Sports Hero

    One of the things most of us do at the end of a year is to check out what famous people died that year. As a baseball fan I usually look for the names of ballplayers, especially those who played for my Boston Red Sox.

    I have vivid memories of the three Sox players who passed away in 2015. One was Bill Monbouquette who won 114 games in his career and tossed a no-hitter in 1962. Another was Dave Henderson. He didn't play many games for the Sox, but I remember his dramatic 9^th inning home run to beat the Angels in the 1986 American League Championship playoffs. The third was Frank Malzone, a great third baseman who holds most Sox records at that position. He was a decent hitter, but an even better fielder, winning three consecutive Golden Glove awards from 1957 to 1959, beating out the incomparable Brooks Robinson.

    The most famous and best-loved ballplayer of all who left us in 2015 has to be Yogi Berra. I used to hate him when he'd reach for a bad ball and hit it out of the park to beat my team. But I grew to love him. And I was not alone.

    Yogi Berra may have been the greatest catcher of all time. But I think he will best be remembered for his “eloquence.” He is no doubt the most often quoted of any man who ever played the game. Here are some of my favorite Berra-isms:

    

    “You can observe a lot by watching.”

    “A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.”

    “It's déjà vu all over again.”

    “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

    “Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel.”

    “It ain't over 'til it's over.”

    “I really didn't say everything I said.”

    “Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.”

    “Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded.”

    We mourn the passing of our heroes, but with Yogi we do it with a smile.