As someone who grew up with the Big Red Machine, I really did not know anything about Yogi Berra besides his "isms" and had never heard of Dale Berra.

Throughout the book, Dale's love for his father shown through. Yes, it is a baseball book. But it is more than that - family love, competition, addiction. I enjoyed the reflections/retrospects from Dale's two brothers, Larry and Tim. All three sons bring the legend to life and gave the personal side of Yogi meaning. He was able to set examples for his family, teams, and the industry, much needed in today's environment.

Some hardcore baseball fans may want more about the Yankees and Yogi with additional "dirt." Others will want more focus on Dale, his and daughter's addictions and how that impacted the family. Others, like me, will want a balance and perspective that a son can do.

This book is good for the person who not only enjoys baseball but wants to learn about someone who is bigger than life and realize he was a father who was a good man and set an example who happened to excel in baseball and his son growing up in that environment.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Who is Dale Berra? If you're not familiar with baseball, he's Yogi Berra's son. If you're a baseball fan, he's Yogi Berra's son. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Dale is more than that though. He's a husband, father, son, brother and former ball player. He was raised in Montclair, New Jersey by his parents Yogi and Carmen. They had three boys; Larry, Tim and Dale. They were all gifted with athleticism and a competitive nature. Dale is the youngest, but his life wasn't one on Easy Street. Sure, he and his brothers were maybe given more than other kids their age but they weren't spoiled. Yogi wouldn't have allowed that. He wanted them to earn everything that came to them. It was a lesson that they learned well. This is the story of learning that lesson and many others.

Yogi was born Lorenzo Pietro Berra, (later anglicized to Lawrence Peter) in St. Louis to parents Pietro and Paolina. They believed in hard work, honesty, and respect. They taught those lessons and Yogi absorbed them and would later teach them in his Yogi way to his own family. He served in the Navy and was a part of D-Day as a Gunner's Mate. He was even wounded and awarded a medal but he never bragged about those things. He never bragged about anything. It just wasn't part of his personality.

More famously though, he was a Yankee. The Yankee some would say. He played and coached throughout his career. He won championships and coached players as they were coming up.

Dale tells his father's story while telling his own. He is listed as the sole author but typical of older brother's, Larry and Tim chime in occasionally. They add a bit of color to a book that is, in the beginning, a bit dry due to an abundance of game stats and not enough of himself. Later, his daughter contributes to and enriches the story with her view of things.

Eventually, he begins to include stories of his upbringing, We find that Yogi parented in a strict but very hands-off way. He didn't show his affection in the traditional ways but his sons always knew they were loved. He wanted them to learn by doing, and earn the legacy that is his name. He never handed them anything he didn't feel they earned.

Dale wasn't a perfect man. He had his shortcomings and he's honest about them, recounting his drug addiction and the legal troubles that followed. He takes the blame for his failed marriage and his daughter's troubled childhood. He covers his drug use in a superficial way but that was the way he dealt with it in real life too, even after facing court proceedings. He didn't feel like he was out of control - until his family held an intervention. It was shocking and enough of a kick in the pants to set him on the right path.

He tells many stories that include the feud between George Steinbrenner and Yogi and how it was ultimately resolved. He tells about the creation of Yogi's museum. He gives us interesting tidbits ie. a ferry named after Yogi was the first boat to save passengers when Sully Sullenberger landed the plane in the Hudson. He also name drops throughout but not in a gossipy way. He merely mentions people dropping by or being invited to things like they were commonplace because they were. This isn't the story of DiMaggio or Mantle but they're included. So many other famous names are too but it would take an hour to list them all. You don't read this book for those names though so I'll skip it.

Can I recommend this book? Yes, very easily.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and the intro further confused me. I wasn't sure if it would be about Yogi or Dale, and I wasn't sure I wanted to read the latter. Luckily it was tipped in favor of Yogi and I liked Yogi through Dale's lens. I'm young enough that while I'm familiar with Dale's truncated career, I didn't get to watch him play. I certainly knew of those others whose careers were impacted by drugs.

Overall a well written book. Some common stories, but a good chunk of this was new to me as well-read Yankees fan. I also like what Dale's brothers and daughter brought to the story with their memories if their (grand)father.

I'd recommend this to baseball fans, and even non fans. It's an accessible and interesting book.

I love Baseball and I adore Yogi. This is a mixture of History about Yogi and a lot of history on his son Dale. The writing was like listening to a friend telling you a story. If you’re a fan of Yogi, you’ll be a fan of this book.

If you are a fan of baseball, you will like this book. If you are a fan of Yogi Berra, you will love this book. Dale, Yogi’s youngest son, wrote a heartfelt tribute to his dad who was a devoted husband and father, a baseball legend, and an exceptional man and role model for all generations.
I enjoyed reading the many stories about Yogi and his contemporaries. His Yogi-isms still make me smile. I also liked the interspersed comments by Dale’s brothers and daughter. They wrote their own perspectives on what Dale had written. I especially enjoyed reading about the strong Berra bonds and the tough love they forced on Dale to either choose cocaine or his family…he couldn’t have both. Ironically, Dale had to use that same tough love on his daughter, Whitney, when cocaine became a part of her life.
Whether you’re a baseball fan or not, reading this book will entertain you. It will make you laugh and cry, but most importantly, it will honor a man who was simply a decent human being.

Excellent book written by the son of the great Yogi Berra. I am a baseball fan, but a Cubs fan not a Yankee fan and I still enjoyed reading about Yogi-the great Yankee star. I would highly recommend this to any Yogi Berra admirer. I loved the sincerity that Dale wrote about his Dad with. Though at times I felt that being great at sports was way too important in Dale's life and on how he judged people--which I really don't agree with. However, I think Yogi and Carmen Berra were excellent role models and just really good people after reading their son's book. I especially enjoyed when Dale would add vignettes in the book that showcased another member of his families memories about Yogi or their Mom.