"I was reminded of the 'Hang On, Sloopy' fiasco a few years ago, when I heard about a boy who'd named his teddy-bear Gladly.

"'Why gladly?' someone had asked him.

"'Cause he's cross-eyed,' the boy said.

"'What's cross-eyed got to do with the name Gladly?' the someone naturally wondered.

"'We sing it at church,' the kid explained. 'It's a hymn. Gladly the Cross I'd Bear.'

"I never learned the name of that kid. But I wonder whether he wasn't related to Yogi Berra."

--David James Duncan