This was a historic week on many levels. Pope Francis made his first visit to the United States and spoke on Capitol Hill in front of a joint session of Congress. That’s never happened before. Speaking of Congress, House Speaker Boehner announced he is stepping down, which raises questions about the future of the Republican party and the chances of another government shutdown in October. Chinese President Xi was also on American soil this week, visiting 2 Washington’s. He started in Seattle, meeting with business leaders, then flew to our nation’s capitol, to meet with our political leadership. Fed Chair Janet Yellen spoke Thursday night, attempting to clarify the confusion created from last week’s meeting. When you throw in the Volkswagen scam and the results from the recent Greek election, it is very clear that this world is so very intertwined, and not completely stable. An already skittish Market got rattled. The Market correction continues.
With all of the events this week, the one that stuck out the most for us was the passing of longtime New York Yankee great Yogi Berra. Yogi was a spectacular baseball player with many achievements. He played in 14 world series with the Yankees winning 10 of them, both are records. After Yogi retired, he became a coach and a manager, appearing in 7 more World Series, making 21 in total, also a record. He was voted the Most Valuable Player 3 times. Yogi Berra is a legend.
Despite all of the accolades, the most impressive characteristic of Yogi Berra was his authenticity. Yogi was a lovable character. He was a small guy with a huge heart. The crowds loved him. His teammates loved him. His opponents loved him. There was even a cartoon created after him; Yogi Bear. Yogi Berra might be best known today for his off the wall, brilliant quotes known as “Yogisms”. Among them are: “The future ain’t what it used to be”, “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore”, “It ain’t over til it’s over”, “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”, and “It’s deja vu all over again”. His quotes always made people smile. There’s brilliance in simplicity.
In a world today that seemingly moves so fast, and often times in selfish ways where instant results are demanded and divisive bickering is the norm, it’s refreshing to reflect on an individual that was so talented and so humble. Yogi Berra was a calming, soothing gift. He will be missed, but his legend will live.
My favorite quote by Yogi was; “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there”. We know where we’re going. The road is often bumpy, but we’re doing it together. We always have your back. Have a nice weekend. We’ll be back, dark and early on Monday.
Mike
