By Mark Fields
Baseball, for all its valiant efforts to modernize, is a game that harkens to the past more than the present or future. For some, like this writer, that is one of the sport’s greatest attractions. Yogi Berra is perhaps one of the most recognizable names and faces from baseball’s storied past, but more likely for his many product endorsements, talk show appearances, and wise malapropisms (popularly known as “yogisms”) than for his actual contributions to the game. Nevertheless, Berra had 10 World Series rings – the most of any player – and was also an All-Star 18 times. It Ain’t Over was motivated by a serious snub to Berra’s legacy when he was omitted from a 2015 tribute to the greatest living players of the game (Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Sandy Kolfax, and Willie Mays made the cut that Berra did not).
Disturbed by the omission, Lindsay Berra (Yogi’s granddaughter) and filmmaker Sean Mullin set out to correct the record with this heart-warming and reassuring biographical documentary. Briskly edited with numerous testimonial appearances by teammates, sportscasters, and celebrities, It Ain’t Over is a film primarily for lovers of the national pastime, but for that audience, it is a welcome addition to the summer movie schedule. And yes, the film devotes much attention to Yogi’s accidental and delightful pearls of wisdom.
