Wit and wisdom
The legendary Yogi Berra gives us all a demonstration of what greatness really is.
More than a decade after New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra passed away, his family has announced a deeply moving decision: fulfilling his last wish – auctioning off his entire Hall of Fame collection, estimated to be worth around $8 million, to raise money for charity.
This news immediately stunned the MLB community. Not because of the $8 million figure, but because of the meaning behind it. According to family representatives, Yogi Berra clearly instructed in his will that his awards, championship rings, Hall of Fame medals, and other memorabilia associated with his illustrious career should not be kept as family property, but should be used to “help those in need of opportunity.” A family member shared in a statement: “He always said that the rings and trophies didn’t belong to him alone. They belonged to his teammates, his fans, and his community. He wanted them to continue creating value.”
Initial estimates suggest the total auction value could reach or exceed $8 million. All proceeds will be distributed to various charities, including veterans’ support, youth education, and medical research.
As Lakeside Joe notes, in addition to the fame he earned on the baseball diamond during his illustrious career behind the plate as catcher for the gottdamned Yankees (gag), Yogi was perhaps even better known for his malapropisms, self-contradictory sayings, and random nonsensical gibberish. To wit:
Here is a sampling of some of the most famous sayings that have been attributed to the Yankees icon.
Perhaps his most famous of all: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
On posterity: “I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.”
“You can observe a lot by watching.”
“If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
About a St. Louis restaurant: “No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
About the effect of the sun in left field in the old Yankee Stadium during late-season games: “It gets late early out there.”
About Bill Dickey: “He learned me all his experience.”
“If people don’t want to come to the ballpark, how are you going to stop them?”
“We made too many wrong mistakes.”
“Pie a la mode, with ice cream.”
“I wish I had an answer to that, because I’m tired of answering that question.”
“You tell the stupidest questions.”
“Never answer an anonymous letter.”
On the great Sandy Koufax: “I can see how he won 25 games. What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”
On lining up for a Spring Training drill: “Pair ’em up in threes.”
On the 1973 Mets: “We were overwhelming underdogs.”
The recording heard on the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center’s phone: “This message won’t be over ’til it’s done.”
“In baseball, you don’t know nothing.”
“I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.”
“All pitchers are liars or crybabies.”
On his hitting approach: “I can’t think and hit at the same time.”
“He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.”
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
On economics: “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
“Always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”
And last but certainly not least: “It’s deja vu all over again.”
Heh. THAT’S telling ’em, Yogi!
Just gotta append this great pic of Yogi from his Yankee days:
Taken during spring training in 1957, that one was. God bless you, Yogi Berra.
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