Yogi: The Life & Times of an American Original by Carlo DeVito

Author:Carlo DeVito [DeVito, Carlo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2014-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

To an Ex-American League Pennant Winner

Although you were defeated, Yanks,

You shouldn’t feel too blue;

Just think of all your bars and banks

And bowling alleys, too.

As businessmen you guys are tops,

It really seems a shame

That you should have to leave your shops

Just for a lousy game.

* * *

On November 26, 1959, Berra and Carmen took off for Rome from New York International Airport on an Alitalia plane. Berra was to distribute $1,000 worth of baseball equipment to youngsters in that city as an emissary for Baseball for Italy, Inc., a nonprofit organization.

Baseball for Europe was an organization created by major league owners as an attempt to spread baseball into other markets. They were the first league to make in-roads in this way. Today the organization still exists and is called Major League Baseball Europe, Middle East, and Africa. So being chosen by the lords of baseball for such a venture was an impressive assignment for Berra. And it was also an instance of baseball as a business capitalizing on Berra’s fame, which reached far beyond the game itself.

This was Berra’s first time back in Rome since his visit during the war. Things had changed since he was there last. His first trip was an aimless amble, gawking at the sites and glory of Rome. He was a seaman and aspiring baseball player. Now here he was an ambassador for Major League Baseball in Europe.

In the interim, now age 34, he’d played in 10 World Series, married a wonderful woman, and fathered three children. While soccer was still king in Italy, baseball had caught on somewhat, with a league of its own sponsored by some soft drink companies. Alitalia contributed the tickets to Baseball for Italy for free.

The distribution of the goods was delayed when the mitts, balls, and equipment were held up by Italian customs officials. The Romans had no idea who Berra was. So he and Carmen, with a private car and tour guide provided for them, toured the city. They broke for lunch, with Berra eating a plate of spaghetti, two helpings of tripe, a salad, and some ice cream, all accompanied by a bottle of wine. It was a slightly different experience from his 1944 visit, when even the restaurants didn’t have a lot of food to offer in the midst of war.

Berra refused to try to speak his father’s dialect in Rome for fear of embarrassing himself. However, Ugo Antonucci, Berra’s business manager, and Ugo’s brother Eugene, who accompanied them on the trip, spoke Italian properly and made many inroads for them. Berra was relieved that no one knew who he was, and he could walk the streets unmolested. But at lunch, an American tourist recognized him and asked to shake his hand. Berra was polite and accommodating.

On the following Monday, Berra distributed the loot to local children. They were able to distribute the equipment to the 150 or more orphans at the Boys Town of Italy and to another organization.

While in Rome, Berra was granted an audience with the pope.

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