Yogi Berra made his Major League Baseball debut for the
New York Yankees in 1946. The 21-year-old catcher would go on to play 19
seasons — all but the last season for the Yankees — in a career that made him a
baseball legend. He won 10 World Series championships as a player (more than
anyone else), was an 18-time All-Star, won the MVP award three times, and hit
358 home runs. In 1972, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and he is
still regarded as one of the greatest catchers of all time. But before he even
made his debut, Berra was already a hero: He took part in the Normandy landings
during World War II, earning a Purple Heart.
Beyond baseball, Yogi Berra became famous for what he
said. Known as “Yogi-isms,” his comments were a mix of impromptu witticisms,
observations, and occasional malapropisms. He has also been linked to a wide
array of well-known quotes, often spuriously. He didn’t say, for example, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” despite often being
attributed with it. (He might have coined, “The game isn't over till it's
over,” but even that is unclear.)
Still, Yogi Berra did come up with many funny lines, even
if some of his jokes were already in circulation. Whether the humor was deliberate
or unintentional is sometimes hard to say. Berra himself said,
“I don’t think I ever said anything intentionally funny in my life. Sometimes
the quotes just happen — I just don’t know when I’ll say them.” Here are some
of the funny “Yogi-isms” that have been attributed to the witty Yankee through
the years.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
This quote may not have originated with Berra, but he
certainly helped popularize it. It’s also possible that he said it with
unintentional humor. According to a 2009 biography, Berra was explaining how to
get to his house, and said that you could take a right or a left at the fork as
both roads eventually arrived at his home.
You can observe a lot by watching.
Berra said this line at a press conference in 1963. As
with many of his famous quotes, it’s hard to say if it was a gaffe or intended
to be funny.
Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is
physical.
Again, it’s hard to know if this was a gaffe or
intentional humor. Either way, it’s another classic Berra line.
I want to thank everybody for making this
night necessary.
Here we have an example of a Berra gaffe that had
unintentionally funny results. He delivered the line, or a variation of it
(reports differ), during a speech in 1947. He should have said “possible”
rather than “necessary,” much to the mirth of the press.
If people don’t want to come out to the
ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.
Berra said this line, or a variation of it, when
commenting on declining baseball attendances in Kansas City.
Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.
Berra confirmed that he said this line in reference to Ruggeri’s
restaurant in his old neighborhood in St. Louis. But it’s possible he’d heard
the quip before, as it was already in circulation. Still, he definitely helped
popularize it.
Nah, I had to get up to answer the phone
anyway.
This was Berra’s witty response when, very early in the
morning, the phone rang and the caller apologetically said, “I hope I didn’t
wake you.” Again, the joke was already in circulation, so it’s possible Berra
had heard it before.
It doesn’t matter if you’re ugly in this
racket. All you have to do is hit the ball, and I never saw anyone hit with his
face.
Berra had to put up with some unpleasant comments about
his appearance, including some from detractors who called him “The Ape.” This
(or a similar version of it) was his stock reply to them.
I really didn’t say everything I said.
Berra came out with this witty remark in 1986, nicely
demonstrating the classic style of his “Yogi-isms.”
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