When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes

by Berra, Yogi; Kaplan, Dave

• ISBN13: 9780786867752
• ISBN10: 0786867752
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-05-23
• Publisher: Hachette Books

Summary

Three-time MVP and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra hit home runs twice in a row with his two previous books, The Yogi Book and It Aint Over. Now, his winning streak will continue with this latest worka collection of appealing, funny, and surprisingly moving essays on life, happiness, and getting through the slumps. Filled with another delightful helping of Yogis inimitable and unwittingly wise aphorisms, these reflections focus on the valuable lessons hes learned on and off the field. From his early years as an immigrants son who dropped out of the eighth grade through his triumphant career as a player and manager who played in a record seventy five World Series games, Yogi illustrates his homespun philosophies with apt analogies to his trove of baseball stories. He expounds on such topics as Patience (Waiting for your pitch); Sacrifice (Laying down a bunt); Trusting Others (Taking direction); and Staying Focused (Keeping your eye on the ball), to show how the rules of life and baseball are uncannily similar. And, in the tradition of Dont Sweat the Small Stuff and All I Really Need to I Know I Learned in Kindergarten, he explains his recipe for fulfillment and happiness with life lessons that are profoundly simple, simply profoundand classic Yogi to the core. Following on the heels of two New York Times bestselling books and filled with memorable photos, this new collection of Yogi wisdom will undoubtedly expand his growing legion of fans. When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! is a wise, humble, touching book thats a guaranteed winner. In short, its dj vu all over again.

Author Biography

Yogi Berra is a beloved American baseball personality whose years with the New York Yankees made him a vital part of the most successful sports franchise ever. Off the field, his wit and humor have made him a unique and ubiquitous figure in American culture. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey Dave Kaplan is the executive director of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, a nonprofit sports education center founded in 1998 on the campus of Montclair State (NJ) University. He was formerly a reporter and editor with the Associated Press and New York Daily News. He is married with three young daughters, and lives in Montclair, New Jersey

Table of Contents

When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It	1	(5)
It's Never Happened in World Series History, and It Hasn't Happened Since	6	(6)
Nobody Did Nothin' to Nobody	12	(5)
``Slump? I Ain't in No Slump...I Just Ain't Hitting''	17	(4)
We Have a Good Time Together, Even When We're Not Together	21	(3)
I Don't Know, I'm Not in Shape Yet	24	(4)
Public Speaking Is One of the Best Things I Hate	28	(4)
He's Learning Me All His Experience	32	(4)
If You Don't Have a Bullpen, You Got Nothing	36	(4)
If People Don't Want to Come Out to the Park, Nobody's Going to Stop Them	40	(4)
You Can't Win All the Time. There Are Guys Out There Who Are Better Than You	44	(5)
Don't Get Me Right, I'm Just Asking	49	(4)
If You Don't Know Where You're Going, You Might Not Get There	53	(3)
Ninety Percent of the Game Is Half Mental	56	(4)
Why Buy Good Luggage? You Only Use It When You Travel	60	(4)
You Can Observe a Lot by Watching	64	(4)
It's Deja Vu All Over Again	68	(5)
We Made Too Many Wrong Mistakes	73	(4)
Little League Baseball Is a Good Thing Because It Keeps the Parents Off the Street and the Kids Out of the House	77	(5)
A Nickel Ain't Worth a Dime Anymore	82	(6)
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over	88	(5)
It Gets Late Early Out Here	93	(4)
If You Can't Imitate Him, Don't Copy Him	97	(4)
If I Didn't Wake Up, I'd Still Be Sleeping	101	(5)
Nobody Goes There Anymore. It's Too Crowded	106	(4)
So I'm Ugly. So What? I Don't Hit with My Face	110	(4)
There Is Always Some Kid Who May Be Seeing Me for the First or Last Time. I Owe Him My Best	114	(4)
Usually When You Get One of These, You're Dead or Gone	118	(5)
Only in America	123	(5)
I'd See If I Could Find the Guy That Lost It, and If He Was Poor, I'd Give It Back	128	(4)
I'd Rather Be the Yankee Catcher Than the President	132	(5)
Most People Know Me by My Face	137	(4)
I Love Movies When I Like Them	141	(4)
In Baseball, You Don't Know Nothing	145	(5)
We Have Deep Depth	150	(4)
If the World Were Perfect, It Wouldn't Be	154	(5)
The Future Ain't What It Used to Be	159	(4)
Always Go to Other People's Funerals, Otherwise They Won't Go to Yours	163	(4)
Ninety Percent of Short Putts Don't Go In	167	(4)
It's Over	171