Bernie Williams to formally retire with Yankees, nine years after final game
Nobody likes filling out paperwork, though it appears no one likes it less than former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams.
Nine years after making his final major-league appearance, Williams, now 46, has finally requested his retirement papers and is scheduled to put pen-to-paper on Friday.
In fact, according to a Yankees announcement on Wednesday, Williams will formally announcement his retirement and hold a press conference with general manager Brian Cashman and assistant general manager Jean Afterman at Yankee Stadium prior to the Yankees hosting the New York Mets.
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Obviously, this announcement and the events scheduled for Friday are a mere formality. No big comeback was ever in the works, but it does give Williams finality and it allows the Yankees to move forward with plans to retire Williams’ No. 51 and honor him with a Monument Park plaque dedication, which is scheduled to take place on May 24.
It’s noted that as part of Friday’s festivities, the Yankees will unveil a logo related to those events on the field.
This will also give Yankees’ fan a couple opportunities now to honor Williams. During his 16-year career, which was spent entirely with the Yankees, he was a beloved player in New York and a key member of four Yankees world championship teams.
Outside of New York, however, Williams’ consistent contributions may have gone overlooked as he wasn’t considered part of the Yankees much celebrated “Core 4,″ which included Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. Just as there was never a fifth Beatle and never will be a fifth president’s likeness on Mount Rushmore, there was never an expansion to the “Core 5,”but Williams certainly fit the mold and had a distinct career of his own that’s worth honoring.
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In addition to being a four-time World Series winner, Williams was a five-time AL All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove Award winner
In 2,076 games, Williams was a .297 career hitter and ranked top ten in several offensive categories for the obviously storied franchise. He currently ranks third in doubles (449), fifth in hits (2,336), sixth in games played and runs scored (1,366) and seventh in home runs (287) and RBIs (1,257).
Rock solid numbers on the field, and he’s been known to produce some quality numbers off the field as well as a jazz guitarist who has released he has released two jazz albums and performed the national anthems at several notable sporting events. He was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2009, proving he possesses immense talent in two entirely different but extremely difficult fields.
Simply stated, you won’t too many people as versatile of successful as Bernie Williams.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
