Driving Mr. Yogi

Veteran sportswriter Araton (columnist, New York Times; When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks) provides a well-rounded portrait of the lovable and legendary Yogi Berra by using Berra's return to Yankee spring training in Tampa, ever since 1999, as his framing device. Many revealing and often humorous anecdotes feature Ron Guidry, fellow Yankee Hall of Famer, assigned to chaperone Berra around Tampa every year. There are also numerous anecdotes about Berra with his wife, Carmen. Araton recounts Berra's long baseball career, his 14-year self-exile from the Yankees, and his complex relationship with late Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. A few new "Yogi-isms" are a nice bonus in this entertaining and informative volume. Recommended to all baseball fans, especially those interested in the traditions, conflicts, and multigenerational bonds within the "Yankee family" and Berra's patriarchal franchise role.—D.K.