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The Wit and Wisdom (and Luck!) of Yogi Berra
“Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hitting.” -Yogi Berra
After my recent post about Yogi and his “Deja vu” moment, I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite baseball books: The Wit and Wisdom of Yogi Berra, by Phil Pepe.
One of the themes of the book was that even though Yogi had this image of being sort of a “loveable dolt,” known for his “Yogiisms,” this characterization was far from the reality.
What Pepe made very clear in the book was that Yogi was no dummy. Ok…maybe he wasn’t always the brightest light in the room; but what he might have lacked in book knowledge, he more than made up for in common sense.
And not only that, but virtually everything Yogi touched turned to gold. It didn’t matter what it was – stocks, bonds, investments of any kind, business opportunities, endorsements, you name it – he had the Midas touch. Everything Yogi touched turned extremely profitable almost as soon as he got involved. It was uncanny. And I don’t think it was all due to just dumb luck.
He also had the reputation of being sort of a good luck charm. Guys loved having Yogi on the team. It almost always meant a trip to the postseason sooner rather than later. Not only that, he was amazingly lucky himself. Casey Stengel once said about Yogi, “He’d fall in a sewer and come up with a gold watch.”
Yogi’s teammates all knew about Yogi’s incredible luck; and in those early days of air travel, it was always comforting to nervous teammates to have Yogi on the plane with them. What could go wrong with Yogi aboard?
That leads me to one of my favorite Yogi stories from Phil Pepe’s book. It goes something like this (only slightly embellished!):
One time the Yankees were traveling on their team plane. This was probably in the mid-1950s; and, again, air travel was in its early, propeller-driven stage. For some reason – I don’t remember what it was – Yogi was not on this particular flight. It might have been due to the birth of one of his kids. For whatever reason, there was no Yogi on the plane to convey his usual sense of security during the often-harrowing air travel.
Wouldn’t you know it! Somewhere around mid-flight, the plane encountered horrendous turbulence, some of the worst ever. Guys were really starting to sweat as the plane bounced around in the choppy skies. No doubt, many a prayer was being uttered by the disturbed players. Then, in the midst of it all, a sense of dread overcame them as the stark reality spread through the cabin: “OH MY GOD! YOGI’S NOT ON THE PLANE!
I’m sure many of the players started having horrendous mental flashes of the next day’s headlines: “Yogi Berra safe as Yankee plane…” Well, I won’t even go there. Let’s just be thankful the plane landed safely; but I have a hunch most of the Yankees would think twice about ever again stepping foot aboard a plane without their good-luck charm, Yogi Berra.
Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra spent his entire 19-year career (1946–1963, 1965) with the Yankees, except for four games in 1965 with the Mets. He was widely regarded as one of the best catchers in history and one of the game’s most feared hitters.
Over his career, Yogi hit .285, with 2150 hits, 321 doubles, 358 home runs, 1430 RBIs, and a .348 on-base percentage. He was an 18-time All-Star and is one of only four players named American League Most Valuable Player three times. As a player, coach, or manager, Berra appeared in an incredible 21 World Series, including 13 World Series championships. He holds many Worlds Series records as a player.
From 1949 to 1955, on teams filled with stars such as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, it was Berra who led the Yankees in RBI for seven consecutive seasons. One of the most notable days of Berra’s playing career came when he caught Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. The pictures of Berra leaping into Larsen’s arms following the 27th out are among baseball’s most memorable images.
Yogi managed both the Yankees (1964) and the Mets (1973) to pennants and is one of only seven managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series. His carrer managerial record is 484-444 (.522). In 1976, he rejoined the Yankees as a coach. The team then won its first of three consecutive American League pennants, as well as the 1977 and 1978 World Series. Yogi later joined the Houston Astros as bench coach, and the team made it to the National League Championship Series in 1986.
Yogi’s Number 8 has been retired by the Yankees and he is a Monument Park honoree. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1999, he was named No. 40 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Over the years, Berra appeared in numerous advertisements. He was among the longest-running commercial pitchmen ever, as his television commercials spanned the early 1950s until his death in 2015.
Here’s some of my favorite “Yogiisms.” I think we can all agree there’s a little bit of truth in all of them! Feel free to add your thoughts and/or favorite “Yogiism” in the comments section below!
• “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
• “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
• “It’s déjà vu all over again”.
• “You can observe a lot by watching.”
• “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours.”
• “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.”
• “I really didn’t say everything I said.”
• On why he no longer went to Ruggeri’s, a St. Louis restaurant: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.
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Gary Livacari
Photo Credits: All from Google search
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