1949 Exhibit - Yogi Berra

I haven't been able to completely confirm the date, but it is likely a 1949 given the "AN EXHIBIT CARD" printed in the bottom left corner. The marking can give a good idea of the earliest a card was made, but it is often difficult to figure the latest it was made (especially with the most famous players who had a card year after year).

Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up together on the same street a few blocks from where my mom grew up in St. Louis. They were both catchers, both tried out for the Cardinals in their mid-teens, and both went on to have distinguished careers. The Cardinals chose to sign Joe instead of Yogi (Joe was the better player at the time). Joe turned out to be the wrong choice only lasting parts of 9 seasons in the majors. Yogi ended up being one of the Yankees all-time greats.

Yogi also said some goofy things. One of my favorites is, "It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much." But he also said, "I never said most of the things I said." Or did he?