CATCHER IN THE SKY
Yogi a hit even at his funeral
The ashes of Yankee legend Yogi Berra were carried away by his son Tim (right) in a catcher’s mitt-topped box following his funeral yesterday.
Yankee legend Yogi Berra was compared to Pope Francis and remembered as a man who “personified the American dream” during a funeral Tuesday that was packed with loved ones and presided over by a cardinal — New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
Joe Torre, Berra’s longtime friend, who, like Yogi, managed both the Yankees and Mets, told the 400 mourners at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Montclair, NJ, that the Hall of Fame catcher lived a remarkable life until his death at age 90.
“Yeah, [he] won 10 World Series, three MVPs, all the stats, most World Series rings, you know managed both the Mets and Yankees to the World Series — but he was so much more than that,” Torre said.
“No matter what you read, it just wasn’t enough to describe what Lawrence Peter Berra was all about. Yogi Berra personified the American dream. You were a champion every single one of those 90 years. We are grateful. God bless you and your wonderful family, my friend.”
Dolan, comparing the pope and Yogi in everything from their “innate courtesy” to their “big ears,” noted that both their families left Italy in the early 20th century, with Berra’s landing in St.Louis and the pontiff ’s in Argentina.
Berra was a devout Catholic who attended Mass every Sunday, even if he didn’t speak much about it publicly, Dolan noted.
“Yogi may not have been able to articulate his faith very well, but it was simply part of who he was,” Dolan said fondly. “A philosopher we know he was, right? A theologian, hardly.”
Tim Berra, alongside brothers Dale and Larry, carried his dad’s ashes out of the church.
Berra’s remains — kept in a simple wooden box topped by a
miniature bronze catcher’s mitt — were placed near the altar during a service that lasted a little more than an hour.
While the memorial was upbeat, Whitney Berra — Dale’s daughter and Yogi’s granddaughter — choked up and said, “Sorry” while reading Scripture.
A trumpeter played “Taps” as a Navy color guard unfurled an American flag. Long before World War II Navy veteran Berra set foot in The Bronx, he was part of the Normandy DDay invasion and was later awarded a Purple Heart.
Team owner Hal Steinbrenner led a Yankee contingent of Bombers past and present at the funeral, including current manager Joe Girardi, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, David Wells, David Cone, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, Reggie Jackson and Andy Pettitte.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Jackie Robinson’s widow, Rachel, also attended the funeral.
Jeter reminisced about one stretch of his early career when, mired in a hitting slump, Berra offered him sage advice.
With hushed teammates gath ered around to hear Berra’s wisdom, Yogi blurted out, “I’ve got your solution . . . Try swinging at strikes.”
The room erupted in laughter, according to Jeter.
A public memorial will be held Sunday at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center on the campus of Montclair State University