“Legends Remembered” celebrates Yogi Berra’s faith, family, and legacy
Almost 10 years after his passing, Yogi Berra remains one of the most beloved figures in American culture. The former New York Yankees catcher and manager won fame for his play on the field, as well as for his “Yogi-isms” like “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
A new video series, Legends Remembered, pays tribute to the Hall of Famer. Produced by Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark, the series features Larry Berra, Yogi’s eldest son, in conversation with Father Gabriel Costa, Catholic priest and mathematics professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The two men discuss Yogi Berra as a sports figure, father and husband, and man of faith.
Speaking with Jersey Catholic, Larry Berra said that his father had a tremendous impact on everyone who met him. Though known for being a fierce competitor, Yogi Berra is equally legendary for his civility and sportsmanship.
“People still come up to me and tell me how much they loved my father. When I ask them why, they tell me it’s because he never boasted when he won. He always beat the other guy with respect.”
It was the same at home, Larry Berra says. “If he won, he didn’t brag, and if he lost a game, he never talked about it when he came home. He just wanted to play with us.”
Faith and family
The seven Legends Remembered videos, released weekly, go beyond Yogi Berra’s baseball career. Fans may not know that Berra served in the US Navy during World War II and earned a Purple Heart. In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Mostly though, he was a man who just wanted to be with his wife and kids and be a good neighbor in his community.
According to Father Costa, who said he was “very honored” to participate in the project, viewers will also come to understand how faith and family were at the center of Yogi Berra’s life. Father Costa met Berra on many different occasions and was always in awe of him. As he told Jersey Catholic:
“After talking to Yogi Berra, you just see this man who is known worldwide and is probably, after Babe Ruth, the most famous baseball player in history, at least as a recognizable face. He is a man who was Catholic and believed what I believe. And it’s almost overwhelming when you see the legacy of a man who loved his family and loved his church.”
Larry Berra agreed. “He was a big family person,” Berra said. “During the winter, he could have made a lot of money traveling, doing promotions and that kind of thing, but he chose to stay home with us.”
He reiterates how his dad “loved to play with us. We played all these games: chess, cards, checkers — but he would never let you win. Afterward, though, he would go through the game with you. ‘I laid down a three, why did you lay down another seven?’”
Sanctity through the sacraments
Legends Remembered also explores the simple but concrete ways Yogi Berra lived out his Christian faith. Episode 3, for instance, looks at Yogi and Carmen Berra’s 65-year marriage and the depths of their sacramental union. “They were together all the time,” Larry Berra says in the video of his parents, even when his father had to be placed in an assisted living facility. Carmen Berra insisted on staying with him, although it meant sacrificing her health. “Nobody can take care of my man like I can,” she told her eldest son.
“I was shocked that she would do that,” an emotional Larry Berra says. “I think taking care of him just wore her down. She would not leave him.”
Carmen ultimately predeceased her husband by a year and a half.
“You know, from the Catholic point of view, everything is rooted in love,” Fr. Costa says in response. “Love is so strong that we believe even death is intimidated by it. And the Resurrection is rooted in love. But we still miss our loved ones.”
Yogi Berra is certainly missed by many. But with this wonderful and moving video series, he will hopefully continue to influence new generations. “With the way things are going now, I think people could use a little help from a guy like Yogi Berra,” said Larry Berra.
A Special Event
On Sunday, June 29 at 2 pm, the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, in partnership with Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark, will host a screening of the Legends Remembered series, followed by a Q&A with Larry Berra and Father Gabriel Costa.
The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center is located at 8 Yogi Berra Drive, Little Falls, NJ, on the campus of Montclair State University.
The event is free to attend.
For more information about the screening and about Legends Remembered, visit the series website.
Featured image: Yogi Berra’s eldest son, Larry Berra, stands at his father’s grave beside Father Gabriel Costa (Photos courtesy of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark)
You can watch the first episode of Legends Remembered below:
