Hall of Fame catcher, coach, and cultural icon Yogi Berra (1925-) was born Lawrence Peter Berra on this day in St. Louis, Missouri. When he was about 12, a friend nicknamed him "Yogi" because he looked like a yoga expert they saw at the movies.

His passion for baseball began early, playing neighborhood sandlot ball, then youth league by age 14.

"If I had to come back to life again, I'd like to be a ballplayer," he once said and was a Navy gunner's mate on a ship that fought at the beaches of Normandy in 1944.

As a player, Berra helped the New York Yankees win 10 of their 27 championships from 1947-1962. He won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1951, 1954, and 1955, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

"You can't think and hit at the same time," he said.

After retiring as a player, Berra became a coach and manager with the Mets, Yankees, and Astros. Throughout his career, he was beloved for his amusing "Yogi-isms," wonderful pockets of wit such as, "It ain't over till it's over." or “Baseball is 90 percent mental, the other half is physical.” or "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

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