Spring Break
One-man play examines life of Yankees all-star catcher Berra
Christopher Barrett
Issue date: 11/22/05 Section: News
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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.
