The most quoted man in America died today at the age of 90. It may be a surprise to some people that this man was a former Major-league baseball player. He is considered by many one of the greatest of all time and played for many championship teams with the New York Yankees.
So how is it that such a talented athlete was born with a mind that could turn so many common phrases and give them such thought-provoking double meanings?
One clue and many outside of baseball don't know this or realize it but the position of catcher, which Yogi Berra played, is considered the most important to the outcome of the game. At the major-league level the catcher needs to be aware of the tendencies of opposing hitters and how the defense is set up. The decisions he makes can often mean snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat.
So, why am I writing about Yogi Berra in a blog about digital painting? I guess I find the mind of Mr. Berra absolutely fascinating. He wasn't especially intelligent in other areas of his life so it has been written by friends and colleagues over the years. Yet, he was able to hyperfocus on baseball and naturally found ways to turn a phrase.
I guess it's the "naturally" part where the talents were super talents of individuals where a thing become so difficult for most people is like breathing for another. It's the ability to see things were others do not. It is also, something that I believe about the visual arts and perhaps other arts in general that there is nothing new under the sun and that everything good is derived from something else that was good to begin with. All of Yogi Berra's famous quotes have their derivatives but his talent was building upon those in and even unconscious way. There is a moment of creativity and the mind makes the choice a choice that can mean the difference between something that is mundane one night and something profound the next. Rest in peace Yogi Berra, baseball legend and still the most quoted man in America.
