r a n t i n T i m e s S q u a r e . A s B e r r a o p e n e d t h e d o o r , I Another staff member com- mented, "His off-the-field life resonated with the common person." He lived a complete life that many would envy, but Yogi sought little atten- tion. The other layer to visiting the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center was bring- ing my daughter. Why not introduce a younger genera- tion to Yogi Berra? It was a memorable experience for both of us. My nine-year-old arrived at a museum that centers around a man she never heard of and walked a w a y l e a r n i n g a b o u t " a n interesting person," as she said. When I explained to my daughter Yogi's connection t o J a c k i e R o b i n s o n , s h e understood his relevance to American culture. Yogi was against racial segregation as he supported Jackie Robin- son and Elston Howard, the first African American to play with the Yankees. Another artifact displayed at the museum is the Presi- dential Medal of Freedom. Thanks to Lindsay, Yogi was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Free- dom a few months after he passed away in 2015. Berra served in World War II and was part of the Normandy invasion. Wounded in action, the Navy nominated him for the Purple Heart. Yogi, how- ever, never completed the paperwork for fear of worry- i n g h i s m o t h e r . D e c a d e s later, Lindsay started a peti- tion that required one hun- dred thousand signatures. Her relentless efforts hon- ored her grandfather's ser- vice to his nation. Yogi Berra was the anchor o f s e v e r a l c h a m p i o n s h i p teams. The All-Star catcher valued family, friends, and his Italian-American identi- ty. His legacy continues in a US postage stamp issued in 2021. There is also a deli- cious red wine released in 2022 honoring the National i c o n c a l l e d R o c k ' N B a l l Wines Yogi Berra Bonarda Dell' Otrepo Pavese, and his many aphorisms like "It ain't over til it's over,'' will live on eternally in the American language. Berra's unassum- ing personality, position on racial integration, and flair for words eclipse his career statistics and accolades. h e r s o n L a w d i e . T h e moniker stuck until a team- mate thought a yogi charac- ter in a movie resembled his friend. Yogi's affectionate moniker became more of his identity than his birth name. Berra and his three older brothers were gifted baseball players. Like most boys in t h e 1 9 3 0 s a n d 4 0 s , t h e y played on unkempt baseball diamonds, where infielders expected the ball to bounce around like a pinball. In the St. Louis sandlot leagues, Yogi excelled as a player. His short and stubby physique made him an ideal fit to be a catcher. He was a natural r i g h t - h a n d e d h i t t e r w h o taught himself to bat left- handed. Yogi lived in an era when immigrant fathers expected their sons to work for an honest living. His father, Pietro, thought baseball was a s p o r t f o r a c h i l d , n o t a young adult. His dad forced him to work. Yogi dropped out of school in the eighth grade. However, Yogi's three b r o t h e r s c o n v i n c e d t h e i r T he world seems m o r e u p s i d e - down than usual. War in the Mid- d l e E a s t a n d Ukraine engulfs our senses. In the United States, both p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s a l w a y s appear on edge while the country struggles to find its international role, and our f o e s k e e p a w a t c h f u l e y e . T h e s e t r o u b l i n g t i m e s require an immediate escape and a semblance of order. In my pursuit of sanity, I heard about It Ain't Over. It i s a N e t f l i x d o c u m e n t a r y a b o u t N e w Y o r k Y a n k e e s catcher L a w r e n c e Y o g i B e r r a . T h e c h r o n i c l e reminded me of the proverb, "Never meet your heroes," for fear that most will fall short of our expectations. The film , narrated by his g r a n d d a u g h t e r L i n d s a y Berra, offers a glimpse of h o p e w h e n m e e t i n g o u r idols. It restores our faith t h a t i f w e m e e t t h o s e w e admire, even idolize, there is a chance we will not walk away disappointed. T h e d o c u m e n t a r y explained how Yogi's legacy as one of Major League Base- ball's greats was cast aside a n d f o r g o t t e n . L i n d s a y opines while her grandfather w a s a l i v e , h i s i m p a c t o n baseball drifted prematurely into the sunset because his persona on television com- mercials overshadowed his stellar career. In my opinion, the documentary does more than emphasize his Hall-of- Fame career. The film creat- ed a newfound appreciation for Yogi Berra, the son, hus- b a n d , f a t h e r , f r i e n d , a n d grandfather. Lawrence Peter Berra was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1925. His family lived in an a r e a c a l l e d T h e H i l l , b u t many referred to the neigh- borhood as Dago Hill for its large Italian immigrant pop- ulation. Yogi was the son of immigrants from Malvaglio, a northern Italian town near Milan. Berra, like most chil- dren of immigrants, spoke to his parents in their native l a n g u a g e . Y o g i ' s m o t h e r , unable to say Lawrence or Larry in English, nicknamed ALFONSO GUERRIERO Hall of Fame legend Yogi Berra sitting in the Yankees dressing room (Photo: Jerry Coli/Dreamstime) Yogi Berra was more than a player

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