I have never been — nor ever will be — a fan of the New York Yankees, but I have always been fond of Yogi Berra.

Berra, who died at the age of 90 early Wednesday morning, wrapped up his playing career well before my time, but 18 All-Star teams, 10 World Series titles, three MVP awards and a bust in Cooperstown speaks for itself.

More than what he did on the diamond, what will endure most about Berra in my eyes are his infamous Yogi-isms. The quick quips were often as entertaining as they were grammatically incorrect, but that was always part of the fun of them.

Whether or not he said all of the quotes attributed to him over the years have come into question — see “The Yogi Book: I Really Didn’t Say Everything I Said” — but there have been plenty over the years he has made his own.

Here’s a list of my favorites:

“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”

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“I can’t think and hit at the same time.”

“Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hitting.”

“We’re lost, but we’re making good time.”

“The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.”

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

“You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going ’cause you might not get there.”

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

“Ninety percent of the game is half mental.”

“It’s deja vu all over again.”

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley


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