Yankees

Eulogy for an American Hero: Yogi Berra

Posted on by DylanHornik

Today, we somberly remember one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Yogi Berra, the Yankees catcher for almost 20 years, holder of double-digit World Series rings, and one of the greatest and most humble human beings to ever play the sport, passed away Tuesday night in West Caldwell, New Jersey at the age of 90.

Lawrence Peter Berra is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, catcher of all time. His career average of .285 and 358 homers rank near the top in history at his position, one that is consistently considered the most grueling and demanding in baseball. Not only was he a force at the plate, he was one of the most durable backstops in baseball history, despite all of the wear and tear on his knees. Berra led the American League in games caught 8 times and 8 times in putouts by a catcher, as well as numerous other defensive categories. He was known to handle his pitching staff well, and even caught the only perfect game in postseason history in 1956. He was an 18-time All Star in 19 seasons (most by a catcher ever), a 3-time MVP (most by a catcher ever), and won 13 World Series titles: 10 as a player and 3 as a coach.

I could go on and on about his modest beginnings from an Italian neighborhood in St. Louis to his meteoric rise through the minor leagues, but Yogi Berra transcends that. His statistics are legendary, but what his rapport with others and what he did in the clubhouse and off the field are what makes him the American icon that he is.

Berra loved people. As his career progressed, he honed his special craft of storytelling. By all accounts, when he spoke, whether it was about baseball or about life, everyone listened. He had a magical aura about him that he carried with him throughout his 40+ year career in baseball. That aura attracted the attention of everyone near him, giving him the feeling of a sort of sage later in his career and well after he retired. Berra told stories of conversations at the plate with Hank Aaron, then helped out Jorge Posada during Spring Training. He played against legends like Stan Musial and coached and mentored players like Craig Biggio and Derek Jeter. He transcended generations, making players, fans, media, and coaches of all ages feel like they can relate to him.

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Berra posing with his 10 World Series rings earned as a player. Photo: Jeff Zelevansky.

Most importantly, Yogi Berra was one of us. He didn’t have a superiority complex about him like many superstars of his day did (and many today as well). He was of average height, standing at about 5’8″, and didn’t come from a privileged family. He is a true definition of the American work ethic; Berra wasn’t blessed with great size or strength, but he used the natural tools he did have to his advantage to give himself the opportunity for success. His reputation as a great “bad-ball hitter,” hitting pitches well out of the strike zone, is emblematic of the kind of life he lived. Berra didn’t care if it was over his head, if he could reach it, he wanted to hit it, plain and simple.

Of course, his “Yogi-isms” are what he will be most remembered for. Many call him the “Dumbest Wise Man in History,” but I take it differently. Berra did not try to disguise himself under a shroud of fake ingenuity like many athletes do. When he said some of those famous quotes, he meant them, and he didn’t try to disguise or cover up his malapropisms with circular explanations. Berra’s naiveté brought these sayings to life and his genuine character allowed them to stay.

Death is never an easy thing, especially in sports where a single person can effect the lives of thousands of people. Yogi Berra’s passing, though, is a reminder that it is a very real thing for the legends of our nation’s pastime. Although he is smiling down now with the likes of Musial, Phil Rizzuto and Don Zimmer, he will forever be immortal in the lore of baseball.

The Case for A-Rod

Posted on by DylanHornik

May 7th, 2015. A day that will live, for Alex Rodriguez, as a blessing and a curse.

On that night, at his “home” ballpark in the Bronx, he completed his most historic milestone yet. A-Rod passed Willie Mays on the all-time home run list, with his 661st of his seemingly illustrious career. To date, the statistics for his 21-year career: 661 homers, 1,988 RBI, 2,963 hits, and a .299 batting average. All signs point to a first ballot Hall of Fame trip, right?

Well, not exactly. A-Rod’s stats have been marred by his admittance of steroid use multiple times throughout his career. He has fallen out of good graces with the majority of Yankees fans, and baseball in general. The latest chapter in his saga includes the Yankees’ front office; General Manager Brian Cashman said that the team will not grant Rodriguez the $6 million bonus he is due for passing Mays, saying that it is their “right” to pay him, not an “obligation”, and that A-Rod isn’t marketable anymore. The MLB Players Association has stated that they will fight on Rodriguez’s behalf, as they should. Although A-Rod cheated to get to the milestone, it is still his “right” to cash in on what he has done. 

Brian Cashman has repeatedly stated that the team will not give Rodriguez his bonus.

 Rodriguez’s contract stipulates that the bonus for passing Willie Mays is a “marketing agreement”. To say that A-Rod isn’t marketable isn’t entirely true. Although the Yankees no longer sell a #13 jersey on their website, third party companies like eBay and Fanatics have his jersey going for as high as $180, which would be the highest price for a player’s jersey on the Yankees site. His t-shirt on Macys.com is listed for $28, which would also be the most expensive player t-shirt on Yankees.com. Taking a look at memorabilia, verified vendors like SportsMemorabilia.com have an A-Rod signed ball going for over $1,500. This would demolish every signed ball on the Yankees shop. Right now the most expensive ball is a Mariano Rivera autographed ball from the 1999 World Series- for $500. And do the Yankees really think that if they sold a t-shirt that said “661*” that it wouldn’t sell out at the next home game? There’s still a market for Alex Rodriguez’s merchandise, and the Yankees should realize that they need to capitalize on the fact that he did cheat to make that market more attractive to every fan.

If another problem is the simple fact that he did something wrong and that he will not be elected to the Hall of Fame, then take a look at some players that are considered all time greats that are in the Hall. Tris Speaker is one of the great center fielders in baseball history, a true legend of the game. He has the 5th most hits of all time at 3,514, his career .345 ranks sixth all time, and he holds two MLB records: most career doubles at 792 and most career outfield assists at 449. What is overlooked, however, is that he and fellow legend Ty Cobb fixed “at least” one game between their respective teams while they were managers in 1926. Speaker was also reportedly one of several players during his time that were part of the Ku Klux Klan (yes, the same KKK). However, he had no problem reaching the Hall, gathering over 80% of the vote in 1937. 

Speaker, left, and Cepeda, right, don’t have the best track records.

 Orlando Cepeda is also immortalized in the Hall of Fame. He was elected in 1999 by the Veterans Committee, which votes on players that are ineligible to be voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Cepeda was an 11 time All-Star and a 2 time National League RBI Champion. He was also a noted drug user from 1965 (the middle of his career) until later in his life. He was convicted of drug possession charges in 1978 after trying to smuggle marijuana from Colombia to the United States in 1975. He served 10 months of his 5 year sentence in jail, the rest on probation in a halfway home for fear that the mafia would find and kill him. Oh, by the way, all of this happened after his retirement but before he was celebrated in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame. Former Players Association Executive Director Marvin Miller once said that “the Hall is full of villains.” A-Rod would fit right in.

Let’s not forget that A-Rod didn’t use steroids for his whole career. He admitted to using it from 2001-2003 while with the Texas Rangers. In that span, he had 569 hits and 156 homers. If you subtract those numbers from his career stats, he still has 505 homers and just under 2,400 hits. That’s still nothing to laugh at, and definitely Hall of Fame power. The Yankees should pay Rodriguez his $6 million bonus just for having the career he did without the steroid numbers. 

Rodriguez was a monster in Arlington, but his numbers were tainted.

 I’m by no means in favor of what A-Rod has done. Cheating is cheating, and it is wrong any way you slice it. However, I feel that the Yankees are just trying to add to the career-long vendetta that they have against Rodriguez by denying him what he really does deserve. On that front, I feel for A-Rod. He’s trying to turn his career and life around, but the Yankees seem bent on stifling him.