Athletes seldom grab more fame for their words than for their sporting feats, except Yogi Berra.  “It’s deja vu all over again,” the late Yankees (boo!) catcher said.

This quip by Berra, who died in 2015, previews the 2020 campaign for president. We can look back to 2016 for an idea of how President Trump would take on each of the 20 (and counting) Democrats. Or how Democrats might take on one another. Remember the GOP debates in 2016? Trump repeatedly went right at each opponent’s strength.

Quite a few took themselves out before Trump could take them on. You might not even remember the names — I had to look them up to be sure I got all 17 — of Scott Walker, Jim Gilmore, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee, George Pataki, Rick Perry, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie and Ben Carson. Standard response:  “Who?”

Trump wanted Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky needed “to take an IQ test” and that Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a veteran, had “no honor.” Graham proved him right, becoming Trump’s toady in the Senate. And who can ever forget “Low energy Jeb” Bush or “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz? Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida tried to strike first, citing Trump’s small hands, which any guy who has been in a locker room knows is a euphemism. Trump rebutted, calling Rubio “Little Marco.” Rubio was never again in the game.

So, what can we expect Trump to say about Democratic candidates? Right off, let’s cull eight who won’t get nominated. Julián Castro was housing secretary and mayor of San Antonio. I can just hear Trump asking what is Castro’s tie to Fidel? Ex-Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, a businessman, calls himself a “practical idealist.” Is that an oxymoron? Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, also a veteran, had to walk back her anti-gay past. Opponents need only note that she visited Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad. Wayne Messam is mayor of Miramar, Florida. Ever hear of Messam? Or of Miramar?

Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, an Iraq war vet, said, “I want us to beat Donald Trump because I love this country.” Hell, 200 million of us could say that. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio wants to win back the Midwest. What Democrat doesn’t? Rep. Eric Swalwell of California would ban assault weapons. Good luck with that. Marianne Williamson is a self-help author and new-age lecturer. ‘Nuf said. Andrew Yang, former tech exec, wants a basic income of $1,000 a month for everyone. Trump would sniff at helping the undeserving poor. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington stresses environmentalism. Trump would mock him on global arming if it snows next winter. Beto O’Rourke is best known for losing an election. To Ted Cruz. You know what Trump says about losers.

So, who might be serious candidates?  Top of the list is Joe Biden, ex-vice-president. He may be correct when he says, “I’m the most qualified person . . . to be president.” But, he lost two earlier runs. Another loser for Trump to ridicule. And you can bet Trump, whom 23 women have accused of sexual misconduct, will go after Biden for his huggy-kissy political style.  Biden’s unique problem may be that he is too well known.

Ever since Barack Obama mocked Trump in a speech, Trump has seethed at him. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey may remind Trump of Obama. Booker has said, “We can build a country where no one is forgotten … where we see the faces of our leaders on television and feel pride, not shame.” Sounds like, “There is not a black America and a white America . . . there’s the United States of America.” Trump never did believe that.

The star of Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a war vet, is rising. No matter how good Buttigieg comes to appear — he easily makes sense of thorny issues — Trump needs only to note that Buttigieg is gay. That would rally the hypocrites of the religious “right.” Bet we’d hear the word “queer” in a million forms in that campaign.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has slowly moved from conservative Democrat to moderate-left. She’s a mom who loves to curse — she says her favorite swear word is “the one that rhymes with duck” —  which might put her on a footing with Trump in that area. She pushes gender equality, which might give Trump fodder for misogynistic barbs.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a former state attorney general, is also a rising star. She wants tax relief to go to the middle class and she has been a tough questioner of Trump’s judicial nominees. You can bet that she’s high on Trump’s hit list. He seems to dislike people who have made a career of going after criminals.

Firmly in the moderate camp is John Hickenlooper, former governor of Colorado.  He plays well with Republicans, which might create problems for him among primary voters, who tend to be at a party’s extreme. He may win votes for having started a craft brewery, but he opposed legalizing pot in Colorado, so there goes another bag(gie) full of voters.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a progressive who works well with Republicans, held Brett Kavanaugh’s feet to the fire in Senate hearings and might find favor among families devastated by opioids. Some ex-staff members call her mean, which would make her a target. Trump understands the mean gene.

Then comes Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, whose last president was Calvin Coolidge. End of similarity. Trump needs only two words against Bernie. Democratic socialist. Still, a tenth of Sanders supporters in 2016 ended up voting for Trump.

That leaves Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. In college, she played the indigenous people card to get financial aid. Her DNA test shows at least one indigenous ancestor. She looks about as indigenous as I look African. But my family is 1.1 percent Nigerian. Trump has taunted her as “Pocahontas.” Next, he may do the tomahawk chop.

The late Jean Shepherd called campaigns the “silly season.”  He was as prophetic as Yogi Berra.  Hang on for the ride.

An admitted political junkie, Bob Neal looks forward to most of silly season.  But when it gets nasty, as it will, he’ll reach for the off button.