It is a sad day for the sporting world, as one of the most iconic and beloved athletes of all time has died. Yogi Berra, the baseball icon, died on Tuesday night at the age of 90.
To put this loss into perspective, if you don’t already know how iconic Yogi was: I live in South Africa, where baseball pretty much doesn’t exist…yet many people here know the legendary Yogi Berra. Not only was he one of the greatest athletes to ever live he was also one of the most beloved and endearing, mostly because of his human nature and his very quotable gaffes throughout his career.
Many of today’s most loved quotations, such as “it ain’t over til its over” and “when you come to a fork in the road, take it” came from Berra’s brilliantly quirky mind, and, while many of them are contradictory and nonsensical, they are also strangely wise and catapulted Berra to the status of one of the most endearing modern philosophers. He was the very definition of an unconventional and unintentional comedian and is regarded as one of the twentieth century’s foremost wits.
Berra is survived by his three children, two of whom, Tim and Dale, are also professional baseball players. His death comes just over a year after his longtime wife Carmen’s passing.
In memory of Berra’s iconic status and his ability to be highly quotable, I will leave you with his defense of his beloved quotes:
I really didn’t say everything I said.
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