Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift

Publisher Marketing: It happens every spring. Yankees pitching great Ron Guidry arrives at the Tampa airport to pick up Hall of Fame catcher and national treasure Yogi Berra. Guidry drives him to the ballpark. They watch the young players. They talk shop. They eat dinner together and tease each other mercilessly. They trade stories about the greats they have met along the way. And the next day they do the same thing all over again. As every former ballplayer can appreciate, in that routine, every spring, there emerges a certain magic. "Driving Mr. Yogi" is the story of how a unique friendship between a pitcher and catcher is renewed every year. It began in 1999, when Berra was reunited with the Yankees after a long self-exile, the result of being unceremoniously fired by George Steinbrenner fourteen years before. A reconciliation between Berra and the Boss meant that Berra would attend spring training again. Guidry befriended Mr. Yogi instantly. After all, Berra had been a mentor in the clubhouse back when Guidry was pitching for the Yankees. Guidry knew the young players would benefit greatly from Mr. Yogi s encyclopedic knowledge of the game, just as Guidry had during his playing days. So he encouraged him to share his insights. Soon, an offhand batting tip from Mr. Yogi turned Nick Swisher s season around. Stories about handling a hitter like Ted Williams or catching Don Larsen s perfect game captured the players imagination. And in Yogi, Guidry found not just an elder companion or source of amusement he found a best friend." Review Citations: Library Journal 02/01/2012 pg. 69 (EAN 9780547746722, Hardcover) Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2012 (EAN 9780547746722, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 02/13/2012 (EAN 9780547746722, Hardcover) Booklist 03/01/2012 pg. 39 (EAN 9780547746722, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Araton, Harvey Harvey Araton joined the "New York Times" as a sports reporter and national basketball columnist in 1991 and became a "Sports of the Times" columnist in 1994. He is the author of numerous books, including most recently, When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the Old Knicks. His work has also appeared in the "New York Times Magazine", "GQ", "ESPN The Magazine", "Sport", "Tennis", and "Basketball Weekly". Born in New York City in 1952, he is a 1975 graduate of the City University of New York. Araton lives in Montclair, New Jersey. Contributor Bio:  Berkrot, Peter A veteran of stage and screen, Peter Berkrot held feature roles in "Caddyshack" and Showtime's "Brotherhood". He has recorded over 170 audiobooks, over 100 for children; has been nominated for an Audie Award; and has received a number of "AudioFile" Earphones Awards and starred reviews.