Posted on 09/23/2015 8:34:26 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Yogi Berra, a Hall of Fame catcher with the dynastic 1950s New York Yankees, known equally well among sports fans and non-fans for his absurdly profound “Yogi-isms” and his TV commercials, has died. He was 90.
Berra died of natural causes Tuesday at his home in New Jersey, according to Dave Kaplan, the director of the Yogi Berra Museum.
“While we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, we know he is at peace with Mom,” Berra's family said in a statement released by the museum. “We celebrate his remarkable life, and are thankful he meant so much to so many. He will truly be missed.”
Had Berra been nothing more than a very good ballplayer — and he was a star among stars on those Yankees teams, counting among his teammates Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto, Billy Martin, Whitey Ford and Don Larsen — his fame would have been assured. But with his public utterances, spoken in all sincerity, Berra became the kind of delightful character Americans love to love.
The things he said — and those attributed to him — are widely quoted today by presidents, professors and public speakers of all stripes, among millions of others.
His most famous Yogi-ism, “It ain't over till it's over,” has become a part of the American idiom, but he also advised:
-- ”Never answer an anonymous letter.” -- ”You can observe a lot by watching.” -- ”We made too many wrong mistakes.” -- ”It's déjà vu all over again.” -- “The future ain't what it used to be.”
And more besides.
It was long believed that some New York sportswriters dressed up or made up Yogi-isms to make their stories better and Berra admitted as much when asked about it, replying, “I really didn't say everything I said.”
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
“It aint over til it’s over.”—It’s over. God bless ya Yogi.
Great guy. Greatest catcher ever.
Goofed!
Give me a “D”, Pat.
A lot of fond memories watching Berra, Mantle and Whitey Ford during the CBS telecasts in the 1950s. Ol’Diz and PeeWee’s commentary certainly added to the game too. Except for Ford, all are gone now.
We will miss you, Yogi.
Thanks Yogi for the years of entertainment. Hope you break a lot of records in your new life. Good bye.
He finally took the fork in the road.
“I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.” - Yogi Berra
Saw Yogi in 1953 Yankee Stadium
They don’t make them like him anymore.
RIP Yogi.
To paraphrase that song...”If there’s a baseball heaven, they gotta have a hell of a team”. And now it just got better.
RIP great man.
It gets late early around here
STEINBRENNER: You know as painful as it is I had to let a few people go over the years. Yogi Berra, Lou Pinella, Bucky Dent, Billy Martin, Dallas Green, Dick Houser, Bill Virdon, Billy Martin, Scott Marrow, Billy Martin, Bob Lemmon, Billy Martin, Gene Michael, Buck Showalter, … uh, tut!, . . .George, you didn’t hear that from me.
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I guess it really is over.
RIP Yogi.
He’ll play on God’s baseball team...with Ted Williams. Even as a Red Sox fan, Yogi was great...
Ping me...Lets go Hartford Yard Goats...(Red Sox fan here)
Hartford Yard Goats???
LOL
You’re on the list! Thanks!
“And they pay you in cash, which is just as good as money.”
Its like deja vu all over again. :-)
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