So as baseball spring training gets rolling, there is a missing player from the Yankees locker room for the first time in 17 seasons: #51 – Bernie Williams. Bernie had been the Yankees starting centerfielder since the 1993 season up thru 2005.Bernie never had the best arm, but he could get to and catch almost anything hit in his direction. He has a quiet presence in the clubhouse, but a definite role model for baseball and anyone he interacts with. Last year, former Red Sox Johnny Damon was brought in and took over the starting center field job and Bernie was moved to back up outfielder/designated hitter with no complaints. After injures to Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield early in the 2006 season, Bernie again became a part of the everyday lineup, playing all three outfield positions as needed. He had a .281 batting average and a .994 fielding percentage (His career averages are .297 and .990 respectively).
This season, the Yankees have invited Bernie to spring training, but he is not guaranteed a roster spot; a first for him since the early 1990’s. He has not decided to attend yet, but the Yankees offer still stands. His number 51 is being reserved for him. His locker was empty for a few days, but is now reassigned to someone else.
As a Yankee fan, I am disappointed that Brian Cashman (the General Manager), is not treating Bernie with more respect. He was a major part of all four of their last World Series championships. I know he is 38 years old, but he also has proven that he can still play. I do understand that there are only 25 spots on the major league roster. I also know that carrying five outfielders is unusual, but so is having three capable 1st basemen plus a utility infielder. I had hoped that Bernie Williams would have been allowed to retire (which he has not officially decided on yet) with more respect from the Yankees than he is currently receiving.
8 comments:
Three capable first basemen? Did Giambi get traded or something? :p
Bruce - I could only hope. Then they could have brought back Tino Martinez and had only one more than capable first baseman!
sports is such a fickle thing in the modern age...it's quite sad that so few players of any sport today get to endear themselves to a city for a whole career, much less the majority of one...the pressure on owners to win is just so great anymore that unless you have a product that's going at least give the illusion to fans there's a shot at a pennant or trophy, you take extreme measures like this. It's sad, really.
There isn't much room for respect in today's professional sports.
Bernie is a really tough issue because he just doesn't fit in the system if he's not starting. If he was to come in occasionally he would probably end up having a batting avg of .050. From what I see he needs that consistency of starting and playing game after game...
I agree. For a few folks, repsect has been earned.
Sadly, treating the loyal with respect is as out of style as chivalry.
- david
Ray, Fuzz, David - It's nice to see that I'm not the only one that notices stuff like this keeps happening in all sports.
Jeff - I areee that Bernie needs to play often to be more effective, but the way this whole thing is being handled is piss poor.
While I was listening to the radio this morning, the sports caster (Warner Wolf) brought up this exact situation and compared it to Babe Ruth, who also at 38/39 years old, was release by the Yankees. Ruth's numbers were better than Bernie's (shocker), but Bernie's situation, the way he described it, was almost exactly the same, except that Ruth was released and not invited back.
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