Yogi Berra, the longtime Yankees catcher, coach and manager, turned 90 years old Tuesday.
To mark the occasion, Berra's granddaughter, Lindsay, appeared on NBC's "Today" show to promote a petition for the baseball legend to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"He's an immigrant, he went on to win more World Series championships than anyone in baseball history, he served his country in the D-Day invasion at Normandy, was a great ambassador for baseball and has spent the last 20 years of his life really trying to instill his values of educational excellence, social justice, respect and leadership into kids at his museum and learning center," she said.
The petition argues that Berra is a good candidate because of his military service during World War II, his support of education and because he is a man of "unimpeachable integrity and respect." So far the online petition has received more than 6,000 signatures
Berra, meanwhile, went to the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center on the campus of Montclair State University and cut a ribbon to a new exhibit at the museum.
Berra played for the Yankees for 18 years before finishing his career with the Mets. He managed both teams for short stints over three decades.
He is also known for his humorous quotes, some of which -- like "it ain't over till it's over" -- have entered the American lexicon.
