Yogi Berra Archives - River Avenue Blues

Saturday Links: Wildcard Game, Thames, Judge, Son, Yogi

September 26, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees and White Sox are halfway through their four-game series. They continue the set with the third game later this afternoon. Here are some links to help you pass the time.

Wildcard games start times announced

Earlier this week, MLB announced the start times for the two wildcard games. The AL game will be played at 8:08pm ET on Tuesday, October 6th, while the NL game will be played at 8:08pm ET on Wednesday, October 7th. Standard postseason start times. The AL game will be broadcast on ESPN and the NL game on TBS. Those are the only games scheduled those days. The full postseason schedule can be found right here.

The Yankees come into today four games back of the Blue Jays in the AL East and 4.5 games up on the Astros for the first wildcard spot. They’re five games up on the Angels for a wildcard spot in general. The magic number to clinch the team’s first postseason berth since 2012 is a mere five, as Joe DiMaggio tells you in the sidebar. It’s unlikely the Yankees will catch and pass the Blue Jays to win the AL East, so they figure to be playing in that wildcard game one week from Tuesday. They’ll host the game at Yankee Stadium if they hold onto their lead for the first wildcard spot.

Q&A with Marcus Thames

Brendan Kuty recently posted a short-ish interview with Triple-A Scranton hitting coach Marcus Thames, who was with the Yankees during their recent trip to Toronto. Thames discussed his philosophy as a hitting coach and some players we’ve seen come up from the minors this year. He also spoke about top prospect OF Aaron Judge at length after Judge hit .224/.308/.373 (98 wRC+) with a 28.5% strikeout rate in 61 games for the RailRiders.

“If you come to a game and watch, everybody’s trying to make him expand (the strike zone). So if he expands, he’s going to get himself out. So he’s going to have to have discipline to know what he does well, and that’s swing at strikes. If he does that, he’s going to be fine,” said Thames. Judge is always going to strike out a bunch — he’s 6-foot-7 remember, that’s a lot of strike zone to cover — but another few hundred at bats in Triple-A next season is best for him. Triple-A is the place to learn how to not expand the zone, not the big leagues.

Korean OF Ah-Seop Son plans to come to MLB

Korean outfielder Ah-Seop Son plans to come over to MLB this offseason, reports Jeff Passan. Son will not be a free agent this winter, so his team, the Lotte Giants, will have to make him available through the posting system. Once he is posted, teams will be able to place a blind bid, and high bidder gets a 30-day window to negotiate a contract with Son. Here are his career stats, via Baseball Reference:

Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lg	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007	19	-9.5	Lotte	KBO	4	6	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	.167	.167	.333	.500
2008	20	-8.2	Lotte	KBO	80	250	31	66	11	1	3	17	2	3	28	35	.303	.387	.404	.791
2009	21	-7.3	Lotte	KBO	34	96	11	16	4	0	3	4	1	1	9	16	.186	.263	.337	.600
2010	22	-6.0	Lotte	KBO	121	487	85	129	23	0	11	47	6	2	50	82	.306	.377	.438	.815
2011	23	-5.4	Lotte	KBO	116	492	79	144	25	5	15	83	13	4	43	80	.326	.385	.507	.892
2012	24	-4.3	Lotte	KBO	132	556	61	158	26	0	5	58	10	5	41	79	.314	.370	.396	.766
2013	25	-3.5	Lotte	KBO	128	568	83	172	23	4	11	69	36	7	64	88	.345	.421	.474	.895
2014	26	-2.9	Lotte	KBO	122	570	105	175	25	3	18	80	10	3	80	78	.362	.456	.538	.994
2015	27		Lotte	KBO	108	480	82	133	26	0	12	52	11	6	62	95	.321	.408	.471	.879
All Levels (9 Seasons)					845	3505	539	994	164	13	78	411	89	31	377	554	.324	.399	.462	.860

Son, who turns 28 in March, is described as a player “whose forte is more hitting for a high average and getting on base” rather than hitting for power. Passan notes Son will qualify for free agency next year, so if he gets lowballed during contract talks this winter, he could simply return to Korea for another season, then try again as a true free agent with more negotiating leverage next offseason.

The Yankees have a full and rather pricey big league outfield as well as a bevy of lefty hitting outfielders in the upper minors — Son is a left-handed hitter as well — so I’m not sure he makes sense for them. (For what it’s worth, the Yankees are reportedly scouting Korean first baseman Byung-Ho Park.) That said, you can be sure teams will take a much harder look at Korean players going forward following the success of Jung-Ho Kang with the Pirates.

Yogi’s funeral will be an “intimate private memorial”

According to Priscella DeGregory, the funeral for the late Yogi Berra will be an “intimate private memorial” next week, likely near his home in Montclair, New Jersey. It’ll be a small service for his family according to officials for Berra’s museum. “The outpouring of emotion that we have witnessed is a testimonial to how significant an impact he had not just as an athlete but as a human being,” said museum CEO Kevin Peters to DeGregory. Yogi passed away at age 90 late Tuesday night. We all miss him.

Yogi’s legacy extends far beyond the baseball field

September 23, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Yankees and the baseball world lost one of their all-time greats Tuesday evening. Yogi Berra, inner circle Hall of Famer and ten-time World Series champion, passed away at the age of 90. Like all of us, Berra got a little bit older each year, yet it always felt like he would live forever. And he will in all of us. It’s hard to imagine living a more full and more loved life than he did.

“To those who didn’t know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time,” wrote Derek Jeter at the Players Tribune. “To those lucky ones who did, he was an even better person. To me he was a dear friend and mentor. He will always be remembered for his success on the field, but I believe his finest quality was how he treated everyone with sincerity and kindness. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

On the field, Yogi was arguably the best catcher in baseball history and is at the very least on the super short list of candidates. Eighteen All-Star Games, ten World Series titles, three MVPs, behind the plate for Don Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series … Berra did it all during his career. They don’t make players like him anymore. Durable catchers who produced year after year after year.

And yet, if you asked Yogi, I’m guessing he’d say he was most proud of his accomplishments off the field. For starters, he was a war hero, enlisting in the Navy and fighting in World War II from 1944-45. Berra was on the ground during the Normandy Invasion on D-Day and fought in several other battles as well. At the time, Yogi was simply known as Seaman 1st class Berra.

After his playing career was over, Berra set up a fund at Columbia that has given away scholarships for over a half-century now. The Museum and Learning Center that bears his name in New Jersey provides education programs to thousands each year. Berra was also an ambassador for Athlete Ally, which promotes LGBT rights in sports. All tremendous causes.

Then there are the Yogisms. Everyone has their favorite. I’m partial to “love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too,” but there are countless others. “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” “90% of the game is half mental.” “It’s deja vu all over again.” “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” On and on they go.

The Yogisms are much more than mangled bits of the English language. They bring a smile to our face whenever we hear them. That was Yogi. He made everyone smile in his own special way. Everyone loved him and he loved everyone. Berra was a tremendous player and that will never be forgotten. He was an even better man as well. Rest in peace, Yogi. You were truly one of a kind.

Yogi Berra Passes Away at 90

September 23, 2015 by Joe Pawlikowski Leave a Comment

yogi

Yogi Berra passed away last night. He was 90. Chances are you’ve seen the news already. Consider this our memorial to Yogi, whose body may have perished but who will remain immortal through his words and acts as a baseball player and human being.

“Yogi Berra’s legacy transcends baseball,” said Hal Steinbrenner in a statement. “Though slight in stature, he was a giant in the most significant of ways through his service to his country, compassion for others and genuine enthusiasm for the game he loved. He has always been a role model and hero that America could look up to.

“While his baseball wit and wisdom brought out the best in generations of Yankees, his imprint in society stretches far beyond the walls of Yankee Stadium. He simply had a way of reaching and relating to people that was unmatched. That’s what made him such a national treasure.

“On behalf of my family and the entire Yankees organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Yogi’s family, friends and loved ones.”

RIP Yogi.

Yogi ‘in good spirits’ after clubhouse tumble

March 10, 2011 by Benjamin Kabak 7 Comments

A little bit of scary news out of Clearwater this morning: Guest instructor and storied Hall of Famer Yogi Berra took a fall inside the Yankee clubhouse earlier today prior to the team’s game against the Phillies. According to reports, the former catcher “caught one of his sneakers on the carpe…and fell on his backside.” He did bang his head, and the Yankees say paramedics attending to him on the spot. “He is alert and in good spirits,” a team spokesman said.

For Yogi, this is the second such fall in recent months. He missed Old Timers Day in July after stumbling at his Montclair, New Jersey, home. Hopefully, he’ll have a speedy recovery this week. “He’s in good spirits, he’s smiling,” Yankee GM Brian Cashman said. “He didn’t want to go. We’re going to make sure it’s going to be fine.”