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Yogi Berra, the legendary baseball player and coach, died recently at age 90. It’s always sad when one of the good guys passes.

Berra was a catcher for 19 seasons with the Yankees and Mets, and he coached for 29 years with the Yankees, Mets, and Astros.

He played in 18 All-Star games. He was American League MVP three times. He was in the World Series 14 times as a player, seven more as a coach.

He got the nickname “Yogi” from a friend in the minor leagues, who said that when Berra sat waiting to bat with his arms and legs crossed, he looked like a Hindu yogi.

In the baseball world, Berra was a much-beloved character. He didn’t look the part of a super star — 5’7″ tall, 194 pounds, not much to look at, a decidedly unpolished  demeanor — but he was a congenial fellow who was known widely for his paradoxical statements and malapropisms.

Berra, in fact, was a relatively smart guy who simply had quit school after the 8th grade, and who clearly understood how to cultivate a good thing.

No one knows how many of Berra’s entertaining quotes were really his. On that subject, he once supposedly remarked, “I really didn’t say everything I said.”

Regardless, the list of alleged Yogi-isms is extensive and great fun.

It ain’t over ’til it’s over.

It’s déjà vu all over again.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.

Never answer an anonymous letter.

We made too many wrong mistakes.

You can observe a lot by watching.

The future ain’t what it used to be.

It gets late early out here.

If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.

If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.

Okay, you guys, pair up in threes.

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

You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.

A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.

There are some people who, if they don’t already know, you can’t tell ’em.

You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.

Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.

I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house.

I wish I had an answer to that, because I’m tired of answering that question.

It was impossible to get a conversation going. Everybody was talking too much.

He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.

Even Napoleon had his Watergate.

Always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise, they won’t come to yours.

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?

Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.

I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.

You better cut the pizza in four pieces. I’m not hungry enough to eat six.

In theory, there’s no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.

Baseball is 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical.

I knew the record would stand until it was broken.

The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.

If you ask me anything I don’t know, I’m not going to answer.

I’m a lucky guy, and I’m happy to be with the Yankees, and I want to thank everyone for making this night necessary.

The towels were so thick there, I could hardly close my suitcase.

It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.

So I’m ugly. So what? I never saw anyone hit with his face.

Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hittin’.

We have deep depth.

Think? How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?

You give 100 percent in the first half of the game. And if that’s not enough, in the second half, you give what’s left.

It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

Pitching always beats batting, and vice versa.

90 percent of all mental errors are in your head.

I’m lucky. Usually, you’re dead to get your own museum, but I’m still alive to see mine.

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra (1925-2015)