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This Day In Sports…May 12, 1925:

The birthday of one of the most quoted players in major league history. The late Yogi Berra distinguished himself during an 18-year playing career, virtually all of it with the New York Yankees. Berra was named American League Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1954 and 1955. He was especially effective in the World Series, where he was a 13-time champion as a player and coach. Berra still holds six World Series records, including 75 games played and 71 hits. Berra made his big league debut in 1946 despite limited time in the minor leagues—he had joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 during the height of World War II.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, “He was a gunner’s mate assigned to the attack transport USS Bayfield. As a gunner’s mate, Berra was responsible for the operation and maintenance of weapons and other ordnance equipment, as well as small arms and magazines. The ship’s destination: Utah Beach, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. During the invasion, Berra manned a landing craft support vessel from which he said he ‘sprayed bullets and rockets across the heavily fortified beach fronts before the troops landed.’ Berra was wounded in the hand by incoming enemy fire; he was later awarded the Purple Heart Medal.”

But the real reason that Berra is an American icon is his famous and beloved sayings that will live forever. “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” “It’s déjà vu all over again.” “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours.” There’s a website called YogiBerraMuseum.org, and it has a section devoted to Yogi-isms. Here are some other highlights:

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

“I usually take a two hour nap from one to four.”

“Never answer an anonymous letter.”

“You can observe a lot by watching.”

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

“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”

And finally: “I didn’t really say everything I said.” The inimitable Yogi Berra, who passed away in 2015, would have been 100 years old today.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.) 

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