JR Interview with Bernie Williams

If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning, here's a tip. Brush your teeth.

That's it. Often when we wake up, our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow. Something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by BetterHelp Online Therapy, which connects you with a licensed therapist via video, phone, or online chat.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. It's the JR sport ratio right here with you on CBS Sports Radio, and we are being joined right now by someone who is a four time World Series champion. He's a Latin Grammy nominee. He's a New York Yankees legend. He's going to be playing the national anthem at the Yankees game tomorrow. And then also he's here for an excellent cause is why he's going to be at the Yankees game, not just because the judge is my main man legend Bernie Williams. Bernie, how are you?

I am doing great. Thank you so much for having me on the show, man. Absolutely. I mean, that's a beautiful intro. You've accomplished so much. You've done so much. You're going to be at Yankee Stadium tomorrow.

We're going to get into Aaron Judge and the Yankees and all of that. Why are you going to be at the stadium specifically tomorrow? You're doing something great in the health space. I want people to understand that first.

Yes. Thank you so much for having me for that. I think it's really important for people to understand why am I there. As you said, besides watching Judge hit a home run, we are launching this great campaign called Tune In To Long Health. And it is a campaign that I have been involved with to raise awareness about interstitial lung disease. My father died in 2001 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is one of these forms of interstitial lung disease. And I've been involved with Barry Ringer Ingleheim over the past seven years, raising awareness first with a campaign called Breathless, which was specifically dedicated to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. So we're including all these other there's about 200 types of these interstitial lung diseases, and which idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is just one of them.

And we have about 140,000 people living with complications from these diseases in the United States. And since it sort of touched me in a very profound way, because of the passing of my father, paying tribute to his life and all that he meant for me, I am taking this initiative, and I think it is really important for people who know it. Not so beautiful thing and I'm doing a tour right now with Special Olympics just to talk about inclusive health so I commend you for what you're doing and that's that's TuneInToLongHealth.com is where people will find out more information, correct?

That is correct. I appreciate that. And then from from the music side you've been able to tie all that together. I know people remember you playing center field for the Yankees and those high batting averages into the 300s a lot of people don't do that anymore all the runs driven in. How have you been able to tie in music to your, your career post life we know you play the guitar, but now you've been nominated for Grammys, etc. How you've been able to transition that in your career. Well, the music thing has always been in my life I was.

In addition to practicing sports as a young kid. My mother which was an educator, an educator in the public education system in Puerto Rico where I grew up, was very adamant about it, having us, me and my brother, you know, having exposure to the arts, music and sports in her interest of having us being well grounded, educated, little that she knew that you know years later I was going to take this journey of being a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees, but I always kept music in my mind and in my heart. And that you know really cool thing that you mentioned it because tune into long health, you know, this campaign that I'm in really encompasses all these elements of music, breathing, and all that into you to put them in an effort to help people. Music has always been a really important part of my life and as a matter of fact I went to the Manhattan School of Music after I retired from baseball and have a and pursuing a degree of jazz performance. So, graduated in 2016 and I've been performing as a professional guitar player in the city.

You know, like another cat looking for a gig here in the city you know, and if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. So I was just able to make it as a baseball player and now having this great second half of my life just doing a lot of things for the community. And, you know, pursuing my musical my journey as well in music Yankees legend Bernie Williams is joining us here the JR sport brief show on CBS Sports Radio will man you're going to be out there before the game, playing a national anthem Aaron judge. What, what are your thoughts on what he's been doing very I know it's ridiculous you you play centerfield he's in that spot that you used to man, what do you think about them guy. Well, the fact that he is doing it. Being aware of the historical context that he is in, you know, surpassing, you know, most likely, the babe, you know, and Roger Maris. He has a great opportunity to put his stamp in the history books on on individual accomplishment and the season, but I think the one thing that impresses me the most about him is the fact that he is not really making that the focus of his season. He is so, you know, committed to have the team itself win a championship, that all these accolades and all these things are happening to him is almost like he's seeing them as a burden, you know, they're on the way of him, you know, doing what he needs to focus on having this team the team itself.

The Yankees win a championship. So that to me that's a commendable thing in this day and age when everybody's the ball is all about self promoting and social media and all that stuff, having this sort of team oriented attitude, and him just being in the history books you know with the season that he's having you know, he's just short a couple points I think today. He is leading the league and batting average. He's obviously surpassing everybody in home runs and runs battering as well so I mean he's putting a season for the ages. The fact that he's doing it now, when the time counts though he has such great leverage to, you know, negotiate a new deal. He's just putting everything together at the right time in the right place in the right city. He's just living the dream and I thought I was living the dream playing for the Yankees he's living the dream right now. Absolutely Bernie Williams is here with us New York Yankees legend man you live the dream with the Yankees are four championships, you played in center field we know judge played in right now he's in center, you Bernie know about gold glove caliber defense.

How much is that kind of not even paid attention to. We know he's a home run hitter. Now he's batting for average. He spent the majority of this year running around and sense of field talk about that you know how that is. Yes, I think you know, to his credit to Aaron's credit I mean he deserves a lot of credit for his defense. I think he's very underrated when it comes to that. Because his offense is so, you know, it's just so great. But I think you know it, it's really important to mention the fact that he's a great all around player, not only you know his defense and his office is a good base runner, and even more important than anything else he is just a great presence in that clubhouse. You know we had an opera have had an opportunity to be there with all the players, you know what Paul O'Neill's retirement number ceremony number retire ceremony and we had a chance to address you know the clubhouse. And it was to the initiative of Aaron judge I mean he's merging of one of the leaders undisputed leaders of that clubhouse, and he just has his, you know his whole game in a great place going right now and on here. That is a lot to be said about the fact that he's an all around player you know you're talking about people like botani and Mike trout and people that really put a lot of emphasis on their defense, as well as their office and he is right there with all of them will Bernie I want to ask you this, you mentioned this he's going to get paid. Do you see a scenario where he is in another uniform, besides the pinstripes next season.

Well, I learned to understand that nothing is for granted and especially in this game. You know this day and age when you have you know a lot of people, changing you know teams and, you know, trying to look for a better situation for themselves and their families. The fact that, you know, even him you know now the one thing that I would say that might be working against him is the fact that he's 30. I think the burden is on him to look for the best situation that he can get it himself into for the next years of his career to maximize his potential and his market value. So, I mean, I wouldn't see it as a surprise if he ends up in another team. I am kind of bias and I'm thinking that I think the Yankees will miss a great opportunity, they don't sign him right now because I think he's about to give the best years of his career to a team to the team but science in right now. So, I would like the Yankees to be that team you know obviously because I'm bias but I mean I know I understand that he has ties on the west coast.

So that might be a little bit appealing to him as well. So, you know, I don't know, time, only time will tell you know where he ends up being but I think that he was able to take care of business on the field bet on himself saying I'm not going to have any distractions you know for this year. I'm not going to let my bat in my glove and my play talk for itself.

And then when the years over, let's see what you know where that takes me and I just commend him greatly because he took that measure and it's paying off for him and did it in a classy way Bernie as we wrap up here. You're a Yankee legend, and I want you to get the love and receive it while you're right here on the JR sport re show you talked about Paul O'Neill and his number retirement we just talked about judge we we know about you were awesome in your own right Bernie so I just wanted to say that, and as a follow up. You played with amazing players you were one of them judges having a crazy season. Is there any one player that you looked at one of your teammates and said, this year that this guy is having is bananas, any one guy stand out. Well, I think that you know I think that's probably one of the things that makes the teams on my era, a little, little bit more special, I think the fact that we never really had that one person that you would say, a you, we have to stop this guy, and if we stop that guy, we have the team. I think the team really have this sort of mentality that everybody is a threat.

You know, everybody in the lineup you know from the night from the first one to the ninth. You know there's no holes in this lineup you cannot pitch around somebody to get to anybody, and that thing that I think that that particular aspect of our team was our strength, rather than our weakness. I think we, you know, we did a great job leaning on each other, working the counts, you know, having the, the opposition pitchers going into their bullpen early. And then if we had any kind of lead at the end of the game we had arguably the best closer in the history of the game closing the games for us. So, there's not one guy that we could say hey this guy's hitting like 4050 home runs we got to stop that guy.

He was all spread around the lineup. And, you know, like I said before that so that was one of our strengths. Hey well number 51 Bernie Williams was a key part of that last question before I let you go Bernie rule changes baseball.

We see that they're coming. We got a slightly larger basis we got pitch clocks come in and for the batters to stand as well. What do you think about the evolution or at least trying to keep the game on speed even the defensive alignments.

Well, I think that is rather what you said what you said. After trying to keep the game up to speed to you know what the society that we're living in right now. It's all about time. It's all about the precious time that people have to dedicate it to certain you know things in their life. And I think baseball is one of these things. I think you know this aspect of timelessness that the game has in many ways, ways work against the game, because everybody's so time, you know, consuming you know you have certain, you know, allow yourself certain amount of time to see them do certain things in these days of just kind of leisurely spending three and a half four or five and a half hours, watching a baseball game, it might be a thing of the past so the game has to sort of catch up to that. I am not, you know, against that, you know, I would like to be would like for them to be careful, so they don't tinker with the essence of the game itself and make it something that it might be a recognizable later so I would like them to you know implement all these changes that are, you know, supposed to be geared to, you know, better the experience of, you know, for the fans and people watching and, but at the same time, I like the game you know the way it was you know when I was playing so I don't want them to, to mess up, mess too much with that. Yeah, I think a lot of us Mr style of play when you are out there playing Bernie I appreciate you taking the time to hop on I thank you for coming through and encouraging everybody to check out tune in to lung health will certainly go ahead and share that information you have any final words as to get people involved.

Yeah, absolutely. Tune into long health.com. It's a great cause interstitial lung disease 140,000 people, you know, suffering for conditions associated with these spread the word. I want people to get into the, you know, website where they can find information so they can educate themselves against, you know, you know about this disease. It took my dad's life away in 2001, and I think it's really important for people to know this information. And I hope that it helps a lot of people. Bernie you have always been one of the good guys you're a great guy I know you're going to be at the stadium when judge probably hits another home run, you'll be there to witness that I'm going to come through and witness one of your shows man I gotta come show Bernie the support.

I know john sterling we talked about him a lot. One of his best calls was burned baby burn and I'm going to see. Can you burn baby burn on the stage I'm gonna come through sooner than later Bernie Okay, I'll hold you to that man you have a great time and thank you so much Bernie Williams Yankees legend World Series champion multiple time over joining us here, the JR sport we show on CBS Sports Radio. This is your operating system talking, not your computers or your phones, but your internal human operating system, I'm feeling a little overloaded. Here's how you can ease my stress, close your eyes or softly gaze at something in front of you. Now inhale for four counts, exhale for six, keep repeating. Much better, longer term, there's better help online therapy, they'll match us with the licensed therapist we can connect with via video phone or chat, visit better help.com slash positive and save 10% on our first month. If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning. Here's a tip, brush your teeth. That's it.

Often when we wake up our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow, something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by better help online therapy, which connects you with the licensed therapist via video phone or online chat. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month. What would you do with an extra 20 hours a week? How about 40 get part time or full time help with a virtual assistant from the room trusted by entrepreneurs, executives, even busy families.

The room's virtual assistants are trained, vetted through a rigorous data driven process and matched to fit your needs. Work smarter, delegate more and get your time back. You have a lot more podcasts to listen to. Visit try the room.com that's try the room.com If you're feeling down and having trouble getting up in the morning. Here's a tip, brush your teeth. That's it. Often when we wake up our brains go into planning mode, which leads to overthinking and stress before our head even leaves the pillow, something simple like brushing your teeth can break that cycle and jumpstart your day. This tip was brought to you by better help online therapy, which connects you with the licensed therapist via video phone or online chat. Visit better help.com slash positive and save 10% on your first month.