I think he knew something of personal responsibility after the Normandy landings. I didn’t know a lot about him until I saw the excellent documentary on him. Also didn’t know he didn’t fill out the paperwork for a Purple Heart because he didn’t want his mother to be notified and worry. I speculate it might be because he had to have seen so much worse than his wound. He was a great player and I think your shot is unwarranted. I didn’t check how many games he caught on average per season. August double headers, World Series after a full season etc…. Now I don’t think you meant it personally as to him, but I think the quote illustrates a psychological trait many greats have , even if it sounds delusional. Also, I think sometimes the humor of his quotes can lead to underestimating him.
Anyway, great shooters in basketball want the ball even on a bad night. They figure they are due to hit. Nicklaus claimed he never missed a short putt or something to that effect. Of course he was smart enough to know he had. But he was confident enough to forget or focus or expect to make them all - whatever. So I tend to think this Berra quote was a product of an excellent mental game. Slumps in baseball are inevitable. That was a way he maintained a positive routine and showed he had underlying confidence in his ability and technique. He expected to hit and his expectation was based on experience and reality not false hope.
I agree that a lesser player switching cues as a crutch isn’t good. I just don’t think that was what Berra was really doing.
