Yogi would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.
Yogi Berra was a great ball player (15 times an All-Star and winner of 10 World Series championships with the Yankees), and he won three more World Series championships as a coach and manager. He was also known for “Yogi-isms,” sayings that revealed his unique perspective on the world and brought laughter.
It’s not as though he gave a lot of thought to what he said; indeed, most were extemporaneous sayings. “Stuff just pops out,” he’d say. Not only that, Yogi never said some of the expressions attributed to him, even though the words sounded like they came from him. “I really didn’t say everything I said,” was his response, and he even wrote a book with those words in the subtitle.
Courtesy Goooreads
Here are some of my favorite Yogi-isms.
“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” It was Yogi’s reasoning for why he stopped going to a specific restaurant.
“You can’t think and hit at the same time.” Berra’s approach to at-bats.
“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” How Berra viewed inflation.
“It’s deja vu all over again.” How Berra described two teammates hitting back-to-back home runs.
“Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hitting.” Berra’s personal definition of a batting average dip.
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” How could you get to Joe Garagiola’s New Jersey home? Taking either fork will get you there.
“I usually take a two-hour nap from 1 to 4.” Berra’s way of describing how long and when simultaneously.
Photo courtesy Vanity Fair
“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Barra’s way of saying there’s always time to accomplish something until time runs out. His Mets trailed the Cubs by 9.5 games, rallied, and overtook them to win the National League East division title.
“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” For Barra, there was a big chunk of something, and the rest, well, is less relevant.
“You can observe a lot by watching.” Berra’s way of saying it pays off to have a keen eye.
“Thank you for making this day necessary.” If something has been achieved and draws public interest, you have to do whatever you have to do.
Photo courtesy The New Yorker
“Thanks, ma’am. You don’t look so hot yourself.” Berra complimented a woman at Wrigley Field for handling game-day heat.
“Texas has a lot of electrical votes.” “Electrical” and “Electorial” both begin with E., and Texas had a lot of them.
“Always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise, they won’t go to yours.” Berra believed in respect and also in the principle of turnabout being fair play.
