A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

Recent entries:
“You’re legally allowed to park in a handicap spot if you get back with your ex more than twice” (3/18)
Entry in progress—BP3 (3/18)
Entry in progress—BP2 (3/18)
“It’s hard to save money when food is always flirting with me” (3/18)
“Don’t use a big word when a singularly unloquacious and diminutive linguistic expression…” (3/18)
More new entries...

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z


Entry from January 17, 2011
“Texas has a lot of electrical votes” (Yogi Berra?)

Baseball great Yogi Berra gets credit for many errors of the English language—unfortunately, this includes credit for many that he never said. A book in 1989 reports that Berra (then a coach for baseball’s Houston Astros) had a 1988 conversation with Vice President George Bush, who was throwing out the first pitch at an Astros game. Bush was running for president and told Berra that Texas is very important. “I know, Texas has a lot of electrical votes,” Berra allegedly said (mistaking “electrical” for “electoral”).
 
The conversation was not recorded in the Houston (TX) Chronicle or other contemporary newspapers, so the veracity of the quotation remains uncertain.
 
   
Wikipedia: Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra (born May 12, 1925) is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career (1946-1965) for the New York Yankees. Berra was one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times and one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series. He was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
 
Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. According to the win shares formula developed by sabermetrician Bill James, Berra is the greatest catcher of all time and the 52nd greatest non-pitching player in major-league history.
 
Berra, who quit school after the eighth grade, has a tendency toward malapropism and fracturing the English language. “It ain’t over till it’s over” is arguably his most famous example, often quoted.
(...)
Berra later joined the Houston Astros as bench coach, where he again made it to the NLCS in 1986. The Astros lost the series in six games to the New York Mets. Berra remained a coach in Houston until 1989.
   
Google Books
The Broadview Book of Sports Anecdotes
By Brendan Connor
Peterborough, ONT: Broadview Press
1989
Pg. 63:
President Bush is a baseball fan. He played first base for Yale. When he was vice-president, he was campaigning through Texas and was on hand to throw out the first ball at an Astros’ game. I got to meet him and we discussed politics a bit. He said, “Yogi, Texas is very important.”  I said, “I know, Texas has a lot of electrical votes.” He didn’t smile, because he knew what I meant.
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
Newsgroups: rec.humor
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Wayne Geiser)
Date: 23 Jul 91 21:20:10 GMT
Local: Tues, Jul 23 1991 3:20 pm
Subject: Re: Yogi Berra quotes wanted
 
GEORGE BUSH: “Yogi, Texas is very, very important.”
YOGI BERRA:  “I know, Texas has a lot of electrical votes.”
   
Google Books
He Who Laughs, Lasts
By Anson R. Nash, Jr.
Xulon Press
2004
Pg. 191:
Yogi Berra met George Bush during an election campaign. Bush said Texas was important. Yogi said, “Texas has a lot of electrical votes.” — Steve Jensen, San Antonio

Posted by Barry Popik
Texas (Lone Star State Dictionary) • Monday, January 17, 2011 • Permalink


Commenting is not available in this channel entry.