October calls to mind many things. For one, cooler weather. There’s a nip in the air in the mornings and evenings. Other associations include the college football season, the State Fair, and the seemingly month-long celebration of Halloween. And it’s also World Series time!
I especially link October with Yogi Berra, The Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees. That’s because whenever October rolled around, #8 was usually still playing. All told, he appeared in a record 14 World Series.
Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra (1925–2015) was born to Italian immigrants in a section of St. Louis known as “The Hill.” He attended South Side Catholic in St. Louis but dropped out after the eighth grade to work and earn extra income for the family. During World War II he served in the Navy and participated in the D-Day invasion. Yogi was only five feet seven inches tall, but he was a fierce competitor during his 19 seasons in the Major Leagues. As a player, he amassed mind-boggling stats. He was a 15-time All Star and a three-time MVP. Last but not least, he won 10 World Series rings, a record that still stands. Baseball was so much a part of his life that when his playing days ended, he remained in the game as a manager and coach.
Berra’s teammates considered him lucky. Yankee manager Casey Stengel echoed this sentiment when he remarked that Yogi would “fall in a sewer and come up with a gold watch.” But he was more than lucky. He was extremely talented. You don’t win ten World Series rings on luck alone.
Everyone also thought the Yankee catcher was funny, but Stengel saw things differently: “They say he’s funny. Well, he has a lovely wife and family, a beautiful home, money in the bank, and he plays golf with millionaires. What’s funny about that?”
The main reason people considered Berra funny was because of his malapropisms, fractured phrases, and simple, yet convoluted, sayings—Yogi-isms—that often left the listener amused and bewildered at the same time. Everybody uses the wrong word every now and then, but Yogi made an art form of it. Was his faulty use of the English language due to his parents being non-native speakers of English? Or was it just a gift? Who knows?
For those unfamiliar with Berra’s speech patterns, I have included a sampler of Yogi-isms, but by no means do these exhaust the depth and range of his repertoire; they only scratch the surface. I’ll begin with things he said that might be classified as “stating the obvious.”
When his teammates teased him about his old, beat up suitcases: “Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.”
When he noticed that some of the players did not have their mind in the game: “You can observe a lot just by watching.”
When Johnny Bench broke his record for most homers by a catcher: “I knew that record would stand until it was broken.”
When the M&M boys (Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris) hit back-to-back homers: “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
And then there’s this gem: “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
Another grouping involves using the wrong word, as in his opening remark when he was honored with Yogi Berra Day: “Thank you for making this day necessary.”
On the difficulty of playing during the dog days of summer: “It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.”
On being asked what time it was during a cross-country trip with the team: “You mean now?”
On sagging attendance figures at games: “If people don’t come to the ballpark, how you gonna stop them?”
On a miserably hot day in New York City when Berra was being honored with the key to the city, the mayor’s wife told him he looked cool, and he replied, “You don’t look so hot yourself.”
The next set defies categorization. These are just plain head scratchers. If you think about them too long, they’ll make your head spin. For example, when someone told Yogi that a Jewish mayor had been elected in Dublin, Ireland, he said: “Only in America!”
When asked if naked fans streaking on the field were male or female: “I don’t know. They had bags over their heads.”
When getting the players ready to run a drill during spring training: “Okay, pair off in threes.”
When Yogi was managing the Mets, reporters asked him if he had made up his mind on his starting lineup, to which he replied: “Not that I know of.”
And then there is this mystifying advice: “Never answer an anonymous letter.”
Oddly enough, some of his quirky sayings have an entirely logical explanation, as when the Yankee great invited a guest to his home and told the visitor: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” That turned out to be good advice because the Berra home was located on a circular road at the end point of each fork.
When friends suggested dining at a popular restaurant, Yogi nixed the idea: “Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded.” It was indeed crowded, so they chose another restaurant.
Yogi was a devout Catholic who had a heart of gold. When asked what he would do if he found a million dollars, he replied: “I’d see if I could find the guy that lost it, and if he was poor, I’d give it back.”
I don’t think Berra was mathematically challenged, but sometimes he did give that impression. For example, on how long he rested before a night game: “I usually take a two hour nap from 1 to 4.”
On one occasion friends came over for dinner, and everyone was served a personal pizza. When he was asked if he wanted his pizza cut in four slices or eight, Yogi answered: “Four. I don’t think I can eat eight.”
I’ll end with the famous “90% of baseball is half mental.” I have no idea what this means, but I’m sure Yogi knew. He may have struggled when expressing himself, but one thing is certain—he knew baseball inside and out. A. Bartlett Giamatti, who was president of Yale and Major League Baseball Commissioner, once observed: “Talking to Yogi about baseball is like talking to Homer about the gods.”
Berra gained such a reputation for these sagacious sayings that sometimes people would falsely attribute quotes to him. For instance, it’s unclear whether he actually uttered the iconic, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” To clear up some of the confusion the Hall of Famer simply remarked: “I never said all those things I said in the newspaper.”
With that in mind, as you get ready for the Fall Classic, don’t give up on your team. Remember what Yogi may or may not have said: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” But if you’re a Cardinals fan, you already know the sad truth. You can forget about the World Series—“It’s over!”
