Remembering Yogi Berra’s finest quotes
Yogi Berra died on Tuesday night at the age of 90 after a Hall of Fame career that included three MVP awards, 18 consecutive All-Star appearances and a record 10 World Series wins in 14 appearances with the Yankees.
In addition to his prowess on the diamond as both a hitter and a catcher, Berra became a beloved national figure due to his way with words, with his mix-ups and malapropisms becoming known asYogi-isms.
Extra Mustard has gathered some of his finest quotations from his 90 years, gathered mostly from Roy Blount Jr.’s “Yogi,” which first ran in Sports Illustrated in the April 2, 1984, issue.
• BELTH: Yogi Berra, American original and Yankees immortal dies at age 90
On the national pastime: “In baseball, you don’t know nothing”
On a movie starring the late actor Steve McQueen: “He must have made this before he died.”
On difficulties at the plate: “I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hitting”
On Ruggeri’s restaurant in St. Louis: “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”
At a banquet held in his honor: “I want to thank all those who made this night necessary.”
On percentages: “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
On the art of paying attention: “You can observe a lot by watching.”
When asked what makes a good manager: “A good ballclub.”
On endings: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
On the dangers of traveling: “You have got to be very careful if you don’ know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”
Upon receiving a check for a cat food commercial: “People say I’m dumb, but a lot of guys don’t make this kind of money talking to cats.”
On switch hitting: “He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.”
On his looks: “So I’m ugly. I never saw anyone hit with his face.”
On his famous quotations: “I never said most of the things I said.”
