Review of "Ten Rings: My Championship Seasons," by Yogi Berra with Dave Kaplan

 Review of

Ten Rings: My Championship Seasons, by Yogi Berra with Dave Kaplan ISBN 0060513810

Five out of five stars

Yogi Berra won more World Series than anyone else

 One of the all time great players as well as characters, Yogi Berra was a member of ten Yankee teams that won the World Series. This is more than anyone else, with fellow Yankee Joe DiMaggio second with nine. While there have been many books written by and about Yogi, this one is a very selective autobiography. As the title implies, while there is some background concerning his youth, the focus is on the years 1947-1962, when the Yankees were dominant.

 Berra describes some of the high points of the championship regular seasons as well as those of the World Series. He also spends some time explaining the years when the Yankees lost in the World Series and the times when they failed to win the American League pennant. It was a time when players were bound to a team via the reserve clause, so the players were generally at the mercy of the ownership. Berra describes his salary disputes with management, and it is amazing to read what players were paid when Berra played. Some modern players get far more per game than the earlier players were paid per season.

 Although there was a supplemental author, the tone of the prose is that of Berra. He remains one of the most popular players of all time, he is as much a legend regarding phrases as he is for his actions on the ballfield. It is an entertaining read.

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