Yogi Berra did something else pretty wonderful too

The greatest person I've ever known was Frederick E. Krause, my grandfather. He was and still is my hero. I saw him battle ALS and defy all predictions about his life expectancy. The reason I bring him up is that no one was surprised by the fight he had in him if they knew what he was part of in World War II. My grandfather was part of the brigade of heroes that took back Europe from the Nazis - and I know it's a media cliche, but as far as I'm concerned they were the greatest generation simply because he was a part of it.

One of the ways in which he influenced me was this: I hate the Yankees. Always have, always will. Because he hated the Yankees, and if he hated them, they must be scourge of all that is good and decent. But as committed as he was to the good and righteous principle that the Yankees are evil incarnate, he knew that some things were more important - which is why he respected Yogi Berra, who died yesterday at the age of 90. Because before Yogi Berra was a catcher for the Yankees, and a coach for the Yankees, and the manager of the Yankees (not to mention stints with the Mets and Astros) - and before Yogi Berra supposedly uttered all kinds of funny sayings, most of which I suspect were made up by other people - Yogi Berra stormed the beaches of Normandy, and also helped take back Europe from the Nazis. On June 6,1944 - which we all know as D-Day - Berra served as a gunner's mate on the USS Bayfield. Via Wikipedia, here is a summary of the Bayfield's service in those fateful days:

By 5 June the invasion force completed all preparations and got underway for the Bay of the Seine. Passing along a swept channel marked by lighted buoys, Bayfield and the other transports reached their designated positions early on the morning of 6 June and debarked their troops. After disembarking her troops, Bayfield began service as a supply and hospital ship in addition to continuing her duties as a flagship. Those assignments kept her off the Normandy coast while other transports rapidly unloaded troops and cargo and then returned to England. On 7 June she shifted to an anchorage five miles off the beach and made smoke that night to protect Utah anchorage from Luftwaffe attacks.

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On 25 June Bayfield returned to port, and on 5 July joined Task Group (TG) 120.6 bound for Algeria. Upon its arrival at Oran on 10 July the group was dissolved, and Bayfield continued on to Italy. At Naples, Rear Admiral Moon assumed command of Task Force 8 or "Camel" Force, for the invasion of southern France. Plans and procedures were refined, and full-scale rehearsals were held off beaches near Salerno between 31 July and 6 August.

This is what Yogi Berra was a part of. He lived through these invasions, of course, and went on to a glorious baseball career that saw him hit .285 with 358 home runs and 1,430 RBIs over a 20-year career. He is in the Hall of Fame and absolutely belongs there. Then, of course, he went on to say certain things that became famous for the way they flirted with tautology, such as "It ain't over until it's over," and "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." I'm pretty sure he actually said the first one, but I suspect most of the other things attributed to him were really made up by others. My favorite one, which is probably apocryphal, concerned a restaurant in Minneapolis: "No one goes there anymore. It's too crowded." Berra enjoyed the fun people had with all this, and was usually happy to play along, but sometimes I thought it made him sound too much of a bumpkin when in fact he was a very smart guy and understood the game of baseball far better than most. Then again, one of the measures of a man's intelligence is that he understands not to take himself too seriously. But more importantly, he was a real-lfe hero in addition to being a baseball hero. I can only imagine the stories he and Grandpa will have the opportunity to share - although I'm sure Grandpa will be wearing a Tigers hat when they meet. The Yankees are still the Yankees, after all. Let's not forget that.