Yogi Berra, via Wikicommons

Stephen Holland / CC-BY-SA

Last week marked the 90th birthday of one of baseball's living legends, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, who has had many roles in the game over the course of his career. He was an 18-time All-Star as a catcher for the New York Yankees (though he also picked up nine plate appearances in the final year of his career with the Mets). He was a three-time Most Valuable Player. He spent 1965-1971 as a coach for the Mets before managing them for over three seasons. His odyssey then brought him back to the Yankees, where he both coached and managed the team before wrapping up his career with the Houston Astros. Perhaps the most notable number encompassing Berra's career is 13: the amount of World Series winning clubs Berra was a member of, either as a player or as a coach.

However, Berra is also well-known for his "Yogiisms". These statements often either contradict themselves or state the glaringly obvious, yet they are lovable and charming all the same. In honor of Yogi's 90th, let's take a look at some of his best Yogiisms:

"It ain't over 'til it's over." Arguably the most famous of all Yogiisms, this one originated during the Mets 1973 run toward the division crown. Mired behind the Chicago Cubs in the East, 12 1/2 games out in mid-July, Berra spit out this classic to reporters, as if he had a premonition of things to come. Sure enough, the Mets turned it up that month, going 46-31 over their last 77 games, which was just enough to clinch the division by one and a half games over the second place St. Louis Cardinals. Of course, this Yogiism wasn't even the most famous quotation dished over the Mets' magical run. That honor would belong to Tug McGraw, whose "Ya Gotta Believe!" is still used as a rallying cry for the Amazins today.

"It's déjà vu all over again." Spending 1960-1963 in the same batting order as both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, Berra had a front row seat for some of the most prolific hitting displays ever. After witnessing the M&M boys hit back-to-back home runs for what seemed like the umpteenth time (the tandem did it on four different occasions alone in 1961) the sharp-tongued Berra simply said to the press what I'm sure many fans at the time were thinking. Of course, I'm not sure if deja vu is capable of happening twice (or maybe I'm just confused), but we'll let that part go.

"Baseball is ninety percent mental; the other half is physical." Remember Danny Ozark? He managed the Philadelphia Phillies for the bulk of the 1970s, taking home three consecutive National League Eastern Division titles from 1976-1978. In addition to 594 career managerial wins, he also had his share of malapropisms, including "Half the game is ninety percent mental." Contrasting percentages, but nonetheless we get what he means. Well, not wanting to be outdone, Berra took this Ozark's liner and expounded upon it. Berra claimed that baseball may be ninety percent mental, but the other half of it is physical. So...we're up to 140% now am I right? Anyone keeping a running tally? Just shake your head and smile.

"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six." One of Berra's funniest comments comes not from the diamond but rather within a pizzeria instead. Berra stopped in one day in search of a meal. He ordered a pie and was asked by the employee behind the counter how would he like his pie cut: into four pieces or into six pieces? Berra's response is very, very funny. Berra thought because there were fewer slices, there would be less to eat. However, if he'd responded that he'd rather have his pie cut into six pieces, it would have made more sense since the cut slices would have been smaller in size. However, the contradicting nature of Yogi's comments are part of what made them so delightful.

Happy 90 years Yogi!

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