NEW YORK -- The lovable legend of Yogi Berra, that ain't ever gonna be over.
The Hall of Fame catcher renowned as much for his linguistically dizzying "Yogi-isms" as his unmatched 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees, died Tuesday. He was 90.
Best of Yogi
Some of the more widely quoted philosophy of Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher who died Tuesday at age 90:
On his approach to at-bats: “You can’t think and hit at the same time.”
On selecting a restaurant: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
On economics: “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
On the 1973 Mets: “We were overwhelming underdogs.”
On how events sometimes seem to repeat themselves “It’s deja vu all over again.”
On a slipping batting average: “Slump? I ain’t in no slump. … I just ain’t hitting.”
On travel directions: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
On pregame rest: “I usually take a two-hour nap from 1 to 4.”
On battling the shadows in left field at Yankee Stadium: “It gets late early out there.”
On being told he looked cool: “You don’t look so hot yourself.”
On being asked what time it was: “You mean now?”
On being given a day in his honor: “Thank you for making this day necessary.”
On a spring training drill: “Pair off in threes.”
On his approach to playing baseball: “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
On death: “Always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise they won’t go to yours.”
On learning: “You can observe a lot by watching.”
On his team’s diminishing pennant chances: “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.”
On the fractured syntax attributed to him: “I really didn’t say everything I said.”
In their words
“Yogi Berra was an American original — a Hall of Famer and humble veteran; prolific jokester and jovial prophet. He epitomized what it meant to be a sportsman and a citizen, with a big heart, competitive spirit, and a selfless desire to open baseball to everyone, no matter their background.”
— President Barack Obama
“We’ve lost Yogi, but we will always have what he left for us: the memories of a lifetime filled with greatness, humility, integrity and a whole bunch of smiles. He was a lovable friend.”
— Joe Torre, former Yankees manager
“Yogi Berra’s legacy transcends baseball. Though slight in stature, he was a giant in the most significant of ways through his service to his country, compassion for others and genuine enthusiasm for the game he loved. He has always been a role model and hero that America could look up to.”
— Hal Steinbrenner, Yankees general managing partner
“To those who didn’t know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time. To those lucky ones who did, he was an even better person. To me he was a dear friend and mentor. He will always be remembered for his success on the field, but I believe his finest quality was how he treated everyone with sincerity and kindness.”
— Derek Jeter, former Yankees shortstop
“Yogi is known a lot for his Yogi-isms, but he was one of the smartest baseball people I have ever been around. You don’t win as many championships as he has by not being smart.”
— Craig Biggio, Hall of Fame catcher/second baseman
“He told the story about the first year [Derek] Jeter came up, he went up to Yogi and said, ‘Hey Yogi, I’m having a little problem hitting the high pitch.’ ‘So don’t swing at it,’ Yogi said. Jeter said, ‘Well, you swung at it.’ Yogi said, ‘Yeah but I hit it.’ That’s Yogi.”
— Red Schoendienst, Hall of Fame second baseman
Berra, who filled baseball's record book as well as Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, died of natural causes at his home in New Jersey, according to Dave Kaplan, director of the Yogi Berra Museum.
Berra played in more World Series games than any other major leaguer and was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player.
For many, though, he was even better known for all those amusing "Yogi-isms," eight of which are in Bartlett's, including "It ain't over 'til it's over."
"When I'm sittin' down to dinner with the family, stuff just pops out," Berra insisted. "They'll say, 'Dad, you just said another one.' And I don't even know what the heck I said."
Short, squat and with a homely mug, Berra helped the Yankees reach 14 World Series during his 18 seasons in the Bronx.
"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."
Berra served on a gunboat supporting the D-Day invasion in 1944 and played for the Yankees from 1946-63. His teammates included fellow Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Phil Rizzuto.
Lawrence Peter Berra, the son of Italian immigrants, got his nickname while growing up in St. Louis. Among his amateur baseball teammates was Jack McGuire, another future big leaguer.
"Some of us went to a movie with a yogi in it, and afterwards Jack began calling me Yogi," Berra told the Saturday Evening Post. "It stuck."
He was a fan favorite, especially with children, and the cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after him.
Until recent years, he remained a fixture at Yankee Stadium and in the clubhouse, where the likes of Derek Jeter, Joe Torre and others in pinstripes looked up to the diminutive old-timer.
In 1956, Berra caught the only perfect game in World Series history and after the last out leaped into pitcher Don Larsen's arms. The famous moment is still often replayed on baseball broadcasts.
After his playing days, Berra coached or managed the Yankees, New York Mets and Houston Astros, leading both the Yankees and Mets to pennants.
In 1985, his firing as manager by the Yankees 16 games into the season sparked a feud with George Steinbrenner. Berra vowed never to return to Yankee Stadium as long as Steinbrenner owned the team, but in 1999 Berra finally relented, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the Yankees' season opener.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of a Yankees legend and American hero, Yogi Berra," the Yankees posted on Twitter.
Berra, who played in 15 consecutive All-Star Games, never earned more than $65,000 a season. He died on the same date, Sept. 22, as his major-league debut 69 years earlier.
Growing up, he was anything but a natural. Chunky and slow, Berra tried out with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals but was unable to reach an agreement. A Yankees scout recognized his potential and later signed him.
He reached the majors late in the 1946 season and homered in his first at-bat. He continued to hit well the next season, but his throwing was so erratic that he was shifted to the outfield and then benched.
His breakthrough season came in 1948, when he hit .315 with 14 home runs and 98 RBI while improving his fielding. In 1949, he compiled a .989 fielding percentage and did not make an error in the All-Star Game or World Series.
"I don't care who the hitter is," Yankees Hall of Fame Manager Casey Stengel told the New York Journal-American, "[Berra] knows just how he should be pitched to."
Berra was the American League MVP in 1951, 1954 and 1955 and holds World Series records for most hits (71) and games (75). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.
"You never think of that when you're a kid," Berra said. "But egads, you gotta be somethin' to get in."
Among his boyhood friends was Joe Garagiola, who went on to a career as a major-league player and broadcaster. The Cardinals signed Garagiola, also a catcher, after the tryout that he attended with Berra.
Berra was born in St. Louis on May 12, 1925, the son of Pietro, a laborer in a brickyard, and Pauline Berra. He grew up in "The Hill," an Italian district, with three older brothers and a younger sister.
Berra was forced to drop out of school in the eighth grade and go to work to help support his family. He took jobs in a coal yard, as a truck driver and in a shoe factory.
He continued to play amateur baseball, which brought him to the attention of major league scouts.
In 1943, his first professional season with the Yankees' farm team in Norfolk, Va., was interrupted by World War II.
Berra married his wife, Carmen, in 1949. The couple met in their native St. Louis. Carmen died in 2014.
Yogi is survived by their three sons: Dale Berra, a major league infielder who briefly played for his father with the Yankees in 1985; Tim, who played one season for the NFL's Baltimore Colts; and Lawrence Jr.
Berra also published three books: his autobiography in 1961, It Ain't Over ... in 1989 and The Yogi Book: I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said in 1998. The last made The New York Times' best seller list.
In 1996, Berra was awarded an honorary doctorate from the state university in Montclair, N.J., where he and his family lived. The university also named its baseball stadium for Berra, and the adjoining Yogi Berra Museum opened in 1998.
The museum houses Berra memorabilia, including what he said was his most prized possession, the mitt he used to catch Larsen's perfect game.
His wife once asked Berra where he wanted to be buried, in St. Louis, New York or Montclair. He replied in typical fashion.
"I don't know," he said. "Why don't you surprise me?"
Sports on 09/24/2015