Taliercio's Challenge: Yogi Berra

Born Lorenzo Berra in 1925, Yogi (his teammate said his flexibility behind the plate resembled a yogi from India after seeing a newsreel at the time) Berra is the only baseball player to have the distinction of having a Taliercio's sandwich named after him.  Oh, what other accomplishments does he have? How about a 19-season MLB career (all with the, ugh, New York Yankees, except the final two seasons with the Mets) of which he was a 16-time All-Star and 10-time World Series winner, more than any other player in MLB history.  All of that AFTER serving in the US Navy during WW2, where he earned a Purple Heart during the Normandy landings, at age 19.  A three-time AL MVP, and 1972 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Berra appeared as a player, coach or manager in every one of the 13 World Series that New York baseball teams won from 1947 through 1978.  Following his playing retirement in 1963, he joined the New York Mets as a coach, ultimately managing the team from 1972 until 1975, when he returned to coach the Yankees until 1985.  And though his coaching career ended in 1989, his "Yogi-isms" are still well-known, famously saying "It ain't over till it's over" to reporters when the Mets trailed the Cubs by 9 1/2 games in July.  The Mets rallied to clinch the division title and went on to win the NL Pennant, losing to Oakland in the World Series.  Other "Yogi-isms" you may have heard include: "90 percent of baseball is mental; the other half is physical." "Always go to other people's funerals; otherwise they won't go to yours." and "I really didn't say everything I said."  

Yogi Berra: Mesquite Turkey, Swiss, Lettuce, Tomato, Mustard

Like Yogi, this sandwich is a classic.  Not a ton of frills here but it gets the job done, just how Yogi would lead the Yankees in RBIs year in and year out despite playing with guys like Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.  Well, neither of those guys ever won a World Series with the Mets (Yogi was a bench coach for the 1969 Mets and managed the 1973 team that went to the World Series), or have had a sandwich named after them at Taliercio's.  While we're here. let's talk about the inclusion of spicy brown mustard.  It is the superior hot dog dressing, and there is nothing much better than sitting down in the afternoon on a hot summer day with a day game dog.  I miss baseball.    

Overall: 7.2