3/25/2009 – Editorials

When I go to Devils Lake, people there ask me whether Minnewaukan will go under the waves this spring.

The correct answer to this question is nobody knows. My answer is that it is unlikely.

As Richard Betting points out in his letter to the editor, in order to reach a level of 1459, there would have to be additional inflows as much as have occurred since 1993. That’s a lot of water. It is highly unlikely to occur in one year, but as I said before, nobody knows. A 17-inch rain like they got in eastern North Dakota a few years ago might push us over the top. A five-inch rain from Leeds to Edmore would be devastating to those of us living along the lake.

It is not inevitable that the lake will continue its rise until it flows into the Sheyenne River.

The lake has drained into Stump Lake many times in the past, but only on a couple occasions in the past several thousand years has it risen high enough to flow into the Sheyenne. It stopped rising as the wet cycle turned to dry. Maybe it will do that again. Maybe not.

With the plans the city has to reline the sewers and raise the lift stations, my guess is that Minnewaukan should be fine to a level of maybe 1452. Maybe 1453. Other measures can be taken to keep the town safe to maybe 1454, but if the lake rises above 1455, I think Minnewaukan will have to throw in the towel. These are all guesses, but I think they’re reasonable guesses.

Even if all the repairs to the sewers are done, there could still be a sewer failure. It’s unlikely, but not impossible. When it comes to this situation, nobody can guarantee anything.

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Tommy Leppard of the Brinsmade area brought in a statement from the Good Samaritan Hospital that was sent to his mother, Ida Leppard, on Aug. 9, 1949, almost 60 years ago. Mrs. Leppard was in the hospital for 12 days and she was charged $5.50 per day for a total of $66. There was a $4 laboratory fee, 75c for medications, $1.25 for drugs and 71c for tax. The grand total for 12 days in the hospital was $72.71.

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Many years ago, people all over the country were laughing at the crazy answers that young children were giving to some seemingly normal questions that were being posed to them by Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby. The days of "Kids Say The Darndest Things" were indeed some of the great days of television.

But kids aren’t the only ones who seem to have a tendency to engage their mouths before their brain kicks in and as a result, come up with a bizarre statement. One of the best known adults for bringing a smile to the faces of most adults today is baseball great Yogi Berra. Berra is one of the most quoted figures in the sports world.

He is credited with coining the deceptively simplistic observation, "It ain’t over ’till it’s over." But Berra’s also known for his flubs.

Here are some of his more notorious flubs of the tongue.

"This is like deja vu all over again."

"You can observe a lot just by watching."

"He must have made that before he died." — Referring to a Steve McQueen movie.

"I want to thank you for making this day necessary." — On Yogi Berra Appreciation Day in St. Louis in 1947.

"I’d find the fellow who lost it, and, if he was poor, I’d return it." – When asked what he would do if he found a million dollars.

"Think! How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?"

"You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there."

"I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early."

"If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else."

"If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him."

"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six."

"Baseball is 90% mental — the other half is physical."

"It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much."

"Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hitting."

"A nickel isn’t worth a dime today."

"Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded."

"If you come to a fork in the road, take it."

"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn’t enough, in the second half you give what’s left."

"90% of the putts that are short don’t go in."

"I made a wrong mistake."

"I always thought that record would stand until it was broken."

"Yeah, but we’re making great time!" — In reply to "Hey Yogi, I think we’re lost."

"If the fans don’t come out to the ball park, you can’t stop them."

"Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel."

"It’s never happened in the world series competition, and it still hasn’t."

"I’d say he’s done more than that." — When asked if first baseman Don Mattingly had exceeded expectations for the current season.

"The other teams could make trouble for us if they win."

"He can run anytime he wants. I’m giving him the red light." — On the acquisition of fleet Ricky Henderson.

"I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat, and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?"

"It ain’t the heat; it’s the humility."

"The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase."

"You should always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours."

"I didn’t really say everything I said."