It Ain’t Mailed ’Til It’s Stamped: Yogi Berra Being Commemorated On USPS Stamp
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 04:44PM By Barry Janoff
UPDATED June 18, 2021: The U.S. Postal Service will honor Hall of Famer Yogi Berra with a commemorative Forever stamp.
News of the stamp is being shared with hashtags #YogiBerraStamp and #BaseballStamps.
Who: The Honorable Ron A. Bloom, Chairman, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors
Bob Costas, Emmy Award-winning sportscaster
When: Thursday, June 24, 2021, 9:30 AM EDT
Where: The First Day of Issue stamp event will be held at the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center on the campus of Montclair State University, 8 Yogi Berra Drive, Little Falls, NJ 07424.
January 15, 2021: Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra never said that, but he might had added it to his legendary “Yogi-isms” had he known his life would be commemorated on a stamp.
The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled stamps planned for 2021, including a commemorative stamp feature New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra.
The issue will be a “Forever” stamp, meaning it can be used even if postal rates rise.
As Berra actually did say, “I want to thank everyone for making this night necessary."
According to USPS, “Honoring Yogi Berra (1925-2015), this stamp salutes one of the best and most celebrated baseball players of his era, winning a record ten World Series with the New York Yankees.
“The stamp art is an original digital portrait of Berra dressed in his Yankees cap, pinstripes and catcher's chest protector. Considered the best catcher in the American League in the 1950s, he was also a feared hitter, and in 1972 was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.”
USPS said Antonio Alcalá is the art director and stamp designer. Charles Chaisson the artist. The “Yogi Berra” lettering was created by Michael Doret.
Berra himself might have been surprised to see his image on a USPS stamp as he is reported to have said, “So I'm ugly. So what? I never saw anyone hit with his face.”
Berra was born in St. Louis in 1925 and passed away Sept. 12, 2015 at the age of 90.
He played 19 seasons in MLB, 18 with the Yankees as a member of 13 World Series teams overall, winning ten; and one sseason with the New York Mets (1965). He also was manager foe the Yankees (1964, 1984-85) and Mets (1972-75).
He was named to the All-Star Team 18 times and retired with 358 home runs and 1.430 RBIs.
Among his legendary “Yogi-ism” quotes: "It ain't over 'til it's over,” “When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” “You can observe a lot by just watching,” “It’s like déjà vu all over again” and “I never said most of the things I said.”
The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center and Yogi Berra Stadium is located on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, NJ.
Among other MLB and Negro League players who have been commemorated on USPS stamps are Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Larry Doby, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Willie Stargell, Lou Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, Josh Gibson, Honus Wagner and Satchel Paige.
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