There are few people better qualified to speak about the potentially transformative winter in Big Apple baseball than Bernie Williams, who spent his entire 16-year career with the Yankees and hit .297 while winning four Gold Gloves in centerfield and helping the Bronx Bombers win four World Series titles from 1996 through 2001.
Williams took a few minutes to talk the Yankees, Mets and Juan Soto on Thursday, when he conducted interviews in advance of Rare Disease Day, which is acknowledged every Feb. 28. He has worked to raise awareness of interstitial lung diseases since 2001, when Williams’ father, Bernabe Sr., died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Williams, a classically trained guitarist who has recorded two albums and tours the country annually, has teamed with vocal coach Eric Vetro on Tune In To Lung Health, a program intended to show how music and breathing exercises can help patients suffering from rare lung conditions as well as their caregivers.
“Born out of my love for music and sort of this concept of the healing power of music,” Williams said. “When you’re dealing with things that are challenging as having interstitial lung disease, you have feelings of anxiety and everything in between that comes with the challenge of dealing with a situation like that. And not only for the patient, but the caregivers that really need to be in a good frame of mind as well.”
To learn more about Tune In to Lung Health, click here.
Q: Were you surprised when Juan Soto went across town?
Bernie Williams: “I was — I wouldn’t say disappointed. I would not criticize professional players trying to find a better situation for them. For whatever reason, it seems like this was more of a financial reason and the fact that (he) maybe wanted to still stay in New York (and) have a great opportunity for professional athletes playing in one of the best markets for sports in the country. But I think he had a good thing going and having the opportunity to go to the World Series for a team that will give him that opportunity year in and year out might be something that he really had to take into consideration signing with another team. But at the same time, he can make a difference on that team as well. They have a different type of ownership that may try to put them in a better position to win more championships. But I think that players really have a responsibility to their bodies and their careers to try and put themselves in the best position possible, because you play for such a short time that you want to make sure that you don’t really have any stone unturned and think about every possibility that you can.
“With that said, I think with the amount of money that players make these days (laughs), some of the best players in the industry will have an opportunity to secure several generations of their lineage with all these contracts. I certainly wish him the best. I think he’s one of the best players in the league right now and hopefully he’ll get an opportunity to make his dreams come true with whatever teams he ends up playing (for). I think it’s going to be the Mets for a while now (laughs).”
Q: What did you think of the Yankees’ moves in response?
Bernie Williams: “I think that’s one of those things (where) it’s kind of a double-edged sword. They lost a very valuable player. In many ways, there’s an argument to be made that he was definitely one of the reasons why they made it so far in the season and to the World Series. But at the same time, with the money they saved by not signing him, they were able to get a whole bunch of players. The sum of the parts might be better than just one player, and a lot of these people are going to be able to help in their (own) way. The Yankees become a better team and perhaps just give them a little bit more depth than they had last year. I think it’s a different alternative that they had to take, but I think they probably did the best with the situation that they had at hand.”
Q: As someone who was both a homegrown prospect and a core member of a veteran team, what are your thoughts on new starting outfielders Jasson Dominguez and Cody Bellinger?
Bernie Williams: “I’m really excited about the fact that maybe Jasson will have a full year to prove his worth. I was very excited to see him two years ago and it was very unfortunate to have him go through all the injuries that he has gone through, But yeah, that word potential comes to mind every time you mention his name. And I think Cody — I used to see him as a young kid running in the clubhouse when (his Dad) Clay was playing. Who would have thought that he would turn out to be this great player, one of the best players in the league for years? I think he has gone kind of like zig-zag a little bit in his career, but I think he has a great opportunity to play for the team that his Dad played for and (has) a great opportunity to make an impact on this team and maybe just get them over the edge. Maybe the player they need — obviously a power-hitting left-handed hitter, in many ways, just kind of the same way Soto is. Maybe this is an alternative that is going to pay dividends.”
Q: How much does this deepen the Yankees-Mets rivalry?
Bernie Williams: “Oh I think it’s going to be pandemonium in the regular season (laughs). Best thing that would happen is to have a replay of the 2000 season and the World Series 25 years later. It seems kind of fitting. Last year, it seemed like they had all the right elements to make that happen. Maybe this year, with the Mets being reinforced the way they have, with all these great players. And the Yankees, obviously — I think we may have an opportunity to see that happen.
Q: Did you see any of your free agency experience in Pete Alonso’s free agency experience? (Williams, a homegrown Yankee, appeared likely to sign with the Boston Red Sox before signing a seven-year deal with the Yankees on Thanksgiving Eve 1998. Williams finished his career with the Yankees)
Bernie Williams: “A lot of things had to come into play. I think there were some issues with timing. (When) I made the move to stay with the Yankees, I knew that I was going to have the majority of my career played as a Yankee. I think his situation was a little bit different, since he didn’t really sign a long-term deal with the Mets. So it gives him an opportunity to kind of explore his situation, maybe, after the year is over.
“But with that said, it’s always something to be said about being a homegrown (player) for the organization that signed you, having an opportunity to play most of your years (with them) while giving that team an opportunity to see the best years of your career. And he may have an opportunity to do that with the Mets, whether it was planned or not. I think the team — now with Soto, Lindor, himself — is going to be, in my mind, a force to be reckoned with offensively speaking. I’m not too privy of their (pitching), but what I do know is that the owner has a little bit of (George) Steinbrenner attitude, as far as he wants to spend the money and he wants to make the Mets a great contending team. It’s always great to have an owner that is willing to do that for the team.”
Q: Having played for a team dubbed “The Evil Empire,” what are your thoughts on teams that go on spending sprees?
Bernie Williams: “By the way, I take The Evil Empire comment as a compliment (laughs). But with that said, as a team, a general manager, a front office, you do the best you can to assemble a team that looks great on paper. You have to play the games because you never know how the year’s going to develop. I think winning is a great equalizer. A lot of things could be kind of thrown under the rug when you win. But I think you get a really good sense of how the team is going to be in the way that they handle adversity. And having a good core of veterans that can handle those situations and make sure that they keep calm and they don’t go over the edge. It’s really important calming presence that you need in a team and I think these Mets have enough veteran power in their ranks that I think they’re going to be able to handle adversity really well. I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how the year develops.”
Q: Aaron Judge won the AL MVP last year while Francisco Lindor finished second in the NL MVP balloting. And Juan Soto, of course, is now in the NL. What are the odds New York sweeps the MVP balloting this season?
Bernie Williams: “I think the odds are great. I think the biggest question was whether Soto could play in New York. And he has proven that he can do that with the best of people that have come into this city and played. And Judge is just becoming a perennial All-Star, MVP-type player year in and year out (after) there were some questions about longevity and health. If everything kind of pans out the way it has for the last three or four years, this city is going to see some of the best players that have ever played in the history of the game playing for both teams. I think it’s a great thing for the city to have.”
Q: Do you think the Yankees can end their title drought this season?
Bernie Williams: “I think it’s going to be really interesting to see. I know that this latest iteration of the Yankees has been one that has tried so hard to get that elusive World Series ring. They have had the team for several years now and sometimes, in any given year, it comes down to one situation, one inning, one moment in the course of the season, especially in the postseason, that turns things the other way. I think the Yankees have the experience of being on both sides of the coin — having experienced the success of their years and then just kind of experiencing how hard it is to (deal) with some adversity every year. I think they’re just so close to putting it all together and this could be the year for them.
“It is really hard, it’s a very difficult thing to accomplish. Going back to my tenure as a Yankee, I think the years that we won — we kind of made it a little bit of a routine to be in the postseason and won four out of five years. We made it look a little bit easier than it really is (laughs). I think the teams that have struggled to even repeat have gone through the realization that this is a very, very difficult thing to do even for one year. And even if you win one year, to have the prospects of repeating or being in the hunt year-in and year-out, it is definitely a very difficult thing to do and to see happen. It is kind of a testament of the things that we were able to accomplish in our tenure. I think that these guys are kind of getting ready to have some of their best years ahead of them. I think it’s time to put it all together and this could be the year for them.”
Q: The Yankees put together their dynastic run in the early years of the expanded playoff system. Do you think part of the reason for the Yankees’ success in that period was you just didn’t know how difficult the longer playoff format could be?
Bernie Williams: “I think that’s very true. And I think that sometimes ignorance is bliss (laughs). I think it was sort of a pervasive attitude within the organization, starting at the very, very top with Mr. Steinbrenner. The first thing that he did every year after those World Series games were over — it was probably within two or three days — he would have a meeting and he would start working on what’s going to happen next year and (portraying) this attitude of not really resting on your laurels and not even giving yourself the opportunity to enjoy the success. He was all about what’s going to happen next year. And that whole attitude was for us as well — we really didn’t put too much attention to what we did the year before, but we were very excited about having the same kind of situation happening year after year. And it was kind of a cultural thing — clubhouse culture from the manager to the coaching staff to the front office, everything was sort of geared towards playing in the postseason and not getting to the World Series but getting there and winning it. That was a mandate. We kind of made it very difficult for the teams that played after us (laughs) but it was the way it was. And I think it’s time to get back to that again.”
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