Yogi Berra won't be in the Bob Hope Classic field for the first time after 15 years. But it ain't over till it's over -- and it ain't over.

Call him Ambassador Yogi.

The affable baseball great with the ridiculous stockpile of witticisms -- aka Yogisms -- will carry out many of the duties that a host would, gestures that would come naturally anyway at the 51st edition of the five-round PGA Tour pro-am, which tees off Jan. 20 on four La Quinta courses.

"He's going to be greeting all the amateurs and the celebrities and the pros, doing what only he can do best, just coming up with a big grin," Classic president John Foster said in a Tuesday teleconference with Berra.

Berra, who lives in Montclair, N.J., said he still plays golf regularly, though an ailing back means he can't play for more than two consecutive days.

That's why he was especially thrilled to have been invited back.

"What can I say? I'm very excited about it," said Berra, who revealed that he's a switch-hitting golfer, hitting all of his shots right-handed except for his putts. "I've been going there for 15 years and I love it. It gets you out of the cold weather!"

The teleconference ended with Berra's granddaughter Lindsay Berra called in to remind Yogi of one of his most famous golfing quotes, "How about the one when you were lining up to make your shot and you kept saying all these negative things? They said, 'Yogi, stay positive.' And you said, 'I'm positive I can't make this shot.' "

New Hope Sponsor

Berra will have another reason to grin when the Classic begins following Wednesday's announcement that Franklin American Mortgage Company has joined the fold as a tournament sponsor.

The Classic lost Chrysler as a title sponsor when it went bankrupt last year and enters its first year without a title sponsor since 1984.

Franklin American Mortgage Company, headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., will not replace Chrysler, but it will be considered a Platinum-level sponsor and will receive a variety of benefits, including pro-am playing opportunities, tickets, hospitality and signage.

No details of the company's financial level of support were provided.