Few people are better suited to talk about the potentially transformative winters of Big Apple baseball than Bernie Williams. Bernie Williams spent 16 years with the Yankees, winning four gold gloves at center field and four World Series titles from 1996 to 2001.
Williams took a few minutes on Thursday with the Yankees, Mets and Juan Soto. On Thursday, when I interviewed him before the rare sick day, which is recognized every 28th February.
Williams, a classically trained guitarist who records two albums each year and tours the country, teams up with vocal coach Eric Betro to suit lung health, a program that shows how music and breathing exercises can help patients suffering not only caregivers but patients.
“It’s like this notion of the healing power of music, born out of my love for music,” Williams said. “When you’re dealing with the challenge of having interstitial lung disease, you have a feeling of anxiety. Everything in between comes with the challenge of dealing with such a situation, and not just the patient, but the caregivers who really need to be within the framework of their mind.”
For more information about Tune to Lung Health, click here.
Q: Were you surprised when Juan Soto crossed the town?
Bernie Williams: “I was – I wouldn’t say I was disappointed. I don’t criticize professional players who are trying to find a better situation for them. For some reason, this is more economical, and it appears (he) still wanted to stay in New York (and) the professional athlete plays in one of the best markets in the country’s sports. But I think he was doing good things and had the opportunity to go to the World Series for a team that gave him the opportunity to do that every year. But at the same time, he can make a difference to that team. They have different types of ownership and may try to put them in a better position to win more championships. But I think players are really responsible for their bodies and their careers. Because you want to play a short time because you want to make sure you don’t actually turn the stones over and think about the possibilities you can.
“That being said, I think that with the amounts that players make these days (lol), some of the best players in the industry have the opportunity to secure a few generations of pedigree on all these contracts. I certainly hope he is the best. I think he is one of the best players in the league right now, but hopefully I have the opportunity to make his dream come true with the team he plays. I think he’ll be the Mets for a while (lol).”
Q: What did you think about the Yankees’ movements?
Bernie Williams: “I think that’s one of those things (here) it’s kind of a double-edged sword. They lost an incredibly valuable player. In many ways, there’s arguing that it’s definitely one of the reasons he made it for the season or the World Series. But at the same time, with the money they saved by not signing him, they got a lot of players. The parts total could be better than one player, and many of these people can help in their own (of their own) way. The Yankees become a better team, and perhaps they only give them a little more depth than last year. I think it’s another alternative that they had to take, but I think they probably did their best in the situation they had at hand.”
Q: As a homemade prospect and a core member of the veteran team, what do you think of new starting outfielders Jasson Dominguez and Cody Bellinger?
Bernie Williams: “I’m really excited by the fact that Jackson will spend a year proving his worth. I was so excited to see him two years ago, but it was very unfortunate that he let him experience all the injuries he’s had, but yeah, every time you mention his name, the possibility of that word comes to mind. And I think it’s Cody – I thought he was a young kid running in the clubhouse when (his father) clay was playing. Who would have thought he would turn out to be this amazing player, one of the best players in the league for years? I think he’s been like a zigzag in his career, but I think he has a great opportunity to play on the team his father played. Maybe the player they need – Clearly in many ways, like Soto, a power-hit left-handed batter. Perhaps this is an alternative to paying dividends.”
Q: How deep will this deepen the Yankees Mets’ rivalry?
Bernie Williams: “Yeah, I think it’s going to be a regular season chaos lol. The best thing that happens is to replay the 2000 season and the World Series in 25 years. It’s kind of like a fitting. Last year, they seemed to have all the right elements to make it happen. Maybe this year, the Mets are getting strengthened like they have, along with all these great players. And the Yankees, obviously – I think we might have a chance to see it happen.
Q: Have you had experience with a free agency with Pete Alonso? (It seemed likely that Williams, a Yankee in his country, would sign the Boston Red Sox before signing a seven-year contract with the Yankees on Thanksgiving Eve in 1998. Williams ended his career with the Yankees.
Bernie Williams: “A lot of things had to work. I think there were some issues with timing. (When) I moved to stay with the Yankees, I knew I was going to play a Yankee for the majority of my career. I think his situation was a little different because he really didn’t sign a long-term contract with the Mets. So he gives him the opportunity to explore his situation, probably after the year is over.
“But with that being said, that’s something that should always be said about being homemade (player) for the organization that signed you. And he may have the opportunity to do it with the Mets, whether it is planned or not. I think the team will be a force to be considered in my mind, along with Soto, Lindor and himself, to speak offensively. I don’t know much about their (pitching), but what I know is that as long as the owner wants to spend the money, he has a bit of a (George) Steinbrenner attitude and wants to make the Mets a great competing team. It’s always great to have an owner who willing to do it for the team.”
Q: You played for a team called “The Evil Empire,” and what do you think about the team that continues to spend?
Bernie Williams: “Incidentally, I take the comments of the evil Empire as a compliment (lol). That being said, as a team, general manager and front office, I will do my best to build a good looking team on paper. You don’t know how a year will develop, so you need to play the game. I think victory is a great equalizer. When you win, a lot of things may be thrown under the rug. But I think you get a really good sense of how your team will be in the way they handle adversity. And they have a good nucleus of veterans who can handle those situations and make sure they are calm and not cross the edge. It’s really important to calm the mind that you need on a team, and I think these Mets have enough veteran power to their ranks. I think it’s really interesting to see how the year develops. ”
Q: Aaron Judge won the AL MVP last year, while Francis Collindle finished second in the NL MVP voting. And of course, Juan Soto is currently in NL. What odds will New York wipe out MVP votes this season?
Bernie Williams: “”I think the odds are amazing. I think the biggest question was whether Soto could play in New York. And he proved that he could do it with the best people who came to this city and played. And the judge had some questions about longevity and health. If for the past three or four years all kinds pan out as it has, the city will see the best players that have played in game history on both teams. I think it’s great that the city has. ”
Q: Do you think the Yankees can end the title drought this season?
Bernie Williams: “I think it’s really interesting to watch. We know that this latest iteration of the Yankees is something they worked so hard to get that elusive World Series ring. They’ve had a team for a few years, but sometimes, at any time, it’s one moment, one situation, one inning, one in the season, especially the postseason. I think the Yankees have been on both sides of the coin. They just go through their years of success and how difficult it is to deal with adversity each year. I think they’re very close to putting it all together, and this might be the year for them.
“It’s really hard. It’s very difficult to achieve. I think it’s the year we won, going back to my tenure as a yankee. We made it look a little easier than it actually is lol. I think teams struggling with repetition have experienced the realization that this is very difficult even for a year. And even if you win a year, or you hunt the prospects of repeating and hunting year by year, it’s definitely very difficult and it’s very difficult to see it happen. That’s kind of testimony to what we’ve achieved while we’re in tenure. I think these guys are preparing to have the best year before them. I think it’s time to put it all together, and this may be the year for them.”
Q: The Yankees put together the dynasty’s run early in the expanded playoff system. Do you think part of the reason for the Yankees’ success in that period is that they didn’t understand how difficult the longer playoff format would be?
Bernie Williams: “I think that’s very true. And I think ignorance is sometimes blissful (lol). I think it was a kind of broad attitude within the organization. After the World Series game ended, he did the first thing each year – probably within a few days – he held meetings, began working on what happens next year, portraying an attitude of not actually resting in glory, and not even giving him the opportunity to enjoy success. He was about what would happen next year. And the whole attitude was there for us too – we really didn’t pay much attention to what we did the previous year, but we were very excited that the same kind of situation happens every year. And it was cultural. It was a clubhouse culture, from the manager to the coaching staff to the front office. Rather than playing in the postseason and reaching the World Series, they were aimed at getting there and winning. That was an obligation. We were extremely difficult for the team who played after us lol, but that was the case. And I think it’s time to go back to it again. ”
