'i Got A Touch Like A Blacksmith'

"Larry, wasn't it kind of lousy of them to promote you to manager and then cut your salary?"

"That doesn't bother me," said Yogi. "Actually, I'm a rookie all over again. I got to find out if I'm a manager. And like I said in New York, if I find out I can't manage, I'll quit."

"Does that mean you have to win the pennant again—to prove to yourself you can manage?"

"No. I could prove I can manage and still not win the pennant. But I think we will win the pennant. And if we do and if I'm satisfied with me, I can talk money and maybe a two-year contract. One year was all I wanted to start."

"There were stories in the papers that you got the job because they wanted to humanize the Yanks. A lot of people don't like the Yanks. They say they're too cold-blooded. They say they're putting you in there to help the gate because you got a big following and you get a lot of publicity for the club and a lot of laughs from the sports-writers. They say the Mets and Stengel have got them scared. They say with the new stadium, the Mets could outdraw you next year."

"Well," said Yogi, "if I help the gate, that's fine with me."

"But, Larry, reading between the lines, the idea was that you were going to be a kind of straw boss, with Houk really running the club."

"If that was true," said Yogi, "I'd quit right now. But it's not. I knew I was being considered for the job since spring training. I had a lot of long talks with Ralph. He showed me a lot about managing. Then, when I got the job, he said. 'You're the boss. It's your club, win or lose. If you ever want to talk anything over, fine. If you never come around, fine.' That's the way it is. That's the way it's going to be. I mean as far as running the ball club on the field is concerned. Actually, we'll talk over players we might want to bring up, like that. I'll be talking to Ralph when I get back. We got some great prospects on the farm clubs. We figure to take 17 pitchers to spring training."

"Larry, the news that you were the manager of the Yankees must have been a big sensation back in your old neighborhood in St. Louis."

"I heard," said Yogi, "that they had drinks on the house at Ruggeri's, where I was headwaiter once, and at Charley's place and at Fassi's. They're going to get up a big delegation to go to Kansas City for our first series there. People said it was the biggest thing—outside Joe Garagiola making it big in radio and television—that has happened on the Hill since they put in the pension plan at the brickyard where my pop worked."