The Yogi Book:
"I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said!"

FOREWORD

The Thrill From "The Hill" by Joe Garagiola

    My friend Yogi Berra and I began sharing our dreams when he was Lawdie and I was Joey, and we were just two baseball-playing youngsters growing up in the Italian-American section of St. Louis that was called "The Hill." These many years later, I'm asked if I'm surprised by all that Yogi went on to accomplish as a major league ballplayer, manager, and coach. I always answer no. Since we were kids, Yogi has been one of the most positive thinkers I have ever known and he's always been successful at everything that has interested him.

    Yogi played in a record 14 World Series for the New York Yankees from 1947 to 1963; was voted the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1951, 1954, and 1955; ended his playing career with the most homers by a catcher in major league history; managed the Yankees to an American League pennant in 1964 and the New York Mets to a National League pennant in 1973; and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972. He had a remarkable career. Yet it's funny that his lasting fame has come less from how he played and managed than from his unique way of speaking. Yogi is one of the most quoted people in the world.

    Fans have labeled Yogi Berra "Mr. Malaprop," but I don't think that's accurate. He doesn't use the wrong words. He just puts words together in ways nobody else would ever do. You may laugh and shake your head when Yogi says something strange like, "It ain't over 'til it's over," but soon you realize that what he said actually makes perfect sense. And you find yourself using his words yourself because they are, after all, the perfect way to express a particular idea.

    In fact, the key to Yogi-isms is Yogi's simple logic. He may take a different avenue than you would to get to where he's going, but it's the fastest, truest route. What you would say in a paragraph, he says in a sentence. If you say it in a sentence, Yogi needs only one word. If you use one word, Yogi just nods. Yogi's conversation is normal dialogue after taxes.

    I've gotten lost more than once going to Yogi's house in New Jersey, so now I call for directions. Each time, I get a memorable response. A favorite is, "I know just where you are, Joey. You're not too far. But don't go the other way, come this way." Now, I've been accused of putting words in Yogi's mouth, but how could I make up a response like that? How can you improve on Yogi?

(c) March 1998