White House To Yogi Berra: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Does former Navy veteran and baseball legend Yogi Berra deserve to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

An online petition to award Yogi Berra the Presidential Medal of Freedom has garnered enough replies – over 111,000 as of Aug. 3 – to get an official response from the White House.

• See related article: Yogi Berra Should Be Awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom

The official White House reply follows:

“Thanks for signing this petition about considering Lawrence Peter ‘Yogi’ Berra for the Presidential Medal of Freedom - America’s highest civilian honor.

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom has been presented to more than 500 individuals who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded at the President’s sole discretion, and therefore our response to this petition cannot comment on whether any individual will receive the award in the future. We can, however, say that throughout his career as a Hall-of-Fame catcher for the New York Yankees and beyond, Yogi Berra has done a lot more than hit and think at the same time. He demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship and character on his way to winning 13 World Series championships as a player and manager, with each new title feeling like déjà vu all over again. He served our country in the U.S. Navy during World War II -- including the D-Day invasion, and has established himself as an advocate for civil rights, education, and inclusion of the LGBT community in sports.

“He’s demonstrated many of the qualities of past Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, so -- as he might say -- it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

See the full petition and White House reply here.