One-man play examines life of Yankees all-star catcher Berra

11/22/05 - "You can observe a lot if you're watching," or so the University of Rhode Island audience was told Friday by the actor playing Yankees catcher Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra in the one-man play Nobody Don't Like Yogi. The play is set in 1999 as Berra prepares to throw the first pitch on baseball's opening day. The one-act play follows Berra as he recalls his days as catcher in a record 14 World Series and his time as Yankees general manager.

Friday was actor Barry Press' debut of the approximately one-hour play, which has been performed by others in New York and elsewhere.

Press, the artistic director at Living Literature, said Director of the Institute for International Sport Dan Doyle called him "out of the blue" one day and asked him to perform the show as part of this year's Honors Colloquium exploring sport in America.

"He wanted to do something special, rather than just have a speech," Press said. "It turned out to be more than anyone bargained for."

Press took the script by Tom Lysaght, tweaked it and rehearsed it before presenting it to a mostly gray-haired audience in the Memorial Union.

Press, who grew up in New York during Berra's heydays, said he did not follow sports at the time but enjoyed researching the often humorous and positive Berra.

"Yogi is a lot more positive than probably I am as a person," Press said.

In the play, Press opened by repeating some of the now famous "Yogi-isms."

"They [reporters] write what I say, not what I mean," Berra complained. He added, "Ninety percent of baseball is half mental."

Dressed in a plain gray suit with a red tie, the balding Berra launched into a scattered trip down memory lane.

"The first time I ever came to Yankee Stadium I knew I was in a hall of heroes," Berra said, recalling his first visit to the stadium as a child.

Berra also recalled his time as a catcher for the team where he "trash talked" the batters. Not just a catcher, Berra stood out as an impressive batter and became a 15-time all star and a three-time American League most valuable player.

"If you are in the major leagues and you look funny and you talk funny, you better not swing funny," Berra said.

Berra also recalled his brief stint as Yankees general manager before owner George Steinbrenner fired him at the end of the 1964 season. Berra swore never to return to Yankee Stadium as long as Steinbrenner owned the Yankees.

Press acted out a fictional depiction of Berra and Steinbrenner arguing over how to manage the team. When Berra dismissed Steinbrenner's suggestions for player positions, Steinbrenner accused Berra of not understanding English.

"I told him I know the king is English and I know the queen is English and I'm starting to feel like the Queen of England with no power," Berra said. "That's when the trouble started."

Berra criticized Steinbrenner for yelling at players on national television and his overall treatment of the team.

"George Steinbrenner didn't treat the stadium with respect," Berra said. "Not the place, not the people."

Berra also discussed his family including his wife Carmen and his son Dale who played for the Yankees under his father.

"You might want to know how I got Carmen to marry me. Easy, when she asked I said yes real quick," Berra said.

Throughout the play, Berra worked on his speech for opening day and eventually presented some of it to the audience where he thanked the Yankees.

"I could not figure out how a guy like me got to play for the world champion Yankees. What a job," Berra said.