If the subtitle of this delicious collection of Yogi-isms has you scratching your head, it has done its job as stunningly as Berra used to do his behind the plate at Yankee Stadium. The Hall of Fame MVP catcher for the pinstriped dynasties of the late 1940s through the '50s and into the '60s, Berra was about as quick with his witticisms as he was with his bat and glove. But if his observations hit the heart of the plate, his grammar tended to pop out of left field, hence the creation of a unique mode of malapropism dubbed the Yogi-ism. To truly understand the title, you need to know that not every mot ascribed to Yogi actually emanated from his mouth--they only sounded like they should have. Thus, he really didn't say everything he said, which makes The Yogi Book absolutely necessary (see page 10). To the things that Yogi did say, The Yogi Book does both service and justice. It gathers the witticisms in a single convenient volume, adds a scrapbook of photos, then lets their progenitor riff, filling in color commentary on what was happening beyond his mind and what was going through it when the famous phrases were dispatched into the public domain. He deservedly takes credit for such immortal pronunciamentos as "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." (page 16); "It's deja vu all over again." (page 30); "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." (page 48); "The future ain't what it used to be." (page 118); "It gets late early out there." (page 64); and "Ninety percent of this game is half mental." (page 69). All, like the sacred texts they happen to be, are appropriately parsed for your edification, as is the greatest Yogi-ism of them all: "It ain't over 'til it's over." (page 121).
Hardly anyone would quarrel...that Winston Churchill has been replaced by Yogi Berra as the...favorite source of quotations. (The New Yorker) "Yogi Berra was one of the first guys to allow himself to be kidded by his teammates. A shrewd move--they made him one of the most famous personalities in America." (Tim Mccarver)
"Yogi's son Larry and I played on the Montclair High School Basketball team together. At the time, Yogi represented Yoo-Hoo soft drinks. When we'd win, Yogi would bring the Yoo-Hoo to
the locker room. When we'd lose, we got nothing. Prior to the games, Yogi would tell us, "If you win, you get the Yoo-Hoo, if you lose you get the Boo-Hoo!" (Leonard S. Coleman Jr.)
"Yogi came back to my dressing room after our show at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey. He has always been one of my heroes. I felt like I was in the locker room after hitting a home run and winning the World Series. Yogi looked at me and said, "Wow, kid, I wouldn't want to do what you do...the work's too hard!" ( "Talking to Yogi Berra about baseball is like talking to Homer about the gods." (Bart
Giamatti)
"When I was on Saturday Night Live, Yogi played himself in a mock documentary called 'Ballplayers.' Christopher Guest and I played 75-year-old black ballplayers talking about the old days. We acted our hearts out. Yogi had one line and stole the movie. I'll never work with him again!" (Billy Crystal)
"A conversation with Yogi Berra is as memorable as seeing a game in Yankee Stadium in its heyday." (Frank Sinatra)
"I was standing at home plate and the announcer said, 'Now catching for the Yankees, Yogi Berra.' I'd never heard of him and there he was--his shin guards and chest protector were too long--and I thought, 'Who are they trying to kid with this guy?' Well, I played against him for ten years and I appreciated his abilities more and more and more. He made the pitchers pitch. And he was a damn good hitter!" (Ted Williams)
"I make a lot of speeches. Often, to illustrate a point, I reach back for a Yogi expression because Yogi can sum up a situation like nobody else. Thanks, Yogi." (Brendan T. Byrne)
"Yogi Berra is a national treasure. I've been using his remarks to close all my speeches and they always bring huge laughs. I love Yogi--always have, always will." (Larry King)
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The beloved philosopher Yogi Berra has a gift for saying the smartest things in the funniest ways. His off-the-cuff wisdom is the stuff of legendsurprising, immediate, profound, and endlessly quotable.
Why never to give up:"It aint over till its over.
Advice on finding your way:"When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
The mind-body problem:"You cant think and hit at the same time.
Gathered together by the man himself, The Yogi Book is the definitive collection of Yogi-isms. It includes appreciations from some of Yogis biggest fans, and a time line of his unparalleled career, from days playing sandlot ball on the Hill in St. Louis to his milestones as a Yankee catcherten World Championships, three-time American League MVP, 15 All-Star Games, instant Hall of Famerto his life as a manager, family man, and all-around sage.
