NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Bernie Williams has performed under bright lights before, but one performance early next year might just be his biggest — even with four World Series rings.
The former New York Yankees center fielder, a longtime musician who attended performing arts high school while chasing baseball dreams, will be playing at the famed Carnegie Hall on Jan. 13 with opera singer Jonathan Tetelman.
Even after his playing days ended in 2006, Williams went back to music school and has since played in large venues, including Radio City Music Hall. He has even performed the national anthem in front of the same Yankee crowds that used to chant his name.
The famous saying is that professional athletes die twice, but when Williams retired, he saw almost an immediate opportunity to chase his other passion.
“My experience going back to school specifically for music was probably one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made after baseball. I realized that I had a future in music probably as soon as I finished playing baseball with the Yankees,” Williams said. “We had a little bit of a controversial process with contract negotiations, and they were offering me a deal in the minor leagues and this and that. And I was like, ‘You know what, maybe it’s time for me to move away from all this and try to reinvent myself.’
“I already had this music bug living in me for a while, and I was like, ‘You know what? Maybe I should just explore the possibility of becoming something else.’ Even though I can’t really call it a career, it’s a second chance at doing something that I truly love in life and that is a passion of mine.”
Music and baseball are “a different muscle,” Williams said, but there are lots of comparisons.
“There’s a common place where you really see all your hard work coming to fruition. You’re part of a team in baseball that has to come together, but it’s not that much different than this,” he said. “We’re a team and have a lot of people behind us, really supporting us and hoping for this to be a success. It’s a different muscle, but at the same time, it’s the same thing. A lot of hard work, being prepared, trusting your ability, not dwelling too much on your mistakes, and just let it rip. It’s one thing that makes me very nervous but, at the same time, very excited.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
The post Yankees legend Bernie Williams compares baseball and music careers as Carnegie Hall performance approaches appeared first on Fox News.
