LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – Anyone wanna have a catch?
If so, you may want to make your way here to the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center on Sept. 21 for “Yogi’s Big Catch Challenge,” an official attempt to break the Guinness world record for the largest game of catch.
The museum made the announcement on Monday, what would’ve been Berra’s 100th birthday, during a celebration on the concourse of Yogi Berra Stadium, adjacent to the museum on the campus of Montclair State University.
Members of the Berra family – including his sons Larry Jr., Tim and Dale – were on hand, along with former Yankees second baseman Willie Randolph, MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark, and two children of American League trailblazers: Larry Doby Jr., son of the first Black player in the AL, and Cheryl Howard, daughter of the Yankees’ first Black player, Elston Howard.
“Today, as you all know, we honor a truly great American,” emcee Bob Costas said in his opening remarks. “A Hall of Fame ballplayer, three-time MVP, devoted family man and patriot who served his country with courage and humility.”
That last trait, humility, would be brought up again and again. Like when Eve Schaenen, the museum’s executive director, spoke of what she called the best perk of her job: hearing stories about Berra.
“Today, we’ll hear a lot about how great Yogi was,” she said. “What always strikes me from the stories I hear is the humility baked into that greatness. Quite simply: The great Yogi Berra never talked about being great. He never altered the person he was. Never, ever. Instead, Yogi demonstrated his greatness the old-fashioned way: with his actions.”
Schaenen then introduced Berra’s sons. Dale spoke for the three – after noting that Randolph, who manned second base in the Bronx for 13 seasons, played alongside 100 shortstops: “And I was one of them,” he said, drawing laughs.
“Dad’s life principles were pretty simple: Humility, humbleness, thankfulness and respect for others,” Dale said, speaking with his brothers on either side of him. “That’s what they teach and preach to young people here at the Yogi museum. He did it innately and without thinking. It’s what made him special. The rest of us have to try. We all have miscues, and we all make mistakes, but in every situation, we can always be more humble, more grateful, for what we have, and always show respect. That’s what Dad did; that’s what he was about.”
And then, because this was birthday party after all, it was time for cake.
Two of Yogi’s great granddaughters wheeled out a sheet cake from Montclair’s Little Daisy Bake Shop decorated with blue pinstripes and baseballs, “100” written across the top and a logo for Yogi Berra’s centennial occupying the first zero. Fifty cupcakes topped with the same logo or pinstriped No. 8s flanked the cake. And on cue, more than 200 people sang happy birthday.
Costas then introduced a video package on the stadium’s scoreboard that featured birthday greetings and Berra memories from current Yankees players, staff and broadcasters. That all led up to the announcement of Yogi’s Big Catch Challenge, which was delivered via video with Aaron Judge asking, “Anyone wanna have a catch?” For a preview, several local youth players took to the field and tossed baseballs back and forth.
The current record for the largest game of catch is 972 pairs – 1,944 people – established on June 18, 2017, by the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill. On Sunday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. ET, the museum will look to surpass that number one day before the 10th anniversary of Berra’s passing.
It’s just another way the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center continues to serve the community even though its namesake is no longer with us.
“Last year, in addition to the thousands of baseball fans who visited our museum, we hosted nearly 10,000 students for learning experiences steeped in Yogi’s special brand of greatness,” Schaenen said. “Yogi Berra makes it easy for us to teach a whole new generation about respect and sportsmanship and determination and excellence, and I can’t think of a better tribute to his 100th birthday than that.”