#yogiism

[boogiedown]

I really didn't say everything I said. ...Then again, I might have said 'em, but you never know.

Yogi Berra

[dugoutlifestyle]

It ain't over til it's over.

Yogi Berra

[briancapozzi-blog]

"I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?"

Yogi Berra

[takenoteskids]

Never answer anonymous letters.

Yogi Berra

[equaltimemagazine]

It ain't over 'til it's over.

I grew up essentially in a baseball-oriented home.  I donned a Yankees onesie at the prime age of four months.  Tee ball was the first sport I learned how to play.  I knew who Mickey Mantle was before I entered kindergarten. When I began using the "I'm 18 and legally an adult," card in my arguments my dad would reply "You live in my ballpark, you play by my rules." And so, it has always been hard for me to understand a person who has no connection to baseball. Still, I run into these types every day.  

But whether you realize it or not, baseball--or at least some of it--is a part of your life. Take for example, Yogi Berra, a Hall of Fame player who caught for the New York Yankees for his entire baseball career. Yogi is a player who has managed to weasel his way into all of America's lives.  How? The Yogiism. 

Has anyone ever told you, "It ain't over, 'til it's over?" Probably. Ever actually taken the time to think about that phrase?  It has the amazing power to make absolutely no sense and all the sense in the world...at the same time. That is the mystique of the Yogiism. 

Even if you'd never heard of Yogi Berra (and you should...because he was a terrific asset to the game), you have most likely listened to and perhaps said some of his most famous "isms." They include sound explanations: "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded." They consist of valuable advice: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." They illustrate universal experiences: "It's deja vu all over again."  They administer honest opinions: "You can observe a lot by watching." 

So you see, even if you're a not a baseball fan, the sport has produced American tradition that can be seen all over the country. And while Yogi Berra may disregard the impact of his sayings ("I didn't really say everything I said."), it is hard to ignore the sense in his senselessness. 

"If you don't know where you're going, you will wind up somewhere else."  - Yogi Berra

-Megan Griffo