Walk into the Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, and you’ll feel it. That heavy, gold-leafed history of the New York Yankees. But if you dig through the old New York Times archives from the late 40s, you find something a bit more human than the bronze plaques suggest. It wasn't always just "The Great DiMaggio" and the lovable "Yogi."
The relationship between Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio was, honestly, kind of a study in opposites. You had the "Yankee Clipper," a man so graceful he looked like he was carved from marble, and then you had Yogi. Larry MacPhail, the team president, once famously said Berra looked like "the bottom man on an unemployed acrobatic team."
Not exactly a glowing scouting report.
The 1947 Trade That Almost Changed History
Here is a weird bit of trivia that shows up in the NYT archives every few years when writers get nostalgic. Back in 1947, there was a legitimate, booze-fueled plan to trade Joe DiMaggio to the Boston Red Sox for Ted Williams. Basically, the owners—Dan Topping and Tom Yawkey—figured the ballparks were better suited for the opposite hitters.
The deal was basically done. Then, the Red Sox got greedy. They asked for a young catcher named Yogi Berra to be thrown into the mix. Topping said no. He kept Berra, the trade fell through, and the course of baseball history stayed exactly where it was. If that trade happens, does DiMaggio become a footnote in Boston? Does Yogi win ten rings in New York?
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Probably not.
How Joe DiMaggio Ended the Great Feud
Most people know about the 14-year war between Yogi Berra and George Steinbrenner. George fired Yogi just 16 games into the 1985 season—and he didn't even do it himself. He sent a surrogate. Yogi, being a man of immense principle (and a bit of a stubborn streak), vowed never to step foot in Yankee Stadium again as long as Steinbrenner was in charge.
He meant it. He stayed away for over a decade.
But the NYT reported a fascinating detail about how that ice finally melted. In 1999, Joe DiMaggio was in a Florida hospital, battling lung cancer. He was dying, and he knew it. He pulled Steinbrenner aside and basically told him to cut the nonsense. DiMaggio told him the feud was bad for the fans, bad for the game, and bad for the Yankees.
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"Fourteen years is long enough," Yogi later said. DiMaggio’s intervention was the catalyst that brought Yogi back home for "Yogi Berra Day" in 1999—the same day David Cone threw a perfect game with Don Larsen in the stands. You can't make that stuff up.
The Myth of the "Lovable Gnome"
There is this idea that Yogi was just a guy who said funny things like "It ain't over 'til it's over." But if you look at the stats, especially during the 1950s, he was the engine. From 1949 to 1955, on a team featuring DiMaggio and later Mickey Mantle, it was Berra who led the Yankees in RBIs for seven straight seasons.
DiMaggio was the king, but Berra was the guy doing the heavy lifting behind the plate.
Quick Facts: DiMaggio vs. Berra
- World Series Rings: Yogi has 10 (the most ever); Joe has 9.
- MVP Awards: Both won three.
- The Strikeout Stat: In 1950, Yogi had 595 at-bats and only struck out 12 times. Think about that. He had more home runs (28) than strikeouts. Joe was great, but Yogi was a freak of nature at the plate.
What Really Happened in the Clubhouse?
Joe was private. He was "The Clipper." He demanded a certain level of decorum. Yogi? Well, there’s an old story—referenced in a somewhat salty Deadspin piece and old sports columns—about Yogi standing naked at the clubhouse buffet, scratching himself over the cold cuts.
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Joe probably hated that.
They weren't necessarily "best friends" in the way we think of modern teammates. They were coworkers in a dynasty. Joe was the aloof leader who expected everyone to be on time and dressed to the nines. Yogi was the guy who stayed at the park late because he just loved being there.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking into the history of Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio via the NYT or other archives, here’s how to actually use that info:
- Check the Digital Archives: Use the New York Times "TimesMachine" to see the original 1947-1951 coverage. You’ll see that the media treated Joe like a god and Yogi like an experimental project that somehow worked.
- Visit the Museum: The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center isn't just a room of trophies; it's a deep dive into the immigrant experience in baseball. Both men were sons of Italian immigrants, and that shared background defined their work ethic.
- Evaluate Memorabilia: If you find "signed" items with both names, be wary. Joe was notoriously picky about what he signed and who he signed it with later in life. Items with both signatures from the 1950s are rare and incredibly valuable.
- Read "Yogi" by Roy Blount Jr.: It’s one of the best profiles ever written. It cuts through the "Yogi-isms" and shows the fierce, sometimes suspicious, and deeply talented man behind the quotes.
The real story isn't just about the rings. It’s about two guys from the "Hill" in St. Louis and the docks of San Francisco who became the pillars of the greatest dynasty in sports. One did it with grace, the other did it with grit (and a lot of bad-ball hitting).
The Yankees haven't been the same since they left the building.
Next Steps for Research:
Go to the NYT TimesMachine and search for "DiMaggio Berra trade 1947." Reading the contemporary accounts of how close that deal came to happening is a wild ride. You can also look up the specific coverage of July 18, 1999, to see the "Yogi Berra Day" photos—it was the day the Yankee family finally became whole again.