Patrick O'Keefe

Bernie Williams. One of my favorite players. A fantastic hitter – a fantastic postseason hitter. An intelligent player – a smart defender, although his body is certainly aging. As the old saying goes, no one can cheat father time. I believe he also possesses the “intangiibles” – a good clubhouse guy, a quiet leader, a good example. Although he may not be what he once was, he is still one of my favorite guys to watch and always will be.

He’s had a couple of rough regular seasons. .263 and .262 batting average these last two years with .367 and .360 OBAs and a total of 37 HR and 134 RBI over these past two seasons, over 267 games. Those last few numbers aren’t that bad, but this is Bernie Williams, a great player, so obviously expectations are up there.

I believe in loyalty. I believe that when a player contributes greatly to a franchise for a decade, he is given the opportunity to have bad years. At the same time, you don’t want it to hurt the team – I don’t feel he does that, really, all things considered. During this season, it bugged, offended, annoyed me to read Yankees fans discussing the possibility of releasing Bernie, trading Bernie, etc. – and being in favor of it! I think to myself… what is wrong with these people? He is awesome for a decade and part of the way through his second (second, compared to nearly a decade) season with pretty poor numbers and… let’s trade him, let’s release him. Awful, in my book. Awful.

I would think to myself, I still want Bernie. Heck, I want Bernie as long as Bernie wants to be around. I’m a Yankees fan – he’s a great Yankee. This was magnified by the fact that Bernie (supposedly) said to Torre that he is fine with whatever role they give him. Imagine that. Think about Jerry Rice in Oakland right now. Ok, so maybe Bernie knows he’s in better hands with Joe Torre than Rice is with Norv Turner. This is a great, selfless, useful ballplayer. I want him. But, beyond that, he’s still got it and when I read these … Yankees fans … who say we should trade or release Bernie, I was thinking… let’s wait for October. Last year, in his first “bad” season, he hit .357 in October.

Sure enough, October rolls around and who ties for the team lead in postseason RBI? Bernie Williams. The player he tied with? Super hot Hideki Matsui, a player who reminds me of Bernie in ways. Bernie hit .296 (16 for 54) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs and 6 runs to go along with those 13 RBI. Going into the World Series, only 3 guys had more total RBI in this postseason than Bernie. Their names? Ortiz, Beltran and Pujols. So, Bernie produces, as I expected him to and the get rid of Bernie calls quiet down a bit, for the moment.

Like many Yankees fans, I would like us to sign Carlos Beltran. I think it would be a great move. The fact that Bernie has basically endorsed him as his heir apparent helps this. You have to admit, as Yankees fans, Bernie has been proactive in his “decline”. He’s ready to step aside for Beltran, he’s ready to accept his role and contribute. He’s not Kenny Lofton. Everyone should be able to appreciate that. I don’t deny that he is declining, although I may disagree on the severity of that decline. His defense, although not as bad as some make it out to be, leaves some to be desired. This is why we should bring Beltran in – to improve the team. But – I also still think Bernie has a place on this team. He is a beloved Yankee – he is a great Yankee. His bat is still useful, he is still a presence. A full time DH/backup OF role is probably for the best. Still, I want Bernie to be a Yankee as long as he is comfortable being one.

I read articles by sportswriters who say the Yanks are stuck with Bernie’s contract. I’m glad to be stuck with Bernie’s contract. We paid him and he’s delivered and earned that contract.

He can play on my team any day.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 24th, 2004 at 12:13 am and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.