 Hello again, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Yes, We're Here. I'm Jack Curry, and I'm happy to be joined by a familiar face. Bernie Williams, the former Yankee, the beloved Yankee, joins me. And Bernie, I have to ask you, during this trying, difficult time, how is everything going in Bernie Williams' world? It's going well. I mean, I'll tell you, it's really, really strange. By the way, I want to say hi to everybody out there watching and listening. It's been really, really strange to have this kind of time to... I'm using it kind of like a resetting time. It's like one of those times that rarely ever happens in my life where you get an opportunity to sort of reset and figure out what direction you want to take your life. At this time, usually for the past, I don't know, 10, 15 years, I've been really busy doing a lot of stuff, whether it's my music or the baseball or charity events or things like that. And now it's just so strange to have this kind of an opportunity to kind of contemplate and still be productive at the same time, having a lot of limitations in where you can go. Bernie, you're the rarest of breeds in that we always hear musicians want to be pro-athletes, pro-athletes want to be musicians. You've had both of them covered in your career. I'm going to get to the music in a second because I've seen you perform and I love watching you perform, but I do want to start out with baseball. You never wanted to take that uniform off. I think you'd still be playing today if they had allowed you to keep playing. What do you miss the most about baseball? What I miss the most about baseball is the competition. I mean, it was great to have the perks and to have the notoriety and the fame and just to wear that pinstrap uniform. All those years was certainly great, but what really kept me up at night and what kept me going and the drive and the motivation to be a better player every day was because I wanted to be at my best, facing the competition that we were facing back in those years, facing the Pedro Martinez and the Roger Clements, and all those great players and you have to be at the top of your game and competing on a daily basis. There's three and a half, four hours that I spent not knowing what was going to happen if I was going to be the hero or the goat or both. Yeah, it was just great to have that in my life at that time. There's not a Pedro Martinez on stage, essentially, with you when you're performing, but is there something in the music world that equates to that? Is it competing against yourself? Is it competing within a band? Is there something that fills that competition void now that baseball is not something that you do anymore? Well, I think that's a really interesting question, but I kind of approach music in many ways the same way that I approach my training in baseball when it came down to the training. It was all about muscle memory, learning all those scales and arpeggios and all those techniques for the guitar, which is the same thing that I did in baseball and the soft jaws, batting practice, cage work is all the same. However, I know for a fact that half of the stadium at least was kind of waiting for me to strike out at some point, especially when I was on the road. You really don't get any of that in music. Music is all positive and it's all about your preparation. It's all about how you get ready to play a certain show and then you have a supporting cast that is your band members that are as good or even better that you could ever be that have this great rapport. Then we're just making music. We're making art and we're putting this music out there for people to listen and enjoy and have a great time with. Not a lot of different from baseball. You play your best. You try to get people to look at you and obviously the result of the team that they're rooting for will be a good one as well, but in many ways music and sports that are a little bit different just because of that. You can get into the music with all your heart and soul and have a positive reaction every time you go out there because everybody's rooting for you because everybody wants to be entertained and everybody wants to hear good music. I'm going to take you into the way back machine, Bernie, back to 1991 you debuted with the Yankees. I actually started covering the Yankees as a beat writer in 1991 for the New York Times and I remember you arriving in the clubhouse, but I remember stick Michael saying watch this kid, watch this player. We're going to let him mature. We're going to give him a chance. He's going to be the next great center fielder for the Yankees. How much did having the backing of somebody like stick Michael because those first couple of years you were still finding your footing, you were still finding your way? Yeah, it was nothing short of instrumental and I think if I didn't have that backing or somebody so high in the organization kind of rooting for me and letting me struggle with my what I would call for lack of a better expression growing pains. I don't think I would have been able to stay on the team as long as I did. I heard stories about him kind of like you know sort of misleading a little bit of Mr. George's time better than making them think that they were trying to trade me but nobody really wanted me so they were stuck with me and a lot of stories like that that obviously make me feel great and appreciated and just so proud to be a Yankee, so proud to be a Yankee for all these years but it took a lot of work and it took a lot of people that believed in me like like Gene Michaels you know Buck Schoewalter you know obviously Joe Torrey and all those guys and they look at things that I could do back then that I couldn't even see myself and they were projecting you know when you know when Gene Michael said to you look at him they never said that to me they just let me go you know let me go and let me perform and let me develop into the player that I became and for that I will be forever grateful to them. Well they envisioned at least stick and Buck did a switch hitting power hitter in the middle of the order with speed and that's what you turned into four world series titles a batting title four gold gloves I know you're a humble guy and you're not about individual accomplishments but when you do reflect on your Yankee career is there something that you're most proud of? Well I think you know I've been asked this question a number of times and sometimes my answer kind of you know you know deviates you know depending on the mood that I am but I am usually consistent in my answer about this particular question which is to be part of the process that this nation had you know around the time of 9-11 you know I know that everybody you know that even every people that hate it New York were rooting for New York and were rooting for the Yankees because we represented not only the city but baseball and we you know we have you know the the prayers of the country and I remember you know the guys from the Diamond vaccine but we're American too you know so it was kind of one of those things that New York and especially the Yankees in that world series was part of the process that was bigger than ourselves and when I answer this question I know that in my career there were some moments in my career that I would say well I'm witnessing history to be made and to be part of that history being part of that process of bringing normalcy to the country was one of the things that makes me the most proud of not only being a Yankee but a major league baseball player for that matter. Yeah very memorable time in our history obviously the Yankees and the Diamond backs playing in that world series and the Diamond backs prevailing in seven games I hate comparing tragedies Bernie but since you brought up 9-11 and we know what we're going through today with the coronavirus what kind of message do you give to your friends to your families even to Yankee fans who look up to you about be encouraging that if everybody stays positive and everybody stays safe and stays strong that there is eventually light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah exactly those words you know stay positive stay active stay engaged like the governor of a state said Mr Cuomo said you know social distance but still engage and connected you know with people that you love and people that you admire that has to be the key I think you know it will give you a really great opportunity to work on some things that you have really sort of put out to the wayside and things that you haven't even touched maybe in years maybe an opportunity to reorganize your way of thinking into trying to figure out what moves are you going to make you know this time on this is a really really rare and special opportunity if you know how to take advantage of it to sort of redirect your life in a more positive way this never happens I mean in my life this has never been happened in you know having an opportunity to have all this time off I think you know people would take advantage of it and have a different perspective on how fragile life is and how we have to make everything possible to live our lives to the best of our ability one day at a time because when something like this happens you know you never know if you're going to be the next one so you try to stay connected with the people that you love and try to stay active and engage psychologically and mentally and things that you find interesting and make sure that you're still a better person that you were the day before so hopefully that's what I'm trying to do to the best of my ability and you know hopefully people will do the same that's very well said Bernie I couldn't have said it better myself I was talking to Jorge Posada last week and we all know the name core four and it's Posada Rivera Jeter and Jorge said to me wait a second he said there isn't a core four if it wasn't for Bernie paving the way for us so he said slow down everyone with the core four nickname it's a cute nickname it rhymes it's nice he said but we're not there without Bernie how honored does it make you feel when one of your teammates says something like that well it makes me feel extremely honored and I know that obviously you know it was just a process that everybody kind of went through I just happened to be the one that sort of came in first and had to deal with you know kind of like the assembly of this great core players but even myself you know if it wasn't for people like you know Kevin Moss and Hensie Muellens and Oscar Asakar and Andy Stankiewicz and you know Steve Adkins and all these people that came Jim Lertz, Pat Kelly, people that came into the team because the team had this sort of change of philosophy in which they were going to give players a chance to prove what they could do in the minor league system before they would do anything with them and all those people came into the team before I did I remember coming in with I think Gerald Williams was my my my roommate and my teammate for all these years and we talked a lot about the opportunity that we have been given with this organization and thinking this never happens but we've got to take advantage of this opportunity and I think that the people that paved the way before us you know all those people that I mentioned paved the way for my you know opportunity to be there and once you get the opportunity that you work on it as best as you can to try to make it the best and then that hopefully opens the door for more people to come in you know with the same kind of mentality in the same way but thinking that the organization had I think it was a great time and we would just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Bernie you were there during some of the lean times that I mentioned in 1991 can you describe what the journey was like to win that title in 96 and then to win again in 98 99 2000 well that's a really interesting question because I think the lean years started way before the 90s started we I remember being in the minor leagues my tenure with the Yankee officially started as a minor leaguer in 1986 right after high school I spent about five and a half years in the minors just kind of like you know only my skills and that listening and observing you know the whole dynamic of the the big team what we called it at that time the big team what they were doing and how they were you know assembling a team and acquiring players and we have you thought you know the whole mentality was just to bring you know proven people that had already you know careers in the big leagues to bring them into the team to try to make the team competitive on a yearly basis and that they were just trading in you know the prospects and the people that would probably be valuable to get more of those pieces into the team 96 happened you know new administration new manager and new coaching staff you know for the most part and I think you know that philosophy that Joe Torre brought into the team did a 180 degree change you know as far as you know the attitude the team that has been put together and the pieces that were added you know sort of took everybody by surprise you know you have to realize that in 96 when we won that first title we were totally underdogs you know a team that really hasn't been proven had a whole bunch of new players and we were facing probably one of the toughest rotations in the history of the game you know in that modern time you know the Atlanta Braves you know with Mattis and Clavin and Smalls and all these guys the fact that we won I think everybody was surprised including some of ourselves so I was a little surprised about it too but I have to put up probably a little bit of a pause between 96 and 98 because what happened to me personally in 97 to me in my opinion was the the thing that catapulted me into having the years that I had subsequently in 98 99 2000 and if I'm in a good mood I might count 2001 as well which was me making that last out in 97 in that last game in the world wild card against the Cleveland Indians popping that lazy fly ball against Jose Mesa in my first swing you know that last about that was such an important at that with the time run you know with Paul Neil almost broke his his neck sliding at first you know or one of those you know disaster slides you know after a double he hit and then he was up to me to keep the game going and I failed miserably I took that so hard in the offseason that I trained like I'd never trained before mentally and physically saying to myself this situation I am going to be better prepared you know to face a situation like this like I've never had before and it just sort of took me into this sort of mentality physically I was getting ready but mentally it got me into this sort of mindset that I was going to be the best clutch hitter in my mind you know and that I could ever be and that sort of catapulted me into having the year that I had in 98 and then I think in my opinion I had even a better year in 99 Norma ended up getting the batting title but 2000 you know against the Nets and then that series and you know against their Arizona Diamondbacks all the way up to 2003 when we play the Marlins we were still a very competitive team but the president had had already been set as being the team that we were you know starting in 98 99 2000 and 2001 uh we had already had a reputation there and it was because of uh you know the people that we were able to assemble together uh you know the so-called core of the team you know that came in plus you know you have to realize you know the Davy Cones, the Tim Reigns, the Daryl Strowberry, the Chilly Davis you know the Cecil Fielder you know a white box and all these people at Mike Lucina all these people that came in to be part of the team because they believe in the philosophy that we had at that time and they wanted to be part of a successful franchise that we put together with those first couple of years uh I think it was instrumental in the success of the team. I've never heard you refer to that final out in 97 so graphically you you carried that with you so so failure and I put failure in quotes because the Yankees made 27 outs in that game you you just happened to make the final out uh but you still that stuck with you for for the future for for 99 and beyond. Yeah baseball you know kind of fancies itself by this notion that we play so many games 162 and you always have an opportunity to sort of vindicate yourself you know if you kind of make something bad happen the day before you always say hey I'll get them tomorrow after that out there was no tomorrow until the next year so uh to me it was one of the hardest things that I ever had to face in the game being the last out of us you know and such an important opportunity uh to to to actually rise to the occasion that I took it so hard that uh that became my mantra I'm gonna try to I mean I may not be the best player maybe in the regular season but I'm gonna try to do my best to make take advantage of all the opportunities that I get to be productive in the post season and uh I guess it became you know kind of like what I'm noted for. Pardon me you mentioned some of the players that you were so closely linked with during your Yankee career I have done this game with a few of them so I'd like to do it with you I want to hit you with a name and I want you to give me the first word the first phrase or the first story that jumps to mind because you spent so much time with these guys and I think it's fitting to start with Mr. November the captain number two Derek Jeter um he never made excuses he never blamed anybody else for you know not coming up uh rise to the occasion he led the team not by his words but by his actions and the way that he approached the game on a daily basis that to me that's the most important thing about Derek Jeter he carried the captain role with dignity and grace through his whole career and that was just just remarkable remarkable career to watch. How about a picture that you had a a pretty nice straight on view from center field to watch uh the movement on his cutter well it could be two guys we're gonna go with the first guy who only threw a cutter essentially Mariano Rivera. Well he tried to throw something else you know later in his career become a picture but uh to me the word that comes to mind about Mariano is blessed. He was blessed with the ability to throw that one pitch that he even he claims that God gave him to him and he was able to dominate not only one but I would venture to say a couple of generations of players with that one pitch when everybody in and and their family knew what he was going to throw and that particular day for two innings or maybe one inning and he was able to dominate his generation of players. I think that um uh it's just remarkable to be able to do that uh and uh I if you ask him he probably will tell you that he did not do it by himself he had a lot of help uh but uh he was just blessed he had a blessed blessed career. And I made reference to another pitcher who who used to cut her very heavily especially later in his career what are your thoughts on Andy Pettit? Best move to first base that I've ever seen in my career uh he was one of those guys that was a complete tiger on the field and when you talk to him on a normal basis you know like off the field he was like the most like humble and mild mannered guy that you could ever meet that seemed the same thing holds true with Apollo Neil by the way uh you know he was guys that are fierce competitors and you see them talking to themselves and answering themselves too it's like they're borderline insanity uh in those three and a half four hours you know what they play and Andy was you know the best money pitcher that I could ever think of if the game we wanted to win a game and we needed to win a game to me Andy Pettit would be the guide uh to to be uh uh to be the starting pitcher in that game. How about a fiery sword behind the plate and I think a fiery sword when he needed to be in the clubhouse Jorge Posada? Jorge had no filter he what the one thing that I admire about Jorge the most is that with him what you see is what you get if he doesn't like you he will let you know but if he likes you he'll be your best friend and you know the report that I had with that with Jorge over the years uh being close to him and his family and him doing the same thing with with my family uh it was uh is a bond as baseball players that is kind of rare to have all right still calling you know now uh you know 15 years after I retired I still call him I still consider him one of my one of my good friends uh so with him his assertiveness his drive his motivation and the willingness that he had to let you know what he felt whether you like that or not was a very important thing to have as a teammate at a very important thing to have on the team. Gurney I said I was going to get back to some music I wanted to um ask you about a trip from 2005 because I was fortunate enough to accompany you when you were a cultural ambassador for the U.S. you went to Columbia and Venezuela and it was a combination baseball trip you did some baseball clinics and a music trip where you you played with some kids and you did some music lessons and I remember being thankful to be along that trip with you but I also thought what a perfect Bernie Williams trip to be able to combine his two loves what do you remember about that trip to South America? I remember uh quite a few things I mean I remember the warmth of the people I remember how uh so how grateful they were to have you know that uh uh event to be thrown out for them uh I was surprised in how much they knew about me and my career uh and I was uh grateful to be a part of that you know uh that great thing that you know that happened uh you know now I know that things in Venezuela and even in Colombia are not really as well especially for people that you know from this country trying to get in there I wouldn't even recommend it myself so the fact that I had an opportunity to see the country before it has turned into a kind of a really hard situation to the end was a blessing for me playing music even though I wasn't as proficient as I think I am now with the music it was also a way to connect with people that may not might have not been that interested in sports but I still have that other way of communicating with them and reaching out to them with the music and the arts uh to me uh it was one of the best trips that I've ever had as far as being a cultural ambassador and connecting with people in a different country and I think we fulfilled what we were upset to do being cultural ambassadors and having this connection and this interaction with a different country and the figure out that we're not really that different after all it was obvious how much you connected with the kids and I think one of the memories that I will always hold true is you on stage playing your guitar with all these music students and I don't think you knew they were going to do this but they all popped on Yankee caps so the Yankee center fielder in the middle of all these little wannabe Yankees who were also playing music at the same time that memory is etched in my they did put the Yankee caps but they also play spain by chick korea I was like okay we're gonna give you some respect but now you got to give it to us too you got to play this so it was great speaking of your music you were supposed to perform at the car live last week for for five nights I'm sure I'm sure you were looking forward to that obviously like so many other things in our lives it was postponed how are you maintaining your music can folks out there who want to hear your music are you doing any sort of live streams is that anything you're going to try and do in the future what's going on in the burning music burning music world well not a lot I think that you know what I was saying before about taking this time to make sure that you're even even better prepared for what's coming ahead I sort of applied to my music so I've been sort of living like a hermit a little bit and practicing all the things that you know whether it was time or you know circumstances or the fact that I just didn't have enough knowledge I am trying to catch up on all of that and you know I have to realize that when you kind of make the decision to become a musician coming from that background that I came from it seems to me that I'm playing catch up every day you know I have people that are playing their whole lives and I'm trying to you know put myself into this situation and I want to be as prepared as I can be so my whole thing has been practicing structures and making sure that I have complete control and dominance of this instrument where I can just completely figure out something in my head and not have the guitar being a hindrance to that creativity I think that's part of being a good musician and since this is a thing that kind of kind of is taking a lot of my time right now I'm really focusing on that then trying to figure out ways of you know putting my music the forefront and utilizing it to reach out to people doing the music education working with kids and making sure that this you know obviously our government realizes how important arts and music is you know for us you know as a country so so the sports as well but it's a lot of time for thinking for anyone who wants updates on anything that Bernie is doing and I'm sure they will come at some point it's bernie51.com Bernie I look forward to day where I can see you performing again where I can see you at a baseball game I know we're going to get there we just all need to be patient thanks so much for giving us some time today that's right absolutely man you took me back thank you so much for that