NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- "It Ain't Over" is a documentary that reveals so much more about baseball legend Yogi Berra than that popular phrase.
"A lot of people know him from 'it aint over 'til it's over, if you see the fork in the road, take it,'" said his oldest son, Larry Berra. "We want everyone to know he won three MVPs, ten World Series, and all the other great things he did as a ballplayer."
But there's so much more to the life and times of Berra, explains documentary director Sean Mullin.
"The concern was, his off-the-field persona started to outshine his on-the-field accomplishments," Mullin said. "What we quickly learned was yes, while he was one of the greatest ballplayers that ever played, we kind of set the record straight there, he turned out to be an even better person than he was a ballplayer."
The 90-minute doc touches on Berra's childhood, his decision to serve in the Navy where he was a gunners mate during the Normandy D-Day invasion. It reveals his loving, 65-year marriage to his wife Carmen, his humorous product endorsements and television commercials (Yoohoo, Aflac) and more. There was the refusal to return to Yankee Stadium after team owner George Steinbrenner unceremoniously fired him, what it took to get him back, and their emotional on-air reunion.
The documentary includes many who played or worked with Yogi Berra, and those coached by him, including Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Tony Kubek, Al Downing, Ron Guidry, Billy Crystal and Bob Costas.
There are heartwarming stories from his three sons, and his grandaughter Lindsay - who has championed his cause in pursuing the documentary, a US postage stamp, and Yogi Berra's Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Joe Torre told 1010 WINS about Berra's remarkable tenure with both the Yankees and the Mets, and recalls the time Berra balked at Torre's new slide into home rule.
"He didn't like me very much for that," Torre said. "I said 'Yogi, guys are getting hurt,' and he said, 'well, if they don't slide, I'd just tag him in the face."
At a screening in Manhattan for the documentary -- which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2022 and currently has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes -- MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, "Yogi is a part of New York history, the fact that he was involved with both of our clubs here bridges the gap between the two fan bases as one of the select few who've been so important to both franchises."
Yankee historian and bestselling author Marty Appel knew and worked with Berra - and said of his enduring appeal, "Yogi was a big star who held no airs. He was very easy to be with, to talk to, he had time for everyone, he was just a natural."
"It Ain't Over" opens in the Tri-State area on over 100 screens and Los Angeles on May 12 (Berra's birthday), before expanding to additional cities over the following weeks. Yogi Berra Day will be held at Yankee Stadium June 6 (D-Day).
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