Bernie Williams on Aaron Judge: He's a 'no-brainer' for Monument Park
Credit: AP
Standing in Monument Park just a few feet from his plaque and in sight of his retired No. 51, Bernie Williams mused on Saturday about how he might be joined there someday by a certain current Yankee.
Williams called the idea of Aaron Judge eventually being honored in Monument Park “a no-brainer.”
If Judge doesn’t leave the Yankees after the season as a free agent, that is.
“Every time I see him talking on TV, he just says the right things all the time,” said Williams, the last player introduced on a scaled-back Old-Timers’ Day. “He’s a good ambassador for the team and I think he’ll be probably — if he signs a long-term deal — he’ll probably be in line to be the next captain. There’s no doubt about that in my mind.”
Judge hit his 42nd home run Saturday in an MVP-type campaign.
“He’s doing great,” Williams said. “I’m very happy for him, especially [since] this is such an important year in his career.”
It’s important because it’s Judge’s walk year. Williams had one of those, in 1998, when he came oh-so-close to signing with the Red Sox — of all teams — before a last-minute phone call with George Steinbrenner wound up earning the centerfielder a new contract, two more World Series championships and a top spot among beloved former Yankees who spent their entire careers in pinstripes.
Is Judge going to join that group? Or leave after the season for greener pastures?
“I think he feels the allure and the greatness of remaining a Yankee,” Williams said. “I think he’s definitely taking that into consideration and I think the team should, too.”
Judge’s monster season was a hot topic among the 22 former Yankees players who made it to the team’s first Old-Timers’ Day since 2019.
Said Tino Martinez: “I obviously hope he stays in New York. He’s a New York Yankee and he’s got the perfect demeanor for this town. He knows how to play here. He knows how to handle the media. He’s just a great leader of the team.”
The Old-Timers were introduced by John Sterling and Michael Kay to a half-filled stadium before the Yankees faced the Royals.
The players walked across the outfield to folding chairs set up on the infield.
Homer Bush was the first player introduced, and he was followed by fan favorites such as Mickey Rivers, Roy White and Bucky Dent, manager Aaron Boone and a final five of David Cone, Willie Randolph, Martinez, Ron Guidry and Williams.
Guidry threw a ceremonial first pitch to Michael Munson, son of the late Yankees catcher Thurman Munson.
The players emerged after a group visit to Monument Park, where plaques and monuments honor a bevy of Hall of Famers. There were no Hall of Famers among the Old-Timers in attendance on Saturday; Mariano Rivera, who initially was on the scheduled attendee list the Yankees released two weeks ago, was unable to attend.
Rivera and three other Hall of Famers who played for the Yankees (Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson and Wade Boggs) were scheduled to sign autographs on Saturday in Atlantic City at the National Sports Collectors Convention.
Hall of Famer Goose Gossage has a signing scheduled for Sunday, as do three of the Old-Timers who were at Yankee Stadium on Saturday (Guidry, Dent and Chris Chambliss).
There was no Old-Timers’ Day game this year. The Yankees hope to be able to stage one again in 2023.
“A lot of guys aren’t here,” Martinez said. “I’m a little disappointed that some of our teammates aren’t here. But it’s still great to be here. And nobody’s going to get hurt today, that’s for sure.”
Williams, 54, said he is about to have a “leg procedure,” so the absence of a game was OK with him.
“For some people, it’s great, myself included,” Williams said. “It would have been hard for me. It would not have been the best version of myself. But I’m looking forward to maybe next year if I have a better physical condition, I’m looking forward to making a fool of myself.”
The Mets, who are planning on about 65 attendees, will have a game when they hold their first Old-Timers’ Day since 1994 on Aug. 27 at Citi Field.
Paul O’Neill, who is having his No. 21 retired on Aug. 21, did not attend Saturday but called the game on YES from his Ohio home.
O’Neill is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and is not allowed on the field under current rules, so it will be interesting to see how the Yankees handle his ceremony.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
