Baseball Legend, Yogi Berra, Turns 87

 Baseball legend and Hall of Famer, Lawrence Peter Berra, known to the world as “Yogi”, has often astonished the professional baseball world during and since his outstanding 19-year career as an active player with the New York Yankees. Yogi has put some awe-inspiring statistics into the record books with his bat, his catcher’s mitt and his managerial skill while having gained the further attention of the world of sports with his entertaining penchant for fracturing the English language.

As Yogi turned 87 this year, (something “I’ve only did once that once in my life” as only Yogi might say), looking back at this great athlete’s accomplishments is, “like déjà vu all over again”.  

For some facts about this lovable octagenerian,  Yogi Berra played in
ten World Series Championship teams. He’s a Baseball Hall of Famer, who played with and competed with some of the twentieth century’s other super stars.  He is widely regarded as one of the best catchers in baseball history and, in 1999, he was voted to the Team of the
Century.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1925, Lawrence Peter Berra is known by the nickname of “Yogi”, applied to him by a friend who compared his habitual cross-legged sitting style to a yogi.

While well into his ninth decade, his celebrity and the depth of the affection of his fans seems unshakeable. 

To spark some head-shaking smiles of ppreciation here are some of the
best quotes of the American idol:

• We made too many wrong mistakes."
• "You can observe a lot just by watching.
• "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."
• "He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious."
• "If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be."
• "Watch out where you’re going or you might end up some place else."
• As to remarks attributed to him, he said,"I didn't say everything I said."
• "The future ain't what it use to be."
• "Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house."
• Ask why he hasn’t been seen lately at Ruggeri's Restaurant in St. Louis, “Nobody goes there no more; it's too crowded."
• "I always thought that record would stand until it was broken."
• "We have deep depth."
• Giving directions to his home in New Jersey, accessible by two routes: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
• ”Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise yhey won't come to yours."
• "Never answer anonymous letters."
• On being guest of honor at an awards banquet: "Thank you for making this day necessary."
• "The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase."
• "Half the lies they tell about me aren't true."
• A comment on baseball: "Ninety percent of the game is half mental."
• Asked if people running naked across the field were men or women, "I don't know. They had bags over their heads."
• "It gets late early out there."
• Yogi’s wife, Carmen, asked him: "Yogi, you’re from St. Louis, we live in New Jersey, and you played ball in New York. If you go before I do, where would you like to be buried?" Yogi's retort: "Surprise me."
• Last quote, maybe: "It ain't over till it's over."

Yogi Berra’s baseball career, including as a player, a manager and last as a coach spanned a period of  43 years from 1946 through 1989.  He batted left and threw right with a lifetime batting average of .285, hit 385 home runs and had a total, RBI of 1,430.

Yogi was selected for 18 consecutive All Star Games, has played or managed on 13 World  Series championships and played, managed or coached in 21 World Series and was one of only six managers to win a World Series on an American League and National League Team.  He was named three times as American League Most Valuable Player (1951, 1954, 1955) and the New York Yankees retired his number (8). 

Watch for a personally experienced Yogi Berra story when Ralph Branca introduced me to Yogi at a Sports casters award banquet in New York around 1993, coming soon.

Sources:  Wikipedia and various others on the Internet.   See more of the posts of E. Richard Fortunato on The Quest for Common Ground:  http://tqfcg.blogspot.com/