Remembering Yogi Berra

Many of us were greeted on Wednesday morning with the sad news that baseball icon and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra passed away at the age of 90. Berra was one of the greatest catchers of all time, with 10 World Series titles as a player, 15-straight All Star Game appearances and three MVP awards during his time with the New York Yankees. He went on to a successful career as a manager following his playing days, leading the Mets and Yankees to the World Series.

Berra was familiar to people across many generations not just for his lengthy involvement in baseball, but also for his numerous appearances in TV commercials. He appeared in ads for products ranging from Yoo-Hoo to Miller Lite. More recently he popped up in spots for Visa (with Yao Ming) and Aflac.

Berra might have been more famous for what he said off the field versus what he did on it. His “Yogi-isms” have become the stuff of legend (some of it not even created by Berra) and part of the American lexicon. Phrases such as, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” and “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” have been attributed to Berra and his unique twists on the English language.

The passing of Berra will leave a hole in the baseball world that can never be filled.