An obituary for Yogi

There is much sadness these days for all the baseball fans here in RehabLand. While we are far away from New York City, many mourn one the passing of the last great characters in baseball, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, the pride of the Yankees.

Here in the wilds of the middle of America, it ain't proper to like anything coastal. "Them people are strange" is a comment that is not uncommon. In the villages, towns and small cities, baseball is the life of summer. People come out, see neighbors, and have a good time.

Yogi, however, was someone people could identify with in RehabLand. He was a son of immigrants who grew up in St. Louis, MO and never forgot where he came from. He was tough and never let people's impression of him become his destiny. Beneath that smiling, crinkly face was a sharp guy with an eye for baseball, and how to navigate it successfully.

In later years, Ron Guidry wrote a book about going to spring training with him. I highly recommend it. It's a fun book to read.

It really wasn't over, 'til it was over, and what a life it was. Thank you Yogi for giving us a lot of smiles and excitement watching our national past time. You will be missed.