RIP Yogi

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by dcheather, Sep 23, 2015.

  1. dcheather

    dcheather Administrator

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    Jul 29, 2005
    #1
    dcheather, Sep 23, 2015
    SoCalJoe likes this.
  2. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2006
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    Walnut, CA
    Heard the sad news this morning. Besides being a HoF catcher (jumping into Don Larson's arms after the World Series perfecto has been shown thousands of times over) Yogi was simply an icon. As the news anchor said 'perhaps the most quoted American since Mark Twain'. Here is some sage advice to remember from the man himself: 'Never answer an anonymous letter'.

    RIP to a legend
     
    #2
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2015
    SoCalJoe, Sep 23, 2015
  3. AggieMatt

    AggieMatt Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2008
    Location:
    Alamo City, Texas
    It's remarkable how he transcended sports & became not just a cultural icon, but one who's impact outlasted the majority of the contemporary stars of his day.

    The reference to Twain is fitting & an apt comparison.
     
    #3
    AggieMatt, Sep 23, 2015
  4. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Location:
    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    I heard and read a lot about Yogi today that made me shake my head. He never actually said 90 percent of what he's credited with saying. I can't remember the Chicago sportswriter who was quoted as saying that the NY beat reporters competed with each other to come up with the best "Yogi quote."

    Another thing that confused me was the "Yogi was the greatest catcher ever." The reality was that for a significant portion of his career, he wasn't the best catcher on his team. That was Elston Howard. Had the Yanks not been the second to last team to add a black player. Howard would have moved Yogi to left field much earlier.

    What Yogi was was perhaps the best situational hitter I ever saw. People concentrated on his clutch HRs, but he had amazing bat control and could pull an ankle high outside pitch for a base hit if that's where the hold was.

    There are a lot of Yankees that are overrated and don't belong in the hall -- Rissuto, Lazzeri among them -- but Yogi was one of the very best.
     
    #4
    HatterDon, Sep 23, 2015

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