Who doesn’t enjoy a good malaprop? And let’s be honest, some of the best malaprops have come from baseball players. Ever heard of Yogi Berra or Casey Stengel? How about Danny Ozark? It’s most likely that you’ve heard of the two former New York Yankees, but unless you were a Philadelphia Phillies fan in the 1970s chances are that Danny Ozark isn’t a household name. But maybe he should be, because when it comes to unintentionally misusing the English language, he was one of the best. And, he wasn’t a bad manager or coach either.
Ozarkism
Danny Ozark began his professional baseball career when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942. He played 18 seasons in the minor leagues and hit 238 home runs. As a player, Ozark never saw the major leagues. That lofty distinction would come in 1965 when he landed a coaching job with the Dodgers. He stayed with them for nine seasons as a first-base coach, third-base coach, and bench coach. Following the 1972 season, Ozark was named manager of the Phillies.
Let Brotherly Love Abide With You and Beyond
The Phillies were not the best team at the start of Ozark’s managerial career. When he took over the reins, they were coming off of a last-place finish in the NL East. Following Ozark’s hiring, the Phillies showed gradual improvement. And in his fourth season as manager, they won 101 games and made it to the NLCS where they lost to the Cincinnati Reds.
1976 marked the first of three consecutive trips that the Phillies made to the NLCS. In the 1977 and 1978 NLCS, they faced the Dodgers losing each series. 1979 marked a fall from grace for Philadelphia when they hovered just under .500 all season. The lack of success, even though they had signed Pete Rose at the pinnacle of his career, was enough to get Ozark ousted midseason.
Following his seven years as manager of the Phillies, where he amassed an overall record of 594-510, he returned to the Dodgers in 1980 as a third base coach. He stayed in Los Angeles into the 1982 season before being released midseason. In 1983 he joined the San Francisco Giants coaching staff and eventually took over the managerial position when Frank Robinson was fired midseason in 1984. ’84 was Ozark’s final season in major league baseball.
Ozarkism Malapropisms
While Ozark’s professional career as a player, coach, and manager was altogether a long and successful run, it is his misuse of the English language that he is best remembered for. Probably his most well-known malapropism, and most confused with a similar Yogi Berra saying, is “Half of this game is 90 percent mental.” While Berra’s famous line is, “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”
Then there was the time that the Phillies lost to the Pirates and fell six and a half games back with only six left to play. What was Ozark’s response? You guessed it, “We’re not out of it yet.”
Another gem of Ozark’s came following his firing as the Phillies manager. He had been rehired by the Dodgers and during an interview, he was asked if he ever wanted to manage again. He replied by saying that “My contract with the Dodgers stipulates that I am welcome to leave at any time.”
Need a few more? Try this one on for size: “Even Napoleon had his Watergate.” Or how about: “I have always had a wonderful repertoire with my players.” Alright, last one: “It is beyond my apprehension.” Us too, Danny, us too. And that is why O is for Ozarkism.
Photo Credit: © North Jersey-USA TODAY NETWORK
Players Mentioned:
Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Pete Rose, Frank Robinson
