What Time Is It? You Mean Now? : Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All [Hardcover]

Yogi Berra (Author), Dave Kaplan (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Could Confucius hit a curveball? Could Yoda block the plate? Can the Dalai Lama dig one out of the dirt? No, there is only one Zen master who could relay his wisdom while gloving a relay, ponder perfection while catching a perfect game, and contemplate the circle of life while rounding the bases.

Who is this guru lurking in the grand old game? Well, he's the winner of ten World Series rings, a member of both the Hall of Fame and the All-Century Team, and perhaps the most popular and beloved ballplayer of all time. And without effort or artifice he's waxed poetic on the mysteries of time ("It gets late awful early out there"), the meaning of community ("It's so crowded nobody goes there anymore"), and even the omnipresence of hope in the direst circumstances ("It ain't over 'til it's over").

It's Yogi Berra, of course, and in "What Time Is It? You Mean Now?," Yogi expounds on the funny, warm, borderline inadvertent insights that are his trademark. Twenty-six chapters, one for each letter from A to Z, examine the words, the meaning, and the uplifting example of a kid from St. Louis who grew up to become the consummate Yankee and the ultimate Yogi.

Included in this treasury of inspired and inspiring Yogi-isms are such eloquent and thought-provoking pearls of wisdom as:

"I ain't in a slump. I'm just not hitting," encouraging us to stay positive even in the face of adversity.

"Why be jealous over things you don't have?" counseling us to take joy in all the good things in our lives -- without envying others.

"You can observe a lot by watching," reminding us to be open to the possibility of surprise and wonder in the world around us.

"It's like deja-vu all overagain," because, after all, you don't have to believe in reincarnation to know that history repeats itself.

Touching on all things great and not so great, Yogi imparts to us his one-of-a-kind wisdom and famously quirky humor, illuminating the subtle truths at work in our lives. Overflowing with improbable insight and enlightening advice, "What Time Is It?" You Mean Now? is the essential guide to the world according to Yogi.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Offering advice that does and doesn't make sense, baseball-great-turned-author Yogi Berra along with coauthor Dave Kaplan has penned a new tome, What Time Is It? You Mean Now? Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All. For Berra, it's apparently not over yet; he appears to have plenty of knowledge to share on subjects as diverse as the importance of attitude in life to the plusses of exercising regularly. Each short chapter begins with a quote, such as "I Ain't in a Slump. I'm Just Not Hitting" and "It Gets Late Early Out There"; the strange quips are followed by brief anecdotes that explain to some degree just what Berra means. For example, his statement, "It Was a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity, and I've Had a Couple of Those" leads off the chapter on chances and breaks. According to Berra, opportunities are "always going to be out there" and may appear out of the blue. The short, sweet advice in this book will appeal to the young and old.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This pleasing book is a romp through the alphabet, from "I Ain't in a Slump. I'm Just Not Hitting" to "You Saw Dr. Zhivago? Why? Aren't You Feeling Well?" Vignettes filled with Yogisms-alleged and real-transcend the baseball diamond and shoot from the hip about life. Berra's reminiscences convey lessons about character through commentary rather than lecture. Readers who don't know the man from his baseball days will recognize him from ads and TV interviews, and they'll enjoy his bite-sized pieces of advice. His experiences with some of the most renowned sports icons lend credibility (as well as flavor) to his thoughts about focus, ethics, teamwork, and gratitude, plus the difference between matters you can shrug off or that he considers worth the sweat. This is a great title for readers who need a dose of confidence or a refresher about fair play and respect (of self and others).
Karen Sokol, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743237684
• ISBN-13: 978-0743237680
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,809,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I only like books I'm going to like, November 6, 2002

By 

Travis Newman "-Producer, CPP" (Brick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Time Is It? You Mean Now? : Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All (Hardcover)

I still dont know what inspired me to buy this book, but after every page, I was glad I did. This book was a very unique combination of philosophy, self-help, humor, historical sports and general good writing. I had never been familiar with Yogi Berra other than some of his more famous quote but I understand his way of thinking now and I believe some of the secrets to life lie between the covers of this book.

The book never gets dry, points arent beaten to death and he doesn't try to cram his personal way of thinking down your throat. I like that and really was able to take more out of this book because it approaches everything in a very level-headed and laid back way. There were a lot of interesting stories that presented a nice way to explain a situation. I also appreciated the fact that there were references to very recent happenings as of 2002. There were also some comical and cartoonish illustrations that started off or ended each chapter and the chapter names were "Yogi-isms" which was also a nice touch.

The only problem I had with this book was that I ended up reading it too fast because I couldn't put the thing down. I was very impressed with Yogi Berra, he is truly the man, the myth, the legend that people have made him out to be and I believe that meeting him one day has just been put on my to-do list. As far as the book goes, I highly recommend it. It is a smooth reading book that you will enjoy and recall upon in the future. As I stated, I only like books I'm going to like, and this was one of them.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Just let them go out and play and have fun.", July 10, 2005

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Time Is It? You Mean Now? : Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All (Hardcover)

This little book is a great read and full of down to earth ideas that will be usefulto the readers in their everyday lives.We have all heard of the one-liners attributed to Yogi.Even if you are still up in the air whether he actually said all these things;you'll really see the thoughts behind these statements.
It's hard to believe that there was ever any other Baseball player who had more love for the game,and that was from the days when he and Joe Garagolia played pick-up ball as kids in St.Louis,all the way through the major leagues,and now in his retirement years.Not only that,you'll see from this book that nobody appreciated more the privilege he had to make a wonderful life and living "playing a kids game".
Yogi tells us the things that helped him through life and he explains the principles as well as any professionally trained person could do.
Most of all,he doesn't preach. he just tells us what has worked for him and should work for anyone ,through his years of observing life.In his own words,he sums it all up with:
"You can observe a lot by watching."
Thanks,Yogi,for all the enjoyment and fun you have given so many of over the years;and also for putting your thoughts in this terrific little book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yogi takes time out from life to explain it all for you, March 6, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: What Time Is It? You Mean Now? : Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All (Hardcover)

When it comes to the wit and wisdom of Yogi Berra you have to realize that are two types of Berraisms that you have to keep separate. First there are his classic examples of logic, where they sound wrong but they make sense, such as "Ninety percent of this game is mental and the other half is physical" and "It ain't over `till its over." For example, the latter works because "over" has two different meanings in that sentence, which reflects the fact that baseball does not have a clock. Second there are those that are simply the man misspeaking, such as "I want to thank everybody for making this night necessary" and "You saw Dr. Zhivago? Why? Aren't you feeling well?" Do not mistake the two forms because there is a major difference. The first category is the important one because it proves that while he was uneducated Lawrence Peter Berra was one of the smartest people to ever walk on a baseball diamond. You be sure to distinguish between the two types of sayings that serve as the basis for this book "What Time Is it? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All." (The title would fall in the second category for my money.)

All of this, of course, assumes that Yogi actually did say any particular comment in the first place (we give the man the benefit of the doubt although he admits he did not say everything he has said). There are twenty-six of these sayings, arranged in alphabetical order using the most liberal of standards¸ each with a black and white illustration by Alan Dingman. We are then provided with several pages of reflections and commentary by Yogi, which work in stories from his family life and baseball career. I wonder whether Yogi was actually given these sayings and then proceeded to hold forth on this thoughts or whether Dave Kaplan interviewed the Hall of Fame catcher and then cut and pasted them into this volume. Not that it makes much of a difference, but I am curious. The main thing here is not the recycled sayings, most of which I have heard before in my consumption of all things Yogi (in the fourth grade there were three of us with the same name and I had a catcher's mitt so I was actually called "Yogi" for a year), but to hear what he has to say about the mysteries of time, the meaning of community, and the omnipresence of hope in the direst circumstances (and you thought this would just be light reading). Smart move of Yao Ming in one of his first commercial to team up with Yogi, the most loved and loveable sports figure in the United States today.