The Bookshelf Conversations: Jon Pessah

Some creators who have appeared in these Conversations have admitted that their project became a chore. For others, it was just a job. And sometimes that shows up in the work. A lot of biographies seem to be showing off the amount of research the author did. Very good, but they kind of read like a list of ingredients. Lots of detail, but little enjoyment.

Talking with Jon Pessah, it seems that his latest book, Yogi: A Life Behind the Mask, was a real pleasure. Yogi Berra was his father’s favorite player so by extension, the Hall of Fame catcher became his as well. That goes a long way into making this an enjoyable reading experience. And I think that shows up in our chat.

I thought I knew a lot about Number 8. After all, he was a long-time resident of my town; our paths crossed a couple of times but I wouldn’t make any pretense that he knew who I was. Non-baseball fans were aware of him because he was a “colorful character,” in no small part because of the “Yogisms,” themselves the subject of numerous books.

Thanks to Pessah, I have a new-found appreciation for how good an athlete Berra was. Playing a position that took the biggest physical toll of any on the field, he was a 15-time All-Star, won three MVP awards, and perhaps most impressive of all, was the proud owner of 10 World Series rings as a member of the Bronx Bombers. And that doesn’t even begin to account for his community involvement and business savvy. There was more to Yogi Berra than met the eye.

Tagged as: Jon Pessah, Yogi Berra