Feeling the Bern
Fans turn out to meet former Yankee Bernie Williams
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Hundreds of Yankee fans shunned Travers Day excitement at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday for a chance to meet former All-Star center fielder Bernie Williams.
A key member of the Bronx Bombers’ 1996 and 1998-2000 World Championship teams, Williams signed autographs at Saratoga Stadium and later performed at Gaffney’s restaurant. He is well-known for his musical talent as a guitarist, in addition to his outstanding feats on the baseball diamond.
“This guy is a classic,” said long-time Yankee fan Tina Grolley, of Saratoga Springs. “I wouldn’t be anywhere but here right now.”
“I followed him when he was on the Albany-Colonie Yankees,” said Brian Adams, a Spa City resident. “When I was a kid I used to watch him play all the time. He became my favorite.”
A long line of people, armed with memorabilia for Williams to sign, waited patiently for a chance to meet the Yankee hero. From The Stadium Cafe, on Broadway, lines stretched down the block and around the corner onto Division Street.
“I’m not a track fan, so that wasn’t going to be an option for me,” said John Powell, of Ballston Lake.
Instead, he helped his daughter, Erin, celebrate her 11th birthday by meeting Williams.
“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “I’ve never met a player on the Yankees before.”
Erin’s older sister, Kelly, also joined the fun.
“I’m a big Yankees fan,” said Darlene Jones of Ballston Spa. “Bernie was a big part of our lives for a lot of years. He was so good in the outfield.”
She and her husband, Tom, brought their 6-yearold son, Zac, to meet Williams.
“I remember seeing
Bernie at Albany-Colonie in 1989 and ‘90,” Tom said. “We had season tickets so we went every game. I loved him even before he was a New York Yankee. I just loved watching him. I remember his postseason home runs and his winning the ALCS MVP in 1996. He’s my favorite player from that era.”
Tom Jones brought a No. 51 jersey to be autographed, while Zac carried a baseball he caught at a Yankee-Red Sox game last week in New York. Mary Clare Crandall, of Saratoga Springs, said, “I lived in New York during Bernie’s heyday, so I was at games all the time. I’ve only ever been a Yankees fan. He only played for the Yankees. I just think he’s a class act.”