My favorite ‘Yogi-isms’

It’s unfortunate, I believe, that often those who made big footsteps are forgotten with the passage of time. One of those, which I also believe, was baseball great Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, who died at age 90 in 2015.

For many “older” fans of the game, he was known for some of his Yogi-isms. They were pithy, witty and often contradictory observations. Most of us found them, and still do, quite funny. He had a way with words that provided insightful comments that were linguistically paradoxical or nonsensical on the surface. Therefore, in the interest of hysterical ... er, historical observations from the past, here are some of his most noted.

But first, for young readers, let it be noted that Berra played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (1946–1963, 1965), all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was an 18-time all-star and won 10 World Series championships as a player -- more than any other player in MLB history. He earned a career batting average of .285, hitting 358 home runs driving in 1,430 runs. He is one of only six players to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Also, he was called “Yogi” by a childhood friend, Jack Maguire, because Berra resembled a yogi (a yoga practitioner) when he was sitting with his arms and legs crossed. So enough with the details; here are those comments that stick and maybe engage your funny bone:

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

“You can observe a lot by just watching.”

“It ain’t over till it’s over.”

“We made too many wrong mistakes.”

“No one goes there nowadays; it’s too crowded.” (Commenting on a restaurant.)

“I always thought the record would stand until it was broken.”

“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.”

“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.”

“Pair up in threes.”

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.”

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

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

“If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.”

“You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it’ll go.”

“Ninety percent of the game is half mental.”

“Never answer an anonymous letter.”

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

“Take it with a grin of salt.”

“It gets late early out here.”

And one I truly enjoy: “I never said most of the things I said.”