Yogi Berra/Photo by Associated Press

When manager Don Mattingly on Wednesday afternoon was talking with reporters about Yogi Berra, who died Tuesday at age 90, he was asked about any Yogi-isms Berra might have imparted at him as the two knew each other well.

Mattingly, who was a special instructor with the Yankees from 1997-2003, recalled one that made him smile.

“Spring training, it was one year before I actually became a full-time coach,” he said. “I was just coming in doing a month thing. (Manager) Joe (Torre) had me following Nick Johnson around; he was a young first baseman coming up. So we went to Bradenton (Florida) and Yogi didn’t go; he stayed back and worked out the other group.

“And they’re done at 1 o’clock. We come back around 5:30 and Yogi’s still sitting there. He dressed, and I go, ‘Yogi, have you been here all day? What are you doing here?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, it would have been all day at the hotel, too.’ “