You can squeeze the diamond out of the rock, but you can’t squeeze the rock out from the diamond. The same can be said for 4-Time World Series Champion and New York Yankee Great, Bernie Williams. Bernie has astonished the world with the swing of his bat and the strum of his guitar by achieving success in two dreamlike careers that only a miniscule of the world will only virtually experience playing Guitar Hero or RBI Baseball at home on the Play Station. His cleats are hung up for now and the amplifiers are maxed out as Bernie takes center stage with his second music release properly titled “Moving Forward,” but Bernie brings even more greatness out of the studio and off the field as a contributing member in his community right here in Westchester County. Bernie took me through an undiscovered history of his life starting from the challenges he faced as a child growing up in Puerto Rico to his more recent days retired from Major League Baseball and refocusing his direction on Music.
As a young boy Bernie was faced with a very difficult education schedule reinforced by his mother, a highly accomplished educator in the public education system. His father underlined the good values and guidelines he sought to raise his family after, and his support of his family was unconditional. Bernie entered the ninth grade performing arts high school where his first real taste to compose music surfaced. The appetizer of guitar styles intrigued Bernie so much that he began his regiment of formal training on Classical and Jazz guitar. Practicing came with the small price tag of having to maintain an acceptable GPA in order to practice playing music, and it was here that baseball made a crescendo singing to Bernie’s sweet spot and it was loud and clear.
“My earliest memory of picking up a bat and glove was when I was playing at a game when I was seven years old and I actually had no idea what I was doing and the coach put me up to bat in the last inning because the team ran out of players. I hit a base hit and ran to first base when I realized the game was apparently over. I was angry that the game was over so I asked the umpire what happened and who won the game to which the umpire said to me that my team won the game because I hit the winning run in.”
Upon his high school graduation Bernie was shuffled to Sarasota, Florida to play baseball in an extended spring league where the prolific revelation of playing professional baseball turned from dream to reality. “That’s when I realized I wasn’t playing high school baseball anymore and I was playing on a minor league team straight out of Puerto Rico with no idea as to what I was doing. I think it really struck me that I was playing baseball on a professional level. Five and a half years later I was invited by the New York Yankees to play for their Triple-A team in Albany, New York and that’s when my feelings became tangled about staying in my home or to take advantage of this golden opportunity.”
Bernie was faced with the big league question to either make a run for home plate sliding into the dream of baseball or to hold safe on the college base and to earn a college degree. Bernie ran home and he ran hard. “I think between my mom and my dad they really took the initiative to lead me down a very wise path as far as making my decision of whether I wanted to play baseball or stay in school. I think I definitely took advantage of the opportunity to play baseball in that I could always go back to school even though that didn’t work out. I think my dad was more influential in that part more than my mother. My mother wanted me to go to college and get my degree before anything else, but that would have meant for me to not take the opportunity to play baseball. It was a tough choice because Puerto Rico wasn’t in the baseball draft at that time as it is now and for me it would have been very hard to get into baseball after my education was complete.”
Relocating from Puerto Rico to New York was seemingly difficult to a young and inexperienced Bernie Williams merely in his teens. Facing the intense pressure of entering the Big Leagues meant leaving his life behind and moving far from the only life he knew. With his choice made up to play ball Bernie embarked on a baseball adventure he couldn’t even have imagined nor could any optimistic sports journalist have imagined writing about years later. As he sat with the Yankee staff on his first flight to his new home Bernie reflected back to his picking up and leaving his roots for this new life abroad. It was a choice that the young Bernie couldn’t predict would launch him into baseball’s climactic history for the most successful championship winning sports franchise worldwide.
Bernie developed his skills, practiced hard and never gave up on his dream to play ball. The call up from Triple-A to the big leagues came just before Bernie’s scheduled game appearance at the All-Star Game in Louisville, Kentucky. Bernie was pulled into the manager’s office and told to pack his bags because he was going to New York to play Centerfield for an injured Danny Tartabul. The plane wasn’t the only thing shaking in the air that night, so was Bernie’s nerves all the way into New York City. In less then twenty-four hours Bernie would be in the starting line-up playing centerfield in the house that Ruth built, and in front of 42,000 die hard Yankee fans who, like a stadium of wolves, would smell the fear in Bernie taking to the field. The reception may have been less than ecstatic, but It wouldn’t be long after that first start where the Yankees would see the value in Bernie’s abilities as a starting centerfielder and offer him a seven year contract. This historic moment for Bernie meant making a permanent move to the New York area and the hunt for the perfect home began.
“A close friend from the Yankee organization suggested I check out little town called Armonk in because it was a quiet and nice. I think it was the second house we viewed that my wife and I fell in love with and we have been there ever since. When I think of the fond memories about making our home in Westchester I would have to look through my children’s eyes because they have been here in school since they were very little. My son began in grade school and my daughters have been in the same school system their entire lives. They have their friends here and their lives are here. Everyone our kids know live here and our kids consider themselves Westchester residents. They have been having such a good time making Armonk their home town.”
Bernie’s passion of the Westchester community expands beyond influencing the Yankee fans and his music fans. Bernie is passionate about giving back to the community that he has influenced as much as they have influenced him. A vibrant and vocal woman came to speak in front of Bernie’s church on a cold February morning about her Westchester County based Non-Profit Group that was established in 1993 and in need of financial aid as well as volunteers. The foundation focuses on bringing relief to people in need of Food around the Westchester/Putnam counties. Upon the close of her speech, Bernie walked to introduce himself to the warm reception of The Hillside Food Outreach Program’s Founder and President, Kathy Purdy. Her message of hope and her need for stronger community support pulled Bernie from his seat and with the shake of a hand the Hillside Food Outreach Program hit one out of the park. Bernie Williams would serve and prove once again that he was an MVP off the field as much as he was on.
“It’s a great organization and Kathy has been hard at work for a number of years to see her organization grow and help anyway it can for the people in need of its services. I took that as my cause and since I played baseball I thought that I would make an impact for the organization to bring more awareness to it’s purpose in hopes that I maybe able to bring more people in to help.”
Kathy’s program shifted into a higher gear that sparked new life and hope as Bernie’s involvement became broadcasted.
Kathy explained to me with excitement, “Bernie's involvement has been and continues to be a huge benefit the Outreach and the work that we do. His name brings attention to the need within our communities and the events that he does for us bring in more funds that we could normally bring in. Many people are not aware and basically do not believe that hunger and obtaining necessary food is such a problem in Westchester and Putnam Counties. Bernie's celebrity status as both a Professional and admired Ball Player and also as a musician had brought attention to this serious issue.”
Bernie wanted to give back to the community where he lives and his ideals and goals matched the work that the foundation does. The Hillside Food Outreach Program does not just hand people a bag of food but visits the home of the person, each delivery, they develop relationships with the individuals and as that develops the foundation members see if there are other ways that they can help them, many times it is just the friendship and visits that are so important and mean so much to the people. Bernie liked the fact that they get more involved than just getting them the food. Bernie recalled his first moment delivering food and meeting a family the program selected him to make his first delivery to.
“I remember when I did my first round of grocery drop offs for the organization because it was to Latin-American/Central-American families who were not that into baseball so I was able to sneak my way in and to come through in the light of someone who was just trying to do a good deed. It wasn’t until soon after that people started to recognize me as “The guy who plays baseball for the Yankees.
It was a thrill to be able to walk into a house delivering food to the community who needed the program’s help, but through Bernie’s view it is still a very rewarding experience to view the faces of the people who Bernie helps through the program. It’s not the fact that Bernie was a New York Yankee or that he hit a game winning homerun that raised their spirits. They cared about the fact that he was giving them a meal and providing them with a service during a time when they needed the program the most.
I was able to witness first hand the impact that Bernie has among his community when I photographed a recent fundraiser in hopes to raise donations to secure the future of the program. Bernie’s guest list included the likes of Robinson Cano, John Sterling, and members of the media who aided the program with extensive coverage over the YES network. Bernie even closed the night with select tracks from his latest CD release rightfully titled “Moving Forward.” This is Bernie’s second album release coming after his successfully released album titled “The Journey Within” which reflects back to moments that changed his life including a heartfelt track sadly inspired by the passing of his father back in May of 2001. “I made a song for that moment and it’s kind of like sketches of situations that have happened in my life that have been of some meaning to me that I was able to create these songs.”
Gil Parris, long time friend and guitar mentor of Bernie’s views the years of knowing Bernie to be some of the most inspiration times he has experienced in his own journey within. “I think his compositions have a nice depth while retaining a sense of melody. He started coming to see me play with my band about 4 years ago and we have been friends ever since. I have been playing over 30 years so every time we get together I always try to give him a little "master class" (as he calls it). I am totally inspired by him being talented in two areas and taking the responsibly to develop both.” Gil and Bernie can be seen weekly jamming away in White Plains where Gil hosts his live music jam along side of Curtis Winchester.
Bernie took a breath before we concluded our interview as he reflected for a moment about the life he led and where it would possibly take him going forward. “Whether I like it or not I am going to be remembered for many things by the people I met over the years. I know I have been touched by many of these people lives as well, but when all is said and done from my personal point of view I don’t want to have any personal regrets. When I am old I want to say that I did everything I wanted to do and had a full. I am a very blessed person and I was put into fortunate situations that I took advantage of. I want to know I did the very best I could.
Rest assured in knowing this Mr. Bernie Williams. As a lifetime resident of Westchester County I respect and admire your selfless actions. The man you have become will always have a open door to my community and I tip the brim of my cap to you. Whether you are called Bernie the baseball player, Bernie the musician, or Bernie the philanthropist you will always be Bernie Williams, the boy who climbed a mountain, moved a city, and who brought hope to the community you now call home.
