Bernie: No Thanks
From the Times -
[Bernie] Williams said he would not accept the team’s current offer to come to spring training as a long shot on a minor league contract and perhaps play himself onto the roster if another player got hurt.
Instead, Williams said, he would maintain a waiting game of sorts by staying home, staying in shape, spurning offers of guaranteed contracts from other teams and waiting for the Yankees to change their minds and offer him a guaranteed spot on the roster. He spoke in his usual calm demeanor.
“I think if they wanted me, they would have signed me already,” said Williams, who has spent 16 seasons with the Yankees, the only team he has played for. “The option to go to spring training and see what happened — I don’t think at this moment it is something I want to consider.”
I’m surprised at this news. I thought Bernie would have at least come to camp for one last spring in the sun. If he thinks that staying home will help his chances at one last shot with the Yankees, he’s nuts. Out of sight and out of mind, after all. Plus, there’s no way to stay in baseball shape, at his age, by staying at home.
Thanks for the memories Bernie. You were one of the best ever to put on the pinstripes.
Didn’t Mattingly do something similar?
“I think if they wanted me, they would have signed me already.” That says it all…
I found this Bernie quote from the Post story to be incredibly irritating.
“It’s part of the game,” he said. “They have their way of thinking, they have a responsibility to do what’s best for the team, and I have to do what’s best for my family.”
It makes it sound like Bernie has to go out and find another job to put food on the table. Come on, Bernie, be a man, admit that this is about your own ego, don’t hide behind your “family.”
C’mon, give Bernie a break. He’s a borderline Hall of Famer and the team he was with his entire career is telling him they no longer need him. He’s offended. And he has a right to be offended because he’s a human being. As mellow as Bernie is, he’s still human — and any human being in this situation, even if they understood the decision, would be upset.
I’m glad Bernie didn’t accept the minor-league deal — it was a cheap PR move. There’s no room on this team for him (as it’s constructed) and it would have been pointless.
Here’s what drives me nuts about all this: there IS a space on this team for Bernie if the Yankees weren’t being so push-button with their crappy new first baseman. Minky does not need a right-handed platoon at first. He’s a horrible hitter to begin with, but his numbers are actually better against lefties. And whatever Phelps can do against lefties, I’m sure Bernie can too.
And I’m not even an advocate of bringing Bernie back. Sentimentally, I want it to happen, but from a strict baseball standpoint I understand why they need to move on.
But should they move on for Josh Phelps?
Another solution would be to get rid of Miguel Cairo and simply use Andy Phillips as the utility man. He’s played first, second and third in the bigs, and I’m sure he can play short. If Andy became the utility man/right-handed platoon first baseman, it would free up another spot — for Bernie or someone else.
baileywalk,
That “family” quote is as phony as they come. Why can’t Bernie be classy like Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle and realize it’s over? Those guys come from a different era — an era in which ballplayers were not coddled from beginning to end.
There is no role for Bernie on this team. You mention 1B for Bernie. When has Bernie ever played 1B? When has he even bothered to learn 1B?
No matter how you frame it, the Yankee roster does not need a guy who has become a RH platoon hitter with no defensive position. Keeping Bernie for the sake of keeping Bernie would be the ultimate sign of disrespect for all that Bernie accomplished for the team when he was great.
I don’t want Bernie to play first. Since Minky hits as “well” against lefties as he does against righties, there’s no need to platoon him. If they wanted to keep Bernie around as a bench player/right-handed bat, it wouldn’t be any worse than taking up a roster spot with Josh Phelps or Andy Phillips. There aren’t THAT many lefty starters around, so what would be the big deal to either sit Minky and let Giambi play first base for seven innings or sit Giambi and have Bernie DH against lefties? Bernie, as a right-handed hitter, is still a capable bat. Probably as much as Josh Phelps is — and certainly more than Andy Phillips.
With a little creativity, they can bring Bernie back — which isn’t the worst thing in the world, all things considered (one of them being that the guys replacing him suck).
As for Bernie… well, he is a classy guy — there’s no denying that — and I, too, hate to hear millionaires talk about taking care of their families. My heating oil bill makes me punch a hole in the wall, so don’t tell me you have to feed your kids. I get it. But I think Bernie’s just upset — it’s tough to lose your job. Especially if you don’t think you should be leaving.
So I think we should hold off before we really take Bernie to task. He’s facing the realization that his Yankee tenure is over. And, let’s face it, that has got to be tough.
In the abstract, bringing Bernie back is no problem — you’re right about that. Would he be the best player for that spot? Definitely no, someone who could actually play OF like Thompson or Reese would be better, but not much better.
The problem is that Joe Torre is still the manager. You know that Joe would overuse him and that he would end up hurting the team. That’s the kind of brilliance that we get from a manager who will make $4 million more this year than (more than double the salary of)the next highest paid manager.