Yogi Berra, 10-time World Series winner, Yankee icon and all-around legend, has passed away at the age of 90. It’s a terribly sad thing, tempered by the fact that Yogi lived a full life, filled with more color and vitality than most any of us can hope to match. Perhaps more than any baseball player from his era not named Mantle or Mays, Berra remains a household name. But Yogi’s place in baseball history and American culture is unique, thanks to his unique grasp (or lack thereof) of the English language, and his innate ability to say exactly what he meant (more or less), grammar be damned.
We’re going to leave you with a list of some of his most memorable Yogi-isms, even though it may be cliche and some may be wrongly attributed. It’s still meaningful, because one of the only pleasant things to do in the wake of a friend’s passing is to recount all the times he made you laugh or smile.
“Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets.”
“You can observe a lot just by watching.”
“You should always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise, they won’t come to yours.”
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
“The towels were so thick there, I could hardly close my suitcase.”
“Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.”
“So I’m ugly. I never saw anyone hit with his face.”
“I don’t know (if they were men or women fans running naked across the field). They had bags over their heads.”
“I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.”
“If people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, how are you going to stop them?”
And, of course: “I never said most of the things I said.”
We love you, Yogi, and we’ll miss you.
