Yogi Berra: A Hall Of Fame Player But Also A Straight Faced Comic

No Comments October 10, 2015 Baseball By John Stellman

Who will ever forget Lorenzo Pietro Berra, who later became Lawrence Peter Berra?

Born May 25, 1925 in St. Louis, Berra grew up in an area they called The Hill. It’s where Italian immigrants settled to live their lives.

Yogi’s lasted 90 years. He died peacefully yesterday.

The legacy he left behind will last forever. He’s been called an American icon, and rightfully so.

Not only is he a Hall Of Fame New York Yankee catcher, but he’s a multi-decorated military veteran as well.

Berra, who got his nickname from an American Legion teammate who said he looked like an Indian holy man he saw in a travelogue, joined the Navy in 1944 at age 18 and served two years.

He was involved in a secret mission 300 yards off Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion and received a Purple Heart and two battle stars.

His career with the Yankees began in 1946. He appeared in 14 World Series and has enough championship rings to decorate both hands.

He was a three time American League Most Valuable Player award winner and was named to the league’s All-Star team 15 years.

His .285 career batting average includes 358 home runs and 1,430 RBIs, most ever for a catcher. He reached the pinnacle in 1972 when he was elected to the Hall.

Upon his induction, Berra said:

“I guess the first thing I should do is thank everybody who made this day necessary.”

After he his playing days Berra turned to managing with mediocre success.

He managed the Yankees (99-63) in 1964 but was fired after losing the World Series to St. Louis. He went 292-296 in four years with the Mets but lost to Oakland in the 1973 Fall Classic. Returning to the Yankees, Berra was fired 16 games into the 1985 season after going 87-75 the previous year.

But perhaps some of his greatest memories were the Yogi-isms collected through the years. Probably his most quoted, “It ain’t over ’till it’s over.”

But there was a boat load of classics:

“Ninety percent of this game is half mental.”

“Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”

“If people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.”

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

“Always go to other people’s funerals, other wise they won’t come to yours.”

“If you ask me anything I don’t know, I’m not going to answer.”

“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

“We’re overwhelming underdogs.”

When asked what time it was Berra answered, “You mean now?”

Other notables included:

“Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.”

“We’re lost, but we’re making good time.”

“If I didn’t wake up I”d still be sleeping.”

“I usually take a two hour nap from 1 to 4.”

“If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.”

“Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken.”

“You can observe a lot by watching.”

“You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going ’cause you might not get there.”

“We have a good time together even when we’re not together.”

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”

Then there is the memorable AFLAC commercial where Yogi said, “It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” and “they give you cash, which is just as good as money.”

He also said, “I never said most of the things I said.” But one thing he did say says it all, “If I had to do it all over again, I would do it all over again.”

Amen!

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John Stellman

I was born with sports in my blood. I began coaching little league baseball at 15. I was the sports editor of my high school newspaper. I did football play by play for the college radio station. I broadcast high school basketball for a local commercial station. But baseball was always my passion. During the 1970's I covered the Angels for the Orange County Register. And now I am back where I belong...