YOGI BERRA - QUESTIONNAIRE SIGNED - HFSID 270017

YOGI BERRA
The dynamic catcher provides responses in blue ink to a handful of questions
Questionnaire signed: "Lawrence Peter Berra", 1p, 8½x11. No place, no date. Questionnaire with six typed questions answered by Berra in holograph. In full: "Who was your favorite baseball hero when you were a youngster? 'Joe Medwick' What major league ball park was your favorite? Which park seemed best suited to your style of hitting? 'Detroit' Which manager, or player, do you feel had the most influence in developing your talents to championship quality? 'Bill Dickey' What do you consider your most memorable moment associated with the game of baseball? 'catching Don Larsens [sic]Perfect Game' Who do you consider the toughest pitchers you had to face in the major leagues? 'Alex Kellner' If you had the decision to make again, Mr. Berra, would you still wish to become a professional baseball player? 'Yes.' Lawrence Peter “YOGI” BERRA (1925-2015) was born in St. Louis in 1925. JOE MEDWICK debuted with the Cardinals when Yogi was seven-years-old, playing in the St. Louis outfield from 1932-1940 and again from 1947 and 1948 after playing for the Giants, Dodgers and Braves. In 1937, Medwick won the triple crown and was the National League's MVP.  Medwick and Berra were briefly teammates on paper when the Yankees signed Medwick as a free agent on December 11, 1946. He was released on April 29, 1947; he never played a game for the Yankees. Berra had debuted with the Yankees on September 22, 1946. Lefty ALEX KELLNER pitched for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics (1948-1958) before ending his career with the Reds and Cardinals (1958-1959). He had a lifetime record of 101-112. His best year was his 1949 rookie year when he went 20-12 and made the All Star team. The DETROIT Tigers played in Briggs Stadium from 1912-1999. It was originally called Navin Field; it was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 and became Tiger Stadium in 1961. The movie 61, about Berra's teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle's quest to break Babe Ruth's home run record, was filmed there in 2000. BILL DICKEY played his entire career catching for the New York Yankees, 1928-1943, 1946. Dickey was released by the Yankees on September 20, 1946, two days before Yogi Berra played his first game for the club. In 1949, Dickey returned to the Yankees as a coach, as first base coach and as catching instructor, to aid Yogi Berra in playing the position. Berra said, "Bill Dickey is learning me all of his experiences." Already a good hitter, Berra became an excellent defensive catcher. With Berra having inherited his uniform number 8, Dickey wore number 33 until the 1960 season. Dickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954; Berra in 1972. In 1972, the Yankees retired uniform number 8 for both Dickey and Berra. In 1988, the Yankees honored both catchers with plaques which were hung in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. One of the most memorable moments in baseball history took place at Yankee Stadium on October 8, 1956, when Yankee pitcher DON LARSEN pitched the only no-hitter in World Series history in game 5 of the 1956 World Series, defeating the 1955 World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers 2-0. It was a perfect game in which Larsen retired all 27 batters he faced. The image of 5 foot 8 Yogi Berra leaping into the arms of 6 foot 4 Don Larsen is indelibly imprinted in the minds of all Yankees fans. On the questionnaire, Berra commenced signing "Yogi Berra" but when he noticed the typed line said: "Lawrence Peter Berra", he crossed out the "Yo" and signed in full. Fine condition.