For It’s One, Two, Sixteen Yogi-isms…

The baseball postseason is about to begin, and one of the most successful players to ever play in a postseason was Lawrence Berra, better known as Yogi because the way her sat cross-legged resembled a yoga instructor, which is called a yogi (sorry, it had nothing to do with the animated bear, which likely got its name from the baseball player. In fact, Berra sued Hanna-Barbera for defamation but eventually withdrew the suit).

Berra appeared in 21 World Series as a player, coach and manager, winning 13, more than anyone else. Today, he probably is more known for his butchering the English language than for his considerable baseball prowess.

Here are 16 examples of Berra speaking (mostly) grammatically correct sentences that don’t make sense:

1. “It’s like deja vu all over again.”

2. “We made too many wrong mistakes.”

3. “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

4. “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

5. “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.”

6. “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up someplace else.”

7. “I really didn’t say everything I said.”

8. “The future ain’t what it use to be.”

9. “Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.”

10. “I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.”

11. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

12. “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.”

13. “Never answer anonymous letters.”

14. “Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.”

15. “It gets late early out there.”

16. “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Until next time! Use the right words!

leebarnathan.com