Thursday, October 5, 2023

YOGI BERRA'S QUOTES COME ALIVE AGAIN IN 2023


I've had Yogi Berra on the brain a lot lately, and I am not sure why. Maybe I am just reminiscing about happier Yankee times, or just about Yankee greats of the past. Yogi was certainly one of the Yankee greats and boy do I miss his Yogi-isms. They were the most beautiful butchery of the English language that even non-Yankee fans can appreciate.

Now that we are all reflecting upon just how bad this season was as we wait for the official word that our weakest links are returning next season, I take some of my favorite Yogi-isms and relate them to right now.


1. "It gets late early out here"
It is hard for me to pick a favorite Yogi-ism but if this isn't my favorite one, it's definitely top three. We all saw just how it got late early on the field this season. The Yankees had a terrible start, followed by a really short winning streak before crashing back down to terribleness again. It got late early for sure. The Yankees fell behind in the standings early on and quickly turned too late. As a result, I'd say you can turn that Yogi-ism into "it got UGLY early out there" because it really did. It was really hard to watch, too.

2. "It's deja vu all over again"
I think we all agree this season was definitely deja vu when it comes to the Yankees offense. This team just cannot hit. They can't play small ball, they can't move the runners over, brings guys home when in scoring position or make productive outs. All this team does is swing for the fences, and sometimes it pays off.....but boy do they strike out a lot. It's the same story, just a different year with two different hitting coaches.


3. "The future ain't what it used to be"
Do you remember the Yankees 2016 fire sale? It was hard to think about at the time, but it really helped replenish the farm. Then 2017 came along and Aaron Judge won the Home Run Derby, we had all these young, exciting up and coming ballplayers that were heading into their prime. We got sooooo close to the World Series (damn you cheating ASStros) and the future was bright! Now here we are heading into 2024 with Judge injured and wondering how we don't WASTE opportunities when he is in his prime. Not to mention how to keep Gerrit Cole committed to us after next season instead of opting out of his contract. The future aint what it used to be....and the Yankees prime window of opportunity is closing.

4. "I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?"
This is a good one. If the Yankees changed bats for every time they did not hit there would be a wood shortage on the planet. The Yankees probably do blame their bats, because they certainly do not take accountability for their lack of hitting. Sure, the Yankees fired Dillon Lawson but that isn't the answer. The Yankees need to learn how to hit and stop making excuses....and stop hiring people with a philosophy of "hit strikes hard." 


5. "In baseball, you don't know nothing"
See Dillon Lawson above, but furthermore, that is more like "the Yankees don't know nothing" because they keep making the same decisions over and over again expecting different results also known as, insanity. They also keep loser Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman around instead of cutting their dead weight. Don't worry though, Hal Steinbrenner is taking a "deep dive" by hiring an independent company to compare and contrast how the Yankees run their organization compared to other teams. So really, the Yankees don't know nothing, and they need to spend lots of money to hear that (and then they still won't believe it).

6. "When you come to a fork in the road, take it"
If only someone could make the Yankees realize that they have come to many forks in the road and didn't take it. They are at a HUGE fork in the road and it's time to take it....and by take it I mean clean house and start over.


7. "It aint over till it's over"
I wish this was true for Boone and Cashman's tenure with the Yankees....but that aint over. It should be, just like the Yankees season is. If only Yogi could make that true.

A walk down memory lane .... may Yogi rest in peace. He may not be walking amongst us anymore, but his words still ring true especially for the Yankees. 



--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj





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