You Can Observe a Lot by Watching: What I've Learned about Teamwork from the Yankees and Life

Long before Yogi Berra became world famous for his inimitable use of the English language, he was loved by millions of baseball fans as one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game and a fierce competitor who would do anything to help his team and his teammates win. In "You Can Observe a Lot by Watching," Yogi offers good-natured reminiscing with a serious purpose in mind: to deliver a thoughtful and instructive account of the single most important factor in creating a winning team in any sport, business, or other venture--teamwork. Over his seventeen years as a major-league player, Yogi and his Yankee teammates won fourteen pennants and ten World Series. Sharing hundreds of telling stories from those golden years, Yogi demonstrates that the secret of the team's fabulous success was not merely the stellar play of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, and Yogi himself; it was the way they and everyone else on the roster worked together, on and off the field. DiMaggio gave a rookie named Berra a tip that changed his career. Mantle's good humor kept the whole team loose when things were going badly. And, in 1960, Maris surprised everyone by bunting a runner in from third rather than swinging away for his 55th homer. In this heartfelt tribute to qualities that often appear to be fading from professional sports, Yogi shows you how to be a better teammate and contribute all you can to your team's quest for excellence. You'll learn why even the greatest players have to put the team's welfare before their own, protect their teammates, and take responsibility for their actions. You'll discover the secret of being a good teammate to someone you don't reallylike; the importance of controlling your emotions in every situation; and how even the least talented player can make outstanding contributions to the team. Complete with colorful tales about Don Larsen's perfect game, the twelve Yankees who played on all of the teams that won five consecutive championships, and how Phil Linz's harmonica turned a tough season into a trip to the World Series, "You Can Observe a Lot by Watching" gives you the most fun you'll ever have while learning something, too.