Driving Mr. Yogi : Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and baseball's greatest gift / Harvey Araton.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"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

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. Yogi 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 fourteen 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 their imaginations. And in Yogi, Guidry found not just an elder companion or source of amusement - he found a best friend.
At turns tender, at turns laugh-out-loud funny, and teeming with unforgettable baseball yarns that span more than fifty 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.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Prologue (p. ix)
• 1 The Pickup (p. 1)
• 2 Roots (p. 12)
• 3 The Late Show (p. 30)
• 4 Perfection (p. 47)
• 5 Campers (p. 60)
• 6 Shared Values (p. 77)
• 7 Total Recall (p. 93)
• 8 It Takes a Clubhouse (p. 113)
• 9 RonÆs Rule (p. 129)
• 10 Frog Legs and Friends (p. 142)
• 11 Swish Hitting (p. 154)
• 12 A YankeeÆs Calling (p. 171)
• 13 Concessions (p. 185)
• Epilogue (p. 201)
• Acknowledgments (p. 211)
• Index (p. 213)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Soon Berra was ushered outside by the airline attendant and his face brightened when he spotted the familiar white truck, Guidry waiting on the sidewalk. He took the bags from the attendant--two moderately sized suitcases, one with the familiar interlocking NY Yankees insignia. How come you didn't come in? Berra asked, before proceeding to recite the itinerary for the remainder of the day--hotel check-in, shopping, supper, etc. Guidry rolled his eyes and complained aloud about what he again had gotten himself into. Get your ass in the truck, he barked at Berra, who giggled like a little boy on his way to his first ball game. Guidry reached inside the truck, picked up the dark blue baseball cap with the inscription Driving Mr. Yogi, and placed it atop his neatly combed hair. With him at the wheel and Berra in the passenger seat, they pulled into traffic and drove off for another long adventure together, just as they had for the past eleven years. Excerpted from Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift by Harvey Araton All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

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. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Ron Guidry got to know Yogi Berra, the beloved baseball legend and notable quotable, in 1977, when he was a curious young ace pitcher for the New York Yankees and Berra was a venerable coach with answers. When Berra joined the Yankees as a spring training instructor in 2000, Guidry volunteered to pick up Berra, eventually becoming his valet and companion during their monthlong stay in Florida. That annual arrangement has bloomed into a deep friendship. Guidry calls Berra his best friend, and as his former mentor approaches 90, Guidry has become a guardian and protector. Berra cares for Guidry, though he's loath to say that. "He doesn't want to be treated like a superstar or a celebrity," says Kevin McLaughlin, a Berra family friend. "He wants his friends to bust his balls. He loves it. And nobody does it better than [Guidry]." Araton (When the Garden Was Eden) deftly and tenderly traces the odd couple's rapport, which involves an assist from late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, whose apology to an angry Berra ended his long exile from the venerable organization. More than a portrait of two unlikely pals, Araton has fashioned a tribute to the days when teams could be considered families, rather than a collection of constantly changing faces. The book should soothe the soul of the most cynical sports fan. Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Yogi Berra is arguably the most beloved baseball player ever. It's been nearly 50 years since he retired as a player, but Berra still has cachet as an advertising spokesman. New York Times columnist Araton fleshes out his story with dozens of anecdotes from Yogi's storied career. But this isn't really a baseball book. It's a friendship story, specifically of the friendship between Berra and Ron Guidry, the former Yankee pitching great 25 years Berra's junior. The Yankee organization invites many of its former greats to spring training as guest instructors, partly to instruct current players in Yankee tradition. For years, Guidry has been Berra's almost-constant companion in spring training, acting as chauffeur, golf partner, dinner companion, and confidant. It's a responsibility fueled by love and respect. Araton tells the story of the two men's friendship, including delicious details throughout (e.g., all Yankee managers are required to keep a special vodka in their Florida desks for Berra). This is an engaging account of a friendship that was forged on a ball field but has extended far beyond it.--Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2010 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

New York Times spring-training column written last year by Araton (When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks, 2011, etc.). It's the story of a younger player and the idol who became his best friend. There is no talk of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, nor of salaries exponentially inflated since the two played. There is little about games that mattered, since much of the book concerns the spring training rituals that annually reunite the two. It's also the story of two genuinely likable, admirable athletes, though the nuanced portrait of Berra is pricklier than the cuddly caricature so often depicted. He adheres strictly to routines, from a rigid schedule to his rotation of restaurants and the meals he orders there. Guidry understands Berra well enough to know when to poke fun at him and when to protect him from the attention he most certainly doesn't crave. Other indelible characters play a part--including George Steinbrenner, whose alienation of Berra and reconciliation with him proved key in the lives of both--but this is mainly the story of two buddies and the sport over which they have bonded. A well-told tale if friendship with baseball as the backdrop.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.