For Bernie Williams, catching the bat was uncomplicated. Throughout his career with the Up-to-date York Yankees, he chose the same proven 34 1/2-inch, 33-ounce Rawlings model for every occasion, whether it was spring training or the playoffs, whether he was facing a flamethrower or brass knuckles.
However, the music is different.
“The choice of guitar depends on the gig,” Williams said. “It’s about the sound you want to create and the music you’re going to play. You need the right instrument and the right gig, and that changes over time.”
That’s what irks the former outfielder as he prepares to make his second substantial league debut – this time in the play. Williams will play guitar with the Up-to-date York Philharmonic for the first time at its spring gala on Wednesday, a milestone for the five-time All-Star and four-time World Series champion who is currently in the second act of his life.
So what guitar? Acoustic steel string? Archtop? Williams said a few weeks ago that he might even go electric “for the Santana-like sound,” though he added that “it might just be overkill in this environment.”
Williams, who spent his entire career with the Yankees from 1991 to 2006, established himself as a talented musician who received a Latin Grammy nomination and critical acclaim. Still, at age 55, the thought of being in the spotlight at another celebrated Up-to-date York venue — like Yankee Stadium, but with better acoustics — gives Williams butterflies.
On Wednesday, he will play one of the selected songs – his 2009 song “Moving Forward” in a modern arrangement by jazz artist Jeff Tyzik. It will be led by the celebrated conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
“I expect to be as nervous as I have ever been on any stage,” Williams said. “But I don’t think it’ll be any different than playing Game 7 of the World Series, you know?”
To answer that last question: No, Mr. Williams, we NO know. No one else in the history of baseball can compare the experience of the Fall Classic baseball and the spring gala at the Philharmonic. No one else played in “The House That Ruth Built” and in the concert hall that Leonard Bernstein christened when he conducted at its 1962 premiere.
Williams’ distinction means much gnashing of teeth for the president and CEO of the Up-to-date York Philharmonic. Gary Ginstling is a die-hard Mets fan.
“I must admit that this is a very complex decision for me,” Ginstling broke down during a telephone conversation. “I scoured the area for retired Mets. But no one could hold a candle to Bernie Williams.”
Since his retirement, Bernie Williams has performed the national anthem before baseball games. Here he is in 2021 at the Oakland Athletics-Minnesota Twins game. (Darren Yamashita / USA Today)
The experience is enough to remind Williams of his first substantial league at-bat. The inning hitter was 22 years ancient when he came on July 7, 1991, at Yankee Stadium in the third inning against left-handed reliever Jeff Ballard. It wasn’t a dazzling opening note. The Baseball Score – Reference Score He immortalized the moment this way: Ground floor: 3B-1B (frail 3B).
The trip just got better. Williams drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and brought home another run with an infield single in the ninth.
“I remember being very nervous,” Williams said of his debut. “I remember being in a place where there was a lot of uncertainty about my career and my ability to stay in the substantial leagues. I just wanted to get a chance to show people what I can do.”
A week later, Williams hit his first home run at Anaheim Stadium against the California Angels. He hit a fastball thrown by Chuck Finley over the left-center field wall. He continued his streak: .297 batting average, 287 home runs and 147 stolen bases over 16 seasons.
July 14, 1991
Bernie Williams hits his first career home run pic.twitter.com/nYIteNuXlL
Williams helped the Yankees win four World Series titles, including three straight from 1998-2000. His 22 career postseason goals rank third all-time behind Manny Ramírez (29) and José Altuve (27).
This summary sometimes referred to his music career, partly because it would be uncomplicated to dismiss Williams as just another retired athlete with an steep modern hobby. But his lifelong musical journey is part of what appeals to the Up-to-date York Philharmonic. The Spring Gala, which will be held in David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, is a fundraiser for music education. Ginstling wants younger audiences to be inspired by Williams’ scholarly commitment to his craft.
Williams’ first instructor was his father. Bernabé Williams, a talented merchant marine, returned from Spain with a gift for his 7-year-old son. It was a guitar his son never put down. The family then found a guitar teacher in their neighborhood in Puerto Rico, and by the time Bernie was 9, he was performing on a local radio station with other star students.
“The guitar teacher had all these little kids who took lessons with him, the ones who stood out,” Williams recalled. “He gave them the opportunity to play one or two songs on this radio show. … It was a great experience that set the stage for everything that followed.”
Williams played throughout his baseball career, especially as he mourned the loss of his father, died of lung disease in 2001. The former batting champion then spent a year studying guitar and composition at the State University of Up-to-date York at Buy in preparation for his first album, “Moving Forward.” This release reinforced his bona fides with 14 solid tracks, including collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, Jon Secada and Dave Koz.
Bernie Williams and musician Jon Secada performing at the Grammy SoundCheck on April 17, 2009 in Up-to-date York City. (Joe Kohen/WireImage)
But eventually Williams formalized his knowledge. Along the way, he began his undergraduate studies at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.
“I’m telling you, none of the home runs I hit in the postseason helped me there,” Williams said. “I had to really reinvent myself. And in a very strange way I had to earn the admiration of the kids I played with, because by the time they got to the Manhattan School of Music, they were all virtuosos on their own instruments.
“I was that ancient guy in the back of the room. I asked all the questions and asked no one to wipe the board until I finished writing all the notes.
Williams didn’t pursue a degree for the newspaper’s sake. This experience meant he went from football player to artist.
“I think school gave me a great perspective on why I wanted to become a musician and the responsibility we have as music makers to make sure we make this world a better place,” he said. “The joy and power of music is just an amazing thing that can be used for the good of the world.”
Therein lies the message of the spring gala, and it underscores why even a Mets fan like Ginstling embraces the Yankees at home. Wednesday’s eclectic bill aims to introduce a modern audience to the philharmonic hall. The selection ranges from a suite from “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss, through two songs by rapper Common, to the aria “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5” sung by South Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park.
“I think that’s what excites me so much,” Ginstling said. “We’ll have a lot of Bernie Williams fans in the house tonight who will probably hear the Up-to-date York Philharmonic for the first time. It will be great for them to hear Bernie, but we want them to hear an orchestra playing Strauss. We also want them to hear the orchestra play Nina Shekhar, the emerging composer whose work we are playing.
“We hope they get into not just Bernie, but the whole repertoire, and come back.”
Until then, Williams sometimes wakes up unexpectedly at 2:30 a.m. and reaches for his guitar. Still half awake, he will strum until the notes sound as they should, then allow himself to go back to sleep.
“This is the level of preparation needed for an event like this,” he said. “Because when nerves kick in, you want to still be in control and not freeze when the situation arises. The only antidote to this is good preparation.
“This is true of doing anything that requires the spotlight, great expectations and great pressure.”
Williams is not the first football player to gain popularity thanks to his music. Back in 1964, a Yankees bus trip became tense when Yogi Berra grew bored of hearing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” played on his harmonica by reliever Phil Linz.
But it was a “Up-to-date York Phil harmonica.” The Up-to-date York Philharmonic is a completely different ball game.
“Anyway,” Williams said, “baseball taught me how to play under pressure, and this game will definitely put that to the test.”
(Top photo: Mychal Watts/Getty Images)
