Bernie Williams Hits One Out of the Park for Baseball Between Us

I’m excited to share some good news. Bernie Williams, the 5-time All Star for the New York Yankees and current Jazz guitarist, just gave me a big endorsement for my book.

Bernie Williams Endorses Baseball Between Us

I interviewed Bernie two years ago in Sacramento, where he was promoting his new jazz album Moving Forward

Here’s a great video of Bernie performing a baseball classic at the old Yankee Stadium:

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

From 1991 – 2006, Bernie Williams patrolled the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium, where he ruthlessly gunned down any runner trying to stretch a single into an extra base hit. But the six foot two muscular athlete is now “Moving Forward” into a successful musical career.

Williams’ first album made the Billboard Top 100. His second release on Reform Records features jazz legend Dave Koz, singer Jon Secada and a live performance of “Glory Days” with the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. But the inspiration for Moving Forward comes from somewhere else. The album “marks being in a sort of transitional period between being a professional athlete and just kind of segueing in this other career,” Williams says. And the person who best personified that transition for Williams was another talented athlete turned jazz musician. Wayman Tisdale played Power Forward for the Sacramento Kings from 1989 1994, before launching his own jazz/funk career. Wayman teamed up with Bernie Williams on this album, playing bass on the title track in one of Tisdale’s last performances before he tragically died of cancer in May 2009.

“He was a great influence,” Williams reflected. “He was the person I guess who I sort of modeled myself after,” he continues, “and the fact that he was a person who was very successful in sports, he made a very successful transition into the music arena. Then he was in jazz, even though he could probably play everything. And you know, I’d look at that example and I’d say ‘Well, if he can do it, why can’t I?'”

If Tisdale was an inspiration for the aspiring musician, then Bruce Springsteen was his closer. The two stars met at Yankee Stadium following a game. Williams’ teammate, Paul O’Neil, brought Springsteen into the clubhouse where Bernie just happened to have his guitar on hand. “It was actually a brand new Telecaster,” he recalled. “I had a pen and I said I would like for him to sign a ball, but you know, he might as well sign my guitar.” Springsteen handled the request like a pro. “Oh this is great,” he said. “This is kind of unusual to sign a guitar in a clubhouse, a baseball clubhouse,” Then he wrote, “To Bernie, if you ever get tired of baseball – Bruce Springsteen.”

To read more from my interview with Bernie Williams,  click here: Bernie Williams Interview

Bernie is now touring the East Coast and his next stop is Ridgefield, Connecticut, where my brother Russ is hoping to catch him in concert: Bernie Williams on Tour

I’m honored that Bernie likes the book. Ed Sprague likes it too – he’s the Head Baseball Coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton – and World Series star for the Toronto Blue Jays. Ed is the only player in baseball history to win back-to-back college World Series (Stanford University 1987 and 1988) and Major League Baseball World Series (Toronto Blue Jays 1992 and 1993) and also win a Gold Medal in the Olympics (USA 1988).

Baseball Between Us Endorsements

Baseball Between Us will be in the stores March 1, 2012, but is now available for pre-orders via Amazon’s Web site:

Pre-Order Book on Amazon

In the meantime, I’m providing updates on my Facebook page.

Baseball Between Us on Facebook

I hope you will “like” it!

About Mike

Mike Luery is an award-winning journalist with 25 years on TV and radio. Currently, he is the political reporter for KCRA-TV, the top-ranked station in Sacramento. This is Luery's second tour of duty with KCRA, where he was also a reporter from 1984 - 2000. In between, he was NBC's Capitol Bureau Chief in California and a reporter for CBS 13 in Sacramento. Luery lives in northern California with his wife Carol. Baseball Between Us is his first book.
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