Bernie Williams knows that many people recognize that he wore pinstripes and hits from both sides of the plate to win the World Series title with the New York Yankees. That's where his main legacy lies in the baseball game.
However, over the years of the Yankees' Manning Center Field, Williams' love for music, especially guitar, was always popular.
He recalled to Fox News Digital that one day he was walking to the Yankees clubhouse where rock legend Bruce Springsteen met a player. The Yankees are usually asked to sign, but this time it was the main attraction of Springsteen when they walked through the clubhouse.
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Former Yankee Bernie Williams will perform the national guitar anthem at the 2021 National Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony held in Cooperstown, New York on Wednesday, September 8th. The ceremony honored members of the class of 2020, Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker. (image)
But Williams didn't want a bat or baseball autograph. That was too simple.
“So I had this fender telecaster in my locker and said, “Hey, could you sign this? You shouldn't sign a ball or a bat. I think this is really cool,” Williams said. “So he signed the guitar and said, “If you're tired of baseball…”
Springsteen, the wizard on stage, may have foresaw the sweet swing Williams that will enter the music in the future. His musical career, baseball, is used to honor his late father's legacy, helping others along the way.
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This Friday marks a rare day of illness, and Williams spoke to Fox News Digital about his work with Tune To Lung Health, a program created to support patients dealing with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and their loved ones.
ILD causes irreversible scars in the lungs that can make breathing difficult. Many patients remain because many patients need to carry oxygen tanks. The disease affects approximately 50,000 Americans each year and there is no cure.
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Sr. died in 2001 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a type of IDL.
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Sr. passed away in 2001 after his son Bernie Williams played for the New York Yankees. (Please match your lung health)
“He was the one who taught me how to play baseball,” Williams recalled his father. “He was the guy who taught me how to play music on my guitar and stuff. All of this, along with this initiative, comes into a complete circle, where I can really give back to the community, remember his legacy and do great things to my heart.
The program explored ways in which music and breathing could help people deal with both the physical and mental aspects of illness, allowing Williams to connect with patients and caregivers through his music.
“Music has always been a really important part of my life and when I get older I can see how powerful music is in every aspect of my life,” he said. “It can be used to heal. If it's emotional, it can get through difficult times. It can be used for workouts. The power of music is so vast that for me I can try to become part of this campaign and use the power of music to promote the need to deal with through these fathers.
Through the initiative websiteWith a Latin Grammy nominee under his music career belt, Williams loves the various ways patients and caregivers can use music and breathing exercises to improve their daily lives.
“Breathing is a big part [singing]he explained that you use your voice as an instrument. “The applications for people who really value all the breath they take and everything that's going on in life are also really important. So you can have that information handy and do these exercises to really improve the quality of your life.”
Bernie Williams is a former New York Yankees outfielder at Yankee Stadium. (Wendel Cruz Usa is today's sports)
Williams said the initiative was “very therapeutic” for him.
In fact, Williams will perform several songs and chat with the fans on March 27th (MLB's opening day) at the iconic Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
The Signature Jersey Shore venue is one of Springsteen's start. It was the beginning of the road to rock's greatness.
They connect again to that path.
“Twenty years later, I'm playing on stage with him. [Springsteen] A guest performer, he brought me on stage and had this amazing acoustic version we played together, he and his wife. It was a great moment in my young music career. That's one thing I remember and I'll never forget,” Williams said.
Bernie Williams' love of music is intertwined with his initiative in line with the health of his lungs, honoring his late father. (Please match your lung health)
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Williams will also never forget the man who taught him how to play that guitar.
“As long as I take a breath, I try to inform people and educate people about what I have experienced and what my dad has gone through,” Williams said.
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