Bernie Williams spoke openly about the 1990s New York Yankees on “The Mike Francesa Show” today.
Not everyone will have the audacity to openly admit it, but the 1990s New York Yankees dynasty was not a product of the great George Steinbrenner. In fact, he was so out of control that he had to be sidelined from baseball.
If you put two and two together, in that case, Steinbrenner’s absence was a blessing in disguise.
Thankfully, one of the integral pieces to each of those championship teams spoke the truth. Bernie Williams, the frequently overlooked cornerstone, went on Mike Francesa’s WFAN afternoon drive show today and purely spoke his mind.
When asked about the situation, Williams said, “I think it was good (for us) that Steinbrenner was away from baseball for a little bit,” in relation to certain prospects like Mariano Rivera and himself not being included in one of George’s famous youth trades.
Before going ballistic, realize what the Yanks were able to accomplish with homegrown youth. You can spend as much money as you want, but proven is the fact that sustained success depends on a rich farm system.
He elaborated on the previous remark by claiming that he has, “Heard stories that Buck and Stick even lied to Steinbrenner about things in order to keep myself and Mariano.”
Just imagine Mariano Rivera with a different organization, mowing down Yankee hitters left and right, shattering numerous bats in the process. With George Steinbrenner in the fold, that image would have been inevitable.
Bernie merely told us what we already knew.
Here are some of the other highlights of Bernie on WFAN on Friday:
https://twitter.com/RNs_Funhouse/status/769232781671075840
Mike with Bernie Williams pic.twitter.com/qQCZr9fJ8m
— Mark Mongo (@markmongo) August 26, 2016