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Petition aims to award Yogi Berra with Presidential Medal of Freedom

A petition to the White House ending on Monday seeks to award Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  
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A petition to the White House ending on Monday seeks to award Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

As of 7 p.m. ET Monday, the petition had garnered more than 87,000 signatures but is just over 12,000 signatures short of its 100,000 goal. Reaching 100,000 signatures would require the White House to respond.

The petition, which can be signed here, argues that Berra should be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his military service and civil rights and educational activism. From the petition:

“A man of unimpeachable integrity and respect, he befriended the first black and Latino baseball players in Major League Baseball. He is currently an ambassador for Athlete Ally, which promotes LGBT rights in sports. Berra enlisted in the U. S. Navy during World War Il and served during the D-Day invasion. He continues to be an avid supporter of our armed forces. Berra greatly values education. While with the Yankees, he created a scholarship at Columbia University that is still active 50 years later.”

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Berra had a 19-year career in the majors, 18 of which were with the New York Yankees. He was named Most Valuable Player three times and won 10 World Series titles as a player.

The 90-year-old later became a manager of the Yankees and New York Mets and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

- Molly Geary