THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605120004
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Yogi Berra signed bats, balls, a replica of home plate and armloads of New York Yankees treasures Saturday afternoon at the Oceanfront, but Kara Johnson wasn't the least bit intrigued.
Nor was she hoping the Hall-of-Fame catcher would utter one of his famous one-liners, coined ``Yogi-isms,'' that are perhaps more associated with the legend than the 14 World Series he appeared in during a 17-year career with the Yankees.
One-month-old Kara wanted a nap. But parents Cindy and Tommy Johnson of Yorktown wanted a picture, and Berra, signing his name for $22 bucks a pop at the Tuff Stuff Virginia Beach Classic Card Show, was happy to oblige. ``She's more like a football than a baseball,'' Berra said holding up the tiny baby donned in a pretty pin-striped dress as Mom snapped one for the scrapbook.
``We're longtime Yankee fans,'' says Tommy Johson, who, like his wife, was wearing a Yanks T-shirt.
The winner of three MVP awards, Berra was part of the Yankees dynasty that won 14 pennants and 10 World Series titles between 1946 and 1963. He went on to manage both New York teams, taking the Yanks to the World Series in 1964 and the Mets there in 1973. His minor-league career included a stint with the Norfolk Tars in 1943. A plaque in Harbor Park commemorates a pair of games in which he drove in 23 runs.
Today you'll more likely find him on the golf course working on his 18-handicap than throwing baseballs. Tan and wearing a green golf shirt, Berra says with a rub of the shoulder, ``Now I have to throw underhanded.''
He hasn't been back to Yankee Stadium since he was fired as manager there in 1985, opting instead to watch his favorite sport on a couple of TVs from his Montclair, N.J., home. Looking trim thanks to walking a couple of miles daily at the facility that is home to the New Jersey Devils, he's also quick to fend off tempting food. Offered pizza on Saturday, he rejected it in favor of turkey on rye.
In between chews of tobacco and camera flashes, Berra spews off most of the names on the Devils' roster when the talk turns to sports, but mainly he sticks to b-ball lingo. Admittedly, he isn't attached to anyone in the era of free agency. ``It's hard today,'' he says, a feeling he largely blames on the owners. ``I'd probably do the same thing. One guy offering you $1 million, another offers you $5 million. Who you gonna play for?''
But Don Leggett has a favorite, and it's Berra. Unlike many of the folks in line, Leggett has signed something for Berra - a birthday card. The Rich Square, N.C., native and the catcher share the same birthday. Berra turns 71 today, but doesn't look it.''
Katherine Foti has a thicker book - ``The Players of Cooperstown.'' She drove down from Rockville, Md., Saturday morning to add Berra's signature to a collection that includes Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Brooks Robinson, Bob Gibson and a dozen others.
Berra appears at a couple of shows a year while his three sons market his image via a sports memorabilia business. He retired from baseball in 1989 after coaching with the Houston Astros, and if he's not golfing, he enjoys spending time with his nine grandkids. He didn't stay in town to catch a Tides game, instead hopping a plane back to Jersey to join his wife, Carmen, at an art auction.
But not before Dave Bell of Richmond nabbed a couple of signatures. It's OK with Bell if Berra isn't quipping one-liners. Bell has them printed out on fancy bond paper:
Yogi on baseball: ``Ninety-nine percent of the game is half mental.''
Yogi on golf: ``Ninety percent of the putts that fall short don't go in.''
Yogi on Yogi: ``I didn't really say everything I said.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MIKE HEFFNER/The Virginian-Pilot
Yogi Berra poses with Kara Johnson of Yorktown while her parents
take their picture at a card show in Virginia Beach Saturday. ``She
looks more like a football than a baseball,'' he said.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE BIOGRAPHY BASEBALL by CNB