Start 2012 off right with an old Yogi commercial

This might just be my favorite commercial of all-time. Yogi Berra + Aflac duck + barber shop = classic. Enjoy, especially if you haven't seen it before.

(Let's not forget this is also in honor of Yogi being named "Wisest Fool of the Past 50 Years" by The Economist magazine in January 2005.)

Steinbrenner to be honored tonight, E:60 tomorrow

The Yankees are dedicating a monument in honor of George M. Steinbrenner tonight. Notables to be in attendance include Joe Torre, Don Mattingly, Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson.

ESPN’s E:60 will air a documentary for Steinbrenner Tuesday night.

Steinbrenner was more than just one of the greatest owners in sports history. If you’ve seen the Yankeeography for him, I bet you’ve already learned a ton about him you didn’t expect.

If you have some time, check out my archive on The Boss here.

Phil Linz Featured Card of the Week

Phil Linz was a utility player for the Yankees in the 1960s and might be most remembered for his harmonica playing.

Fittingly, this quirky fact about Linz was made known through Ball Four by Jim Bouton, last week’s FCOTW. Here’s the famous harmonica story from Wikipedia:

On the team bus, after a Yankee loss to the Chicago White Sox, Linz was in the back playing a plaintive version of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on his harmonica. Yankee manager Yogi Berra thought the sad cowboy style mixed with a children's nursery rhyme was mocking the team. He told Linz to pipe down. Linz didn't hear and kept playing. Berra became infuriated and called back from the front of the bus, "If you don't knock that off, I'm going to come back there and kick your ass." Linz couldn't hear the words over the music, so he asked Mickey Mantle, "What he say?" Mantle responded, "He said to play it louder." This led the famous confrontation when Berra stormed to the back of the bus, slapped the harmonica out of Linz' hands, and the instrument hit Joe Pepitone's knee.

As you can tell, Linz is not well recognized for his baseball playing. Although, judging from his career stats he seemed like a serviceable backup infielder and outfielder.

Compilation of reactions to Steinbrenner’s passing

Below is a compilation of reactions from people throughout the Yankees organization and the rest of the world.

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“He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family – his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren. He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again.” –Steinbrenner family statement

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“Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Steinbrenner family. This is a sad day not only for Yankee fans, but for our entire City, as few people have had a bigger impact on New York over the past four decades than George Steinbrenner. George had a deep love for New York, and his steely determination to succeed – combined with his deep respect and appreciation for talent and hard work – made him a quintessential New Yorker.

“George invested his heart and soul into the Yankees, and his competitive fire helped usher in new eras of Yankee greatness, reclaiming the team’s long tradition of excellence and its position as the most successful franchise in the history of American sports. He was a champion who made New York a better place, and who always gave back to the city he loved. He has left an indelible legacy on the Yankees, on baseball, and on our city, and he leaves us in the only way that would be appropriate: as a reigning world champion.” – Mayor Mike Bloomberg

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George M. Steinbrenner III, the most visible, vilified and successful baseball owner of the free-agency era, died on Tuesday morning following a massive heart attack.

In his heyday he was known as many things — most notably, as a bad loser — but there is no denying that he made the Yankees into a winner. He was the shipbuilding magnate who bought the ball club for a relative pittance ($10 million in 1973) from CBS and restored the Yankee brand to its former glory. During his reign as owner, Steinbrenner’s Yankees won 11 American League pennants and seven world championships, more than any other team in that span. The franchise’s value soared into more than a billion as it became the staple product of its own cable network while still leading the big leagues in attendance year after year.

Along the way he exerted his will in an indomitable fashion, displaying legendary impatience and volatility. He bought out his 13 limited partners by the end of his first decade as owner, prompting John McMullen, who later owned the Houston Astros, to say, “Nothing is more limited than being a limited partner of George’s.” During his first 20 years with the Yankees, Steinbrenner hired and fired 21 managers, including Billy Martin five times. Before the 1982 season, Steinbrenner announced that manager Bob Lemon should feel secure in his job; Lemon was fired 14 games into the season. Two years later, Steinbrenner talked about his manager, Yogi Berra, before the season again and said “Yogi will be the manager the entire season, win or lose.” After 16 games, Berra was fired. He would not return to Yankee Stadium for 14 years.

…One former employee of the Yankees told Steinbrenner biographer Dick Schaap, “George Steinbrenner doesn’t want to be loved, and he doesn’t want to be hated, George Steinbrenner wants to be feared.”

“Sometimes,” Steinbrenner once told a reporter, “as much as I don’t want to — I have to inflict pain. But I also inflict some joy.” – Alex Belth.

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“The news of the passing of George Steinbrenner was very saddening," Lyle said this morning. "I admired the man tremendously. He was the one who brought the Yankees back to prominence. All the little things that went on during his first years of ownership were growing pains for him and he is one of those guys that will be missed a lot.” – Sparky Lyle

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“This is a very sad day for me and Carmen and all of baseball.  My sympathies go out to the Steinbrenner family.

“George was The Boss, make no mistake.  He built the Yankees into  champions and that’s something nobody can ever deny.  He was a very  generous, caring, passionate man.  George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.” – Yogi Berra

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“There’s not question that the passing of George leaves a tremendous void for the Yankees and for baseball. He really changed things in the order of baseball after he bought the Yankees in 1973, and basically it’s turned out so great for baseball. His vision was to spend money to make money.

“I’ve heard one million George Steinbrenner stories of things he did for people that would bring a tear to your eye. So he was a combination. Was he a tough boss? Boy, you bet he was. But he also had the softest side to him. In my own way, I really loved him. He took care of so many people in so many ways. I’m really very sad today, but he did phenomenal things for the Yankees.” – John Sterling

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“Anybody who knows what the Yankees were like before there was a George Steinbrenner certainly knows what he did on the field. He was a remarkable man. He had one thing in mind always and that was building a team and bringing championships to the city of New York.

“His legacy is going to be something that is so far reaching, and you’re going to read in the coming days about what he was like. I don’t think we’re ever going to see a person like this again.” – Suzyn Waldman

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“On behalf of Baseball, I am very saddened by the passing this morning of George Steinbrenner. George was a giant of the game and his devotion to baseball was surpassed only by his devotion to his family and his beloved New York Yankees. He was and always will be as much of a New York Yankee as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and all of the other Yankee legends.” – Bud Selig

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“I am deeply saddened to hear the news of George Steinbrenner’s passing. His vision, passion and commitment to winning, recharged the New York Yankees and revolutionized the game. I remember a man driven to succeed. He was the owner, “The Boss” and number one fan of the Yankees. Our relationship was built on mutual respect. I will never forget and always be grateful for how he treated me and my family both during my playing days and after I retired. I will miss him very much and extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Joan, and all the members of the Steinbrenner family.” – Don Mattingly

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“We lost a great person, a great leader and a great American. There will never be anyone like George Steinbrenner...” – Randy Levine

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“It’s only fitting that he went out as a world champ.” – Joe Torre

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I’ll continue to update this post as more reactions become available. In the mean time, check out more reactions compiled by the New York Times, reactions compiled by the Daily News, a timeline of his life.

Yogi Berra Featured Card of the Week

Since yesterday was ring day, I thought it would be fitting to choose Yogi Berra as my featured card of the week. This is a 1964 Topps of Yogi as a manager!

Berra’s got 10 championship rings. That’s one for every finger for those counting at home. Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera are all halfway there, but their careers are far more than halfway over. Sorry, guys. Nobody can touch Yogi.

Joe DiMaggio Featured Yankee Card of the Week

The only reason why I’m bringing Joe DiMaggio up is because he popped up in my Google Reader on Friday.

Another Yogi-ism.

Read this tweet by a Rays reporter (via Hardball Talk). That’s Yogi for you.

Like Craig said, I can’t really weigh in on this because I haven’t seen him play outside of a few video clips. If any older fans want to share some wisdom on the matter, chime in down in the comments.

Note on Evan Longoria: He’s my early prediction for AL MVP. Expect full preseason predictions to come out some time this week. And hopefully a new banner too.

Yogi Berra Featured Card of the Week

Yogi Berra is a guy typically seen in Yankee camp. I’d expect he loosens up some of the shy, yet competitive prospects. No?

Wouldn’t you love to be Yogi? He’s most well-known for these three things:

1. For his out-of-this-world humorous personality.
2. For winning 10 World Series rings — the most ever by anyone.
3. For still believing he tagged Jackie Robinson before he touched home plate in the 1955 World Series.

My favorite Yogi-ism: “When you get to a fork, take it.” This link to tons more Yogi-isms will make your day. I promise.

Fun fact: Berra grew up in the same town my mother did, Montclair, N.J.

Yogi Berra Featured Yankee Card of the Week

After the Yankees clinched their 40th pennant last night, I knew I was going to choose this Yogi Berra card because of his illustrious history of playing in the World Series.

Berra played in an astounding 14 World Series for a total of 75 games — that’s almost half a season of playing in the World Series!

Also, having just enough rings to fit all 10 fingers is pretty awesome. Berra’s one-of-a-kind character makes him one of the most lovable Yankees of all-time. My favorite Yogi-ism, “When you get to a fork, take it.”