New York Yankees catcher and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra has moved on to other endeavors, but his one liners of yesterday still crack everybody up. Even if you didn’t know at the time who said it, you’ve probably heard such hilarious comments as “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours” and “Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.” Along the same vein is “I never said most of the things I said.”
Then there’s “I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.” And “If people don’t want to come out to the ball park, nobody’s gonna stop ’em.” Or “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.”
People probably thought Yogi didn’t know what he was saying, but I suggest he simply spoke in shorthand and left it to the rest of us to decipher his message. Take the comment about going to funerals, for instance. What Yogi probably meant was that if you don’t attend the funerals of friends and family who are close to you, then when it’s your turn to go nobody will remember to visit you. He simply forgot to mention that the deceased person was excused from attending.
And, given the ability for a down-and-out team to come back in the top of the ninth inning and win, his belief that “It ain’t over till it’s over” isn’t so simplistic. The same can be said of “It’s like deja-vu, all over again.”
I pride myself on trying to write clearly and not leaving my reader to interpret what I really meant. This never seemed to bother Yogi Berra. He assumed we understood without his speaking or writing clearly. And maybe we did, since his sayings are still around and still enjoyed. I only hope that when I give up blogging for other interests someone will quote me once in a while. Even if it means having a good laugh at my expense.
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