As Michael Kay put it, everything that Yogi Berra touched in his life turned to gold, including "The Happiest Place on Earth."
The baseball world continues to mourn the passing of the iconic figure, and the Yankees announcer shared his thoughts on the death of the 18-time All-Star.
Athletes & Celebrities React To Yogi Berra Passing Away
Berra passed away of natural causes at age 90 on Tuesday, and Kay appeared on the YES Network live from Toronto, the sight of the Yankees' 6-4, 10-inning win over the Blue Jays, to share his reaction and this crazy story: Berra owned the land that Disney World was eventually built on.
"I heard a story that when they were teammates in the 50's, Yogi, Whitey (Ford), Mickey (Mantle) and Billy (Martin) all bought these huge tracks of land in central Florida," Kay said. "...And as time went on, each guy sold his plot of land. ...Yogi for some reason held onto his, kept holding on, kept holding on. ...And you know what? That plot of land was directly in the middle of where Disney World now stands. And Disney had to offer him and pay him an awful lot of money just to build Disney [World]. That's the magic of Yogi Berra."
Remebering Yogi Berra's Most Famous Quotes
The anecdote is just one of many interesting facets of Berra's life. Kay said that people "lit up" when he walked into a room and the announcer also shared the things he liked about him.
"I just think of a guy who is so approachable," Kay said. "He's probably the nicest famous person that I've ever met. ...And I always say this about famous ballplayers, famous people, as good as they might be, there's always somebody out there that doesn't like them. I don't think you can find a person that doesn't like Yogi Berra. That's the type of guy he was."
Berra was a three-time AL MVP and 13-time World Series champion while hitting .285 with 358 homers over his career with the Yankees and Mets. He also served as a manager for both clubs and his No. 8 is retired in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. As Kay notes, baseball wasn't the only thing that made Berra a legend.
"He crossed every spectrum," he said. "He wasn't just a baseball player, he was one of the most famous people on this planet."
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