Driving Mr. Yogi

Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift

By: Harvey Araton

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

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. Yogia 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 14 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.

By turns tender and laugh-out-loud funny, and teeming with unforgettable baseball yarns that span more than 50 years, Driving Mr. Yogi is a universal story about the importance of wisdom being passed from one generation to the next, as well as a reminder that time is what we make of it and compassion never gets old.

©2012 Harvey Araton (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“How would you like to hang out with Yogi Berra and Ron Guidry during spring training? Funny and sweet, Driving Mr. Yogi transports you there.” (Jim Bouton, author of Ball Four)

I Would Drive MR.Yogi !

What did you love best about Driving Mr. Yogi?

This book shows the human side of a guy who you already knew was down to earth and a really nice person. It shows that what we think about Yogi is really what he is. Great book. I learned a lot about Guidry in the process that made me like and respect him so much.

Feel Good Story

Very much enjoyed this book! Highly recommend it even if your not a Yankee fan!

Touching

If you could sum up Driving Mr. Yogi in three words, what would they be?

This is a great book for insight into the behind the scenes of the Yankees World. Being a life long Yankees fan, this was a great book for me. I've listened to it twice and can't wait to do it again.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a touching relationship (one I never knew about) between Mr. Guidry and Mr. Berra.

What a wonderful story.

I loved hearing about these stories of Yogi and Gator. It truly is heartwarming listening to how much Gator loved, respected and protected his aging friend. You need to listen to this book!

yankee fan

Where does Driving Mr. Yogi rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was a good book but a little draw out at times a bit dry.

Would you be willing to try another book from Harvey Araton? Why or why not?

yes

What about Peter Berkrot’s performance did you like?

his performance was so so he should have put more feeling in it

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Clubhouse Confintial.

Any additional comments?

A good book for Yankees and and baseballs fans. It opens up the curtin behind the yankees clubhouse and what was happening there.