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Alex Rodriguez's three-run home run off Derek Holland, a moon shot that traveled an estimated 419 feet and landed in the batter's eye beyond the center-field fence, was his 287th as a Yankee and tied him with Bernie Williams for sixth place on the all-time club home run list.

But it's a long way from No. 6 to No. 5 --71 home runs, to be exact. Next on the list is Yogi Berra with 358, followed by Joe DiMaggio at 361.

Bernie Williams' first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot drew just 55 votes, or less than 10 percent of the ballots cast. That does not bode well for the former Yankees center fielder's chances over the next 15 years, but as the ol' Scooter, Phil Rizzuto, found out, there's always the Veterans Committee.

Actually, Bernie's weak showing is not surprising -- his career regular-season numbers (.297/287/1257 with .858 OPS) are just slightly better than Paul O'Neill's, who got just 12 votes in his first year of eligibility (2007) and was dropped from the ballot.

If they awarded votes for being a good guy, Bernie would of course be a shoo-in. On that basis, he would have gotten my vote. I voted only for Barry Larkin (Win!) and Jack Morris (Place!).

Former Yankee Don Mattingly, in his 12th year of eligibility, got 102 votes, way up from last year's 79 but still way short of what he needs to get elected, and with just three more years of eligibility left, his chances of induction via the vote seem extremely remote.

Most disturbing note of all: Somehow, proven cheaters Mark McGwire (112 votes) and Rafael Palmeiro (72) got more votes than Bernie. Go figure.

As more and more smart voices make statistically-based arguments about Bernie Williams as a Hall of Famer, I believe he might gain some steam. It is not happening yet, but, when we peer back at his career it may look even grander in retrospect.

Especially if you presume Bernie never did PEDs during the Steroid Era. We can't know for sure, but we can believe. (Frankly, I have ideas of guys I think did it and no idea on guys who didn't. So there are players I definitely think were PED users, who haven't been outed. Still, the ones, such as Bernie, whom I think did not do it, would not surprise me if we learned one day they had.).

Anyway, back to the topic. Dan Szymborksi makes a sound argument here and Rebecca Glass argued strongly for Bernie here back in January.

If you had a vote, would you put Bernie in the Hall? Why or why not?

Bernie Williams is one of the new additions to this year's Hall of Fame ballot, and his career numbers -- .297 career BA, 287 HRs, 1257 RBI, a five-time All-Star, four time World Champion and four time Gold Glove winner -- certainly make him worthy of consideration, as do his 22 post-season HRs and 80 post-season RBI. So does his apparently steroid-free status in what his former teammate, Alex Rodriguez, has described as "that loosey-goosey era'' in which, for far too many players, just about anything went.

And yet, as a Hall of Fame voter, my first reaction is that as much as I liked Bernie as a player and a person, he's not quite Cooperstown material. I have between now and December 31 to change my mind, and you can help.

Do you think Bernie Williams is a Hall of Famer? Make your case. I'll read them and use the best ones in a later blog item.

Even though it’s been five years since he last played in professional baseball, Bernie Williams still hasn’t officially retired from baseball -- and who knows if he ever will.

“No, I have not (officially retired),” said Williams, 42, who participated in his first Old-Timers’ Day on Sunday afternoon. “But I think that’s closer now.”

Williams never wanted to hang up his cleats. He thought he could play forever. But age finally caught up to him, and he left the Yankees on bitter terms, upset that he never got a chance to make the team out of training camp in 2007.

But Williams has come to appreciate the finer moments of his career: the ticker tape parade after he won his first World Series with the Yankees in 1996; when he won the batting title in 1998; and the last day at old Yankee Stadium, when he was introduced after Hall of Fame legend Yogi Berra. “That never happens,” Williams said.

Even now, Williams doesn’t feel comfortable about being called an “Old-Timer.”

“It’s a really big thing for me, I guess,” Williams said. “If you take the word ‘old,’ I think I’d be a little uncomfortable with it. But as a player, when I was playing, I looked forward to these days. To me, it was a reminder of the fact that we’re part of a family that has been going on for 100 years, and thinking I was part of something that was bigger than myself, it was always cool to look forward to.

“And now I’m on the other side, being in the same situation, so it’s good. It’s great.”

Williams doesn’t regret playing his whole career with the Yankees. In fact, it’s something he’s proud of.

The Yankees were in the process of negotiations with slugger Albert Belle, and ready to move on from Williams in the offseason after the team won the 1998 World Series. But Williams called George Steinbrenner to let him know he was staying.

The Red Sox and Diamondbacks were great organizations -- they just weren’t the Yankees.

The two sides agreed to a seven-year, $87.5 million contract extension, which allowed Williams to finish out his career in pinstripes.

“I’m just really proud of this organization, and when I made the decision in 1998 to stay and have my whole career as a Yankee, it was one of the best decisions that I ever made,” Williams said.

So what does Williams miss most about the game?

“The competition,” Williams said. “Getting out there when the umpire would say ‘Play ball!’ to when the final out was made. It was about that moment in time when you were in a mental battle with he opposition, not knowing if you were going to be a hero or throw it away or hit a homer or strike out. ... And to be considered one of the best at what you did, there’s not a whole lot of substitute for that.”

Williams, who won four World Series championships and made five AL All-Star teams during his 16-year career, was asked if he thought he could still go out there and play the game like he once did.

“Yes. I think I’ll feel that way until I’m 80,” Williams joked. “It’s part of being a baseball player, you always try to trick yourself into thinking that you can. Even if people are saying you can’t, you always gotta think that you can. And that sort of mindset never changes.

“Even though realistically I know that I can’t, but it’s fun to think that you still can.”

Tino Martinez has been added to the Yankees' 65th Old-Timers' Day roster, the team announced Friday.

Bernie Williams, Joe Torre and Lou Piniella will all be making their Old-Timers debuts Sunday.

Trainer Gene Monahan, who has been with the team for 49 years and will retire at the end of the season, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Here's a full list of the participants:

• Luis Arroyo
• Jesse Barfield
• Clay Bellinger
• Yogi Berra
• Ron Blomberg
• Brian Boehringer
• Dr. Bobby Brown
• Homer Bush
• Jose Cardenal
• Rick Cerone
• Jerry Coleman
• David Cone
• Al Downing
• Brian Doyle
• Cecil Fielder
• Whitey Ford
• George Frazier
• Oscar Gamble
• Joe Girardi
• Dwight Gooden
• Rich "Goose" Gossage
• Ron Guidry
• Charlie Hayes
• Arlene Howard
• Helen Hunter
• Reggie Jackson
• Pat Kelly
• Don Larsen
• Graeme Lloyd
• Hector Lopez
• Kevin Maas
• Jill Martin
• Tino Martinez
• Lee Mazzilli
• Ramiro Mendoza
• Gene "Stick" Michael
• Diana Munson
• Kay Murcer
• Jeff Nelson
• Graig Nettles
• Joe Pepitone
• Lou Piniella
• Mickey Rivers
• Charlie Silvera
• Bill "Moose" Skowron
• Aaron Small
• Mike Stanley
• Mel Stottlemyre
• Darryl Strawberry
• Joe Torre
• David Wells
• Roy White
• Bernie Williams

ESPNNewYork.com named the 50 Greatest Yankees -- not an easy task, considering the Bombers have 27 World Series titles, 40 American League pennants and enough Hall of Famers to fill their own wing in Cooperstown. The List  Rank 'Em »
• Matthews: My top three? Ruth, Gehrig, Rivera »
• Here's the method to our madness »

Bernie Williams says that now that Andy Pettitte has announced his retirement, he might be ready to finally make his official.

 

The late George M. Steinbrenner III will be one of three Yankees honored when the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America holds its 88th annual awards dinner on Saturday, January 22 at the Hilton New York (1335 6th Ave. between West 53rd and 54 Streets).

Steinbrenner will be posthumously awarded the Joan Payson Award for community service. Robinson Cano will receive the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town Award. Phil Hughes will be given the Ben Epstein-Dan Castellano Good Guy Award. In addition, Bernie Williams and his band will perform live.

Cocktails begin at 6 p.m., with the dinner slated to get underway at 7 p.m. Tickets are available to the public at $225 each and can be purchased through Phil Pepe (philpepman@cs.com or 201-871-5924).

Here is the complete list of the awards that will be presented at the dinner. Nearly all of the winners are expected to attend, including all eight national award winners:

Willie, Mickey and the Duke Award: Joe Torre, Lou Piniella, Bobby Cox
Joan Payson Award for community service: George Steinbrenner
William J. Slocum-Jack Lang Award for Long and Meritorious Service: Bill Shannon
Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town Award: Robinson Cano
Ben Epstein-Dan Castellano Good Guy Award: Phil Hughes
Sid Mercer-Dick Young Player of the Year Award: Josh Hamilton
Babe Ruth Award (Postseason MVP): Tim Lincecum
Casey Stengel You Could Look It Up Award: Harmon Killebrew
Arthur and Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart Award: R.A. Dickey

American League MVP: Josh Hamilton
National League MVP: Joey Votto
American League Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
National League Cy Young: Roy Halladay
American League Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz
National League Rookie of the Year: Buster Posey
American League Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire
National League Manager of the Year: Bud Black

Former Yankee Bernie Williams is perhaps the best new candidate in next year’s Hall of Fame class, and with bumper crops on the horizon in 2013 and 2014, it might be his best chance at recognition.

Williams played for a Yankees team that won four out of five (and very nearly five out of six) World Series championships, had a .297 career batting average, .381 on-base percentage, and .477 slugging percentage.

From 1995 to 2002 (his prime), he had an OPS+ of 142 (meaning his OPS was significantly better than that of his peers).

For any baseball player, these are enviable numbers. For a center fielder, they are especially noteworthy. Williams’ stats don’t match Ken Griffey Jr.’s, but they were very good regardless.

When you compares Williams’ numbers to center fielders in the Hall of Fame (such as Kirby Puckett), his totals (both basic statistics and newer ones, such as Wins Above Replacement) suggest that he was very, very good -- but not necessarily Hall of Fame great.

Yet, unlike fellow future candidates Jorge Posada or Mike Mussina, Williams’ case may very well rest on other factors -- such as his success in the postseason. It is, as one New York Times writer recently pointed out, the same methodology that might someday put Jack Morris in the Hall of Fame.

Williams career is defined by coming through in big moments, and yes, he did have plenty of opportunities to do so. But he came through -– a lot.
Since the postseason expanded to three rounds in 1995, Williams’ hit eight go-ahead postseason home runs (tied with Babe Ruth for the most in Yankees history). His 31 RBIs in the seventh inning or later are more than Posada's or Derek Jeter's -- and the latter two are both still active players.

RBIs are a measure of opportunity -- batters need to reach base for the opportunity to exist, but a number that high in situations that are often so high leverage is not entirely coincidental.

We bring that up along with one other number that helps point out his value. Baseball-Reference.com defines a “late-and-close” situation as one in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck.

From 1995 to 2004, Williams hit .329 with a 1.051 OPS in 96 postseason late-and close plate appearances. In 82 at-bats in that time, he had 13 extra-base hits, including a pair of walk-off home runs.

Even factoring in a couple of down years towards the end of his career, Williams had a .314 batting average and 1.005 OPS in postseason late-and-close situations. What more could a team ask for than that?

Whether postseason success should be considered as criteria for Hall of Fame selection merits a separate discussion entirely, but given that these factors have likely helped candidates in the past, they are worth examining when it comes to Williams.

How much Williams’ baseball heroics will ultimately affect his case remains to be seen, but they are a measure worth noting in evaluating the total value of his candidacy.

Rebecca Glass recently began working for ESPN Stats & Information.

In the annals of Yankees clutch postseason home runs, Mark Teixeira's game-winner against the Twins doesn't come close to ranking near the top of the list, but it's still pretty significant nonetheless.

This was the second time that Teixeira hit a postseason go-ahead home run in the seventh inning or later, both coming against the Twins in the ALDS (last year's walk-off being the other).

Only three other Yankees have had at least a pair of such home runs, which we can find at Baseball-Reference.com -- Bernie Williams (3), Mickey Mantle (2), and Alfonso Soriano (2).

Williams, as a matter of fact, is tied for the all-time lead in that stat with Troy Glaus. His three included a pair of walk-offs (against the Orioles and Red Sox) and an oft-forgotten one against the Angels in the 2002 ALDS, a series the Yankees would eventually lose.

Both of Mantle's came in the World Series. He's one of four players who have twice hit go-ahead home runs in the seventh inning or later of a World Series game, along with Casey Stengel (yes, he played too), Rudy York, and Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx.

Soriano hit one of his in Game 7 of a World Series (2001), which might have gone down as one of the Yankees most significant homers of all-time had the Yankees not lost the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.

But Teixeira can say he's done something that Babe Ruth never did. For all of Ruth's Yankees heroics, he never hit a postseason go-ahead home run that late in a game. Other Yankees: 30, Babe Ruth: 0.

This was not something that Teixeira was accustomed to doing in 2010. He'd only hit one go-ahead home run in the seventh inning or later -- in May against the Indians. Five Yankees, all in Wednesday's lineup, had more than that -- Alex Rodriguez (4), Curtis Granderson (4), Nick Swisher (2), Marcus Thames (2), and Robinson Cano (2).

The Twins have seen this before, and we're not just talking about earlier this season when they got beat by late home runs in separate games by Rodriguez and Swisher.

It's now happened to them in each of their last three postseason games. Teixeira's walk-off home run in Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS was followed by Jorge Posada's go-ahead home run off Carl Pavano in the series-clinching Game 3, and then this home run by Teixeira on Wednesday night.

They thus join the Braves, Mariners and Dodgers as teams who have been victimized three times by late-inning go-ahead Yankee postseason home runs.

It's Reunion Weekend, the first meeting for Joe Torre against his former team, and we're on notes patrol trying to dig up the most interesting facts and figures via our various resources (Baseball-Reference.com, Stats LLC, and the Elias Sports Bureau). Here's what we've come up with:

• Joe Torre will have managed 4,239 regular season games and 142 postseason games before managing his first game against the Yankees. That’s the most of any manager prior to managing a game against the sport’s most storied franchise.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Hall of Famer John McGraw ranks second. He managed 3,338 games, combining the regular season and postseason, prior to facing the Yankees for the first time in the 1921 World Series.

Former Yankees skipper, Hall of Famer Joe McCarthy ranks third, at 3,161 games prior to managing against them for the first time, as Red Sox manager in 1948.

• Torre’s 1,173 wins as Yankees manager rank second-most in team history, trailing only McCarthy, who managed the Yankees from 1931 to 1946. His 10 first-place finishes rank tied with Casey Stengel for the most by a Yankees manager, though Torre did so in divisional play, while Stengel did this in a non-divisional format.

Torre, McCarthy and Stengel are the three Yankees managers to manage at least 500 regular season games for the Yankees, winning 60 percent of them.

• Torre and Stengel are two of the three managers to manage both the Yankees and Dodgers franchises, though the other, Wilbert Robinson managed the Yankees in 1902 when they were located in Baltimore and known as the Orioles.

• Unlike Torre, Casey Stengel, never got to manage against the Yankees in the regular season after being forced into retirement following the 1960 World Series.

His first meeting with the Yankees following his departure came in spring training 1962, while with the Mets. It wasn’t a regular season game, but Stengel went all-out to beat his former squad, and the Mets did so, winning 4-3 on Richie Ashburn’s ninth-inning hit.

• On April 2, 1996, Joe Torre earned his first win as Yankees manager, beating the Indians 7-1 on Opening Day. The Yankees catcher that day was Joe Girardi.

The current Yankees manager appeared in 379 games for the Yankees with Torre as manager. In those games, the Yankees were 230-149 (.607 win percentage).

Your Yankees leaders during Joe Torre’s managerial reign – Derek Jeter tops the list in games, batting average and stolen bases. Bernie Williams rates first in home runs and RBI. Alex Rodriguez hit .303 with 173 home runs, which rate third and sixth respectively.

Pitching-wise, Andy Pettitte rates first in just about everything- wins, losses, and strikeouts. Mariano Rivera is of course No. 1 in saves, as well as ERA, by a wide margin.

Mark Simon is a researcher for Baseball Tonight. You can follow him on Twitter or e-mail him at webgemscoreboard@gmail.com.