Yogi Berra, who has been mentioned in this column recently, has always been one of my favorite New York Yankees. No, it’s not just because of his exceptional ability but because of his sense of humor. In fact, he became famous almost as much for his sayings as his greatness as a catcher.
When the Yankees played in El Paso in 1951, he hit a ball so far over the Dudley Field fence some swear the ball landed where the El Paso Zoo is now, and folks, that’s a long, long way.
OKAY, SO YOGI wasn’t among the prettiest of faces in baseball when he was playing. When someone pointed that out to him, he replied, “Nobody ever hit a baseball with his face.”
Some time ago, reader Tom Hussmann sent me a list of some of Yogi’s funniest comments. I’m still laughing and I thought I’d share some of them with you.
Oh, and I want to add some of the comments I’ve heard on radio and television here in El Paso. We have our own Yogis.
FIRST, HERE are some of my favorite Yogi-isms:
On something happening again: “It’s like deja vu all over again.”
On why the Yankees lost a game: “We made too many wrong mistakes.”
On the economy: “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
On the world as a whole: “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
On getting lost: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up some place else.”
On being quoted: “I really didn’t say everything I said.”
On things to come: “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
On the opera and one of his most quoted sayings: “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.”
AND A FEW more:
On a restaurant he used to frequent: “Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.”
On the Yankees: “We have deep depth.”
On fan mail: “Never answer anonymous letters.”
On baseball: “90 percent of the game is half mental.”
On daylight saving time: “It gets late early out there.”
And his most famous line about games: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
STILL LAUGHING over Yogi’s sayings? Following are some of the comments I’ve collected, with the help of some other listeners, through the years from callers to talk shows in El Paso:
On complimenting an athlete: “He’s heads and tails above the rest.”
On a controversy: “He added fire to the fuel.”
On complaining about an athlete: “Not to pour rain on his parade.”
On college football: “Lou Holtz doesn’t walk on air.”
On being quoted: “I didn’t say half the things I said.”
AND MORE:
On what baseball is all about: “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.”
On a developing story: “The cover is coming off the lid.”
On a developing athlete: “He has quietly made some noise.”
On a controversy: “That’s the whole side of both stories.”
On being wrong: “I was remiss if I missed it early.”
On a controversy: “Coronado has the situation underhand.”
I’M SURE we all misspeak at one time or another. We’re all human. But hey, it’s good to laugh at ourselves every now and then.