MOVING FORWARD...

On September 9, 1968, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Bernabe Williams-Figueroa was born. We know and love him as Bernie Williams, #51, or simply, “Bern”.

As a child growing up in Puerto Rico, Bernie cut his teeth in sports in baseball and track. He was a medalist in track and field at the age of 15, which explains his grace and speed around the baseball diamond. As he grew, his skills developed, and eventually, on July 7, 1991, Bernie took the field as the New York Yankees Center Fielder.

Throughout the span of his 15-year career in pinstripes, Bernie’s batting average was .297, having hit 287 home runs and 1,257 RBIs. He won four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger Award, and was on the American League All-Star team five times. He was named the ALCS MVP in 1996, and is the proud owner of four World Series Championship rings.
With such a resume, it’s hard to believe that the New York Yankees brass allowed Bernie’s contract to expire in 2006. He was left in limbo for the entire off-season that year, when he was finally offered an invitation to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee; however, the Yankees wouldn’t guarantee him a spot on the 40 man roster. A little stung by this less-than-promising offer, Bernie politely said “No thanks”, and, without missing a beat, began moving forward.

Luckily for the world, not only is Bernie a fabulous athlete, he is also an accomplished musician. Trained at a very young age in classical guitar, Bernie’s playing breathes new life to a perfect blend of classical, jazz, and Latin music. He signed with Paul McCartney’s publishing company soon and recorded his first album, “The Journey Within”.In 2009, his album “Moving Forward” was nominated for a Latin Grammy award, and featured the collaborative efforts of many musicians, including Bruce Springsteen and Jon Secada. Bernie Williams’ music provides the perfect soundtrack to complement his outstanding career, and also helped give a soulful goodbye to the original Yankee Stadium during its closing ceremonies, when he played his music for fans during the final game played there in 2008.In July of 2011, Bernie’s first book, “Rhythms of the Game”, will be available to readers everywhere. It truly seems that for Bernie Williams, there are no endings, just new chapters. With everything he does, he is always “moving forward”.



--Christy Lee, BYB Staff Writer



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