Purists like myself believe baseball is the ultimate game for many reasons. The perfect symmetry between the lines; the one-on-one battles; a history, nostalgia, statistics and analytics like no other sport; the in-game strategies (the games within the game); the ability to actually converse between pitches and innings; a long 162-game season; picturesque ballparks;

Yankees legend Yogi Berra passed away in 2015. Amazing clutch Hall of Famer that he was, the great Yankee backstop was almost as well-known as a philosopher — his Berra-isms (colloquial expressions that lack logic) made a special mark. And like most deep thinkers going back through the centuries, his brilliant malapropisms still ring true in today’s challenging COVID world. Here are a few of Yogi’s best … and my thoughts on same:

Living in the Appalachians is a beautiful thing. I appreciate the appeal of warm-weather locales and big-city bustle and amenities. Having been there, done both, there is something matchlessly special about residing in the mountains and sharing these beautiful surroundings with the folks living in these parts.