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 Team News: Yogi's speech ain't over till it's over your head |
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Yogi's speech ain't over till it's over your head
"Thank you all for being here tonight. I know this is a busy
time of year, and if you weren't here, you could probably be
somewhere else. I especially want to thank the administration
at St. Louis University for making this day necessary. It is
an honor to receive this honorary degree.
"It is wonderful to be here in St. Louis and to visit the old
neighborhood. I haven't been back since the last time I was
here. Everything looks the same, only different. Of course,
things in the past are never as they used to be.
"Before I speak, I have something I'd like to say. As you may
know, I never went to college, or high school for that matter.
To be honest, I'm not much of a public speaker, so I will try
to keep this short as long as I can.
"As I look out upon all of the young people here tonight,
there are a number of words of wisdom I might depart. But I
think the most irrelevant piece of advice I can pass along is
this:
"The most important things in life are the things that are
least important.
"I could have gone a number of directions in my life. Growing
up on the Hill, I could have opened a restaurant or a bakery.
But the more time I spent in places like that, the less time I
wanted to spend there. I knew that if I wanted to play
baseball, I was going to have to play baseball. My childhood
friend, Joe Garagiola, also became a big-league ballpayer, as
did my son, Dale. I think you'll find the similarities in our
careers are quite different.
"You're probably wondering, how does a kid from the Hill
become a New York Yankee and get in the Hall of Fame? Well,
let me tell you something, if it was easy nobody would do it.
Nothing is impossible until you make it possible.
"Of course, times were different. To be honest, I was born at
an early age. Things are much more confiscated now. It seems
like a nickel ain't worth a dime anymore. But let me tell you,
if the world was perfect, it wouldn't be. Even Napoleon had
his Watergate.
"You'll make some wrong mistakes along the way, but only the
wrong survive. Never put off until tomorrow what you can't do
today. Denial isn't just a river in Europe.
"Strive for success and remember you won't get what you want
unless you want what you get. Some will choose a different
path. If they don't want to come along, you can't stop them.
Remember, none are so kind as those who will not see.
"Keep the faith and follow the Commandments: Do not covet thy
neighbor's wife, unless she has nothing else to wear. Treat
others before you treat yourself. As Franklin Eleanor
Roosevelt once said, 'The only thing you have to fear is beer
itself.'
"Hold on to your integrity, ladies and gentlemen. It's the one
thing you really need to have; if you don't have it, that's
why you need it. Work hard to reach your goals, and if you
can't reach them, use a ladder. There may come a day when you
get hurt and have to miss work. Don't worry, it won't hurt to
miss work.
"Over the years, I have realized that baseball is really just
a menopause for life. We all have limitations, but we also
know limitation is the greatest form of flattery. Beauty is in
the eyes of Jim Holder.
"Half the lies you hear won't be true, and half the things you
say, you won't ever say.
"As parents you'll want to give your children all the things
you didn't have. But don't buy them an encyclopedia, make them
walk to school like you did. Teach them to have respect for
others, especially the police. They are not here to create
disorder, they are here to preserve it.
"Throughout my career, I found good things always came in
pairs of three. There will be times when you are an
overwhelming underdog. Give 100 percent to everything you do,
and when that's not enough, give everything you have left.
'Winning isn't everything, but it's better than rheumatism.' I
think Guy Lombardo said that.
"Finally, dear graduates and friends, cherish this moment; it
is a memory you will never forget. You have your entire future
ahead of you.
"Good luck and Bob's speed."
Copyright 2007 St. Louis Post-Dispatch L.L.C.
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"When you come to the fork in the road, take it" - L.P. Berra
"Always make new mistakes" -- Esther Dyson
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
-- Sir Arthur C. Clarke
"You Gotta Believe" - Frank "Tug" McGraw (1944 - 2004 RIP)
John F. McMullen
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