TAMPA, Fla. -- With his teammates all in uniform, Bernie Williams was in street clothes yesterday morning as he headed toward the Legends Field exit. If that wasn't suspicious enough, he wore a look of concern and held his right hand over his stomach.
Asked if he was all right, Williams said, "I don't know, man. I'll find out."
What doctors found was startling, and it provided the Yankees their first significant health issue of the 2004 season. Williams had an appendectomy at St. Joseph's Hospital that will keep him out of action for at least three weeks. Manager Joe Torre said Williams, who spent last night in the hospital, probably will miss the start of the regular season.
"I'm very sorry for Bernie because he came in in such great shape," George Steinbrenner said. "He worked so hard. He's a very integral part of this team. Every one of the teams in the race in the American League East is going to have a setback. This was an early one for us, but I know Bernie. He'll fight through it and get back quicker than everybody thinks."
The Yankees open their season March 30 in Tokyo against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "Obviously, it would be a long shot for him to start the season, only because it wouldn't be fair to try and rush his at-bats and that stuff," Torre said. "That's where we're at right now."
With Williams out, the Yankees' centerfield-designated hitter competition between Williams and Kenny Lofton has been postponed; Lofton will start the season in center.
Torre refused to commit to a DH without Williams, although the most likely combination calls for Jason Giambi getting most of the starts and Travis Lee patrolling first base. "If we decide that Jason is going to take on a more prominent role as a DH, for sure it's going to bring another first baseman into the mix," Torre said.
Williams' injury also opens up more at-bats for Ruben Sierra at DH, and creates a roster spot, at least at the start of the season, for Tony Clark, who seemed unlikely to make the team.
When Clark began his day by dressing in his game pinstripes, doing his part for the media's photo day, it seemed cruel to subject him to such a chore. Williams also posed for his photo and even conducted an interview, but he became worried enough about his stomach discomfort to go to Torre's office.
"He from time to time has had some stomach problems," Torre said. "He just felt just something in [his stomach] ... he wasn't in excruciating pain. [We] didn't think it was anything more than just acid buildup."
The Yankees don't believe that the appendicitis was linked to Williams' previous stomach problems.
When reporters informed Lofton of Williams' condition, Lofton's jaw dropped. "Wow," he said. "I thought they said he had some food poisoning. I don't know. That's all I heard until just now."
With Williams out, Steinbrenner's acquisition of both Lofton and Lee appears far more sensible.
"I've always liked Kenny Lofton because he's a good basketball player," Steinbrenner said, referring to Lofton's college days at Arizona. "I've followed him for a long time. He's a fine athlete. And he'll be a good man to fill in for Bernie."
Just Wednesday, the arrival of Lee, a defensively superior first baseman, prompted questions about a possible move to DH by Giambi. Williams' injury opened a hole at DH and therefore generated another round of questions.
"I'll play wherever," Giambi said. "Joe and I have great communication."
Staff writer Jim Baumbach contributed to this story.
Battered Bernie
Bernie Williams, who needed an appendectomy yesterday, has had frequent absences from the Yankees' lineup.
2003: Missed 42 games after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee May 27 to repair a tear of the medial meniscus.
2002: Received cortisone shots in both shoulders April 15. Missed three games.
2001: Missed 13 games because of his father's illness and death.
2000: Missed 19 games because of a strained rib cage.
1999: Missed three games with a stomach virus and one game with tendinitis in his left shoulder.
1998: Missed 31 games with a sprained right knee.
1997: Missed 33 games because of two trips to the DL, both with a strained left hamstring.
1996: Missed 19 games because of a strained left calf muscle.
1993: Missed 23 games because of a rib-cage injury.
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Asked if he was all right, Williams said, "I don't know, man. I'll find out."
What doctors found was startling, and it provided the Yankees their first significant health issue of the 2004 season. Williams had an appendectomy at St. Joseph's Hospital that will keep him out of action for at least three weeks. Manager Joe Torre said Williams, who spent last night in the hospital, probably will miss the start of the regular season.
"I'm very sorry for Bernie because he came in in such great shape," George Steinbrenner said. "He worked so hard. He's a very integral part of this team. Every one of the teams in the race in the American League East is going to have a setback. This was an early one for us, but I know Bernie. He'll fight through it and get back quicker than everybody thinks."
The Yankees open their season March 30 in Tokyo against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "Obviously, it would be a long shot for him to start the season, only because it wouldn't be fair to try and rush his at-bats and that stuff," Torre said. "That's where we're at right now."
With Williams out, the Yankees' centerfield-designated hitter competition between Williams and Kenny Lofton has been postponed; Lofton will start the season in center.
Torre refused to commit to a DH without Williams, although the most likely combination calls for Jason Giambi getting most of the starts and Travis Lee patrolling first base. "If we decide that Jason is going to take on a more prominent role as a DH, for sure it's going to bring another first baseman into the mix," Torre said.
Williams' injury also opens up more at-bats for Ruben Sierra at DH, and creates a roster spot, at least at the start of the season, for Tony Clark, who seemed unlikely to make the team.
When Clark began his day by dressing in his game pinstripes, doing his part for the media's photo day, it seemed cruel to subject him to such a chore. Williams also posed for his photo and even conducted an interview, but he became worried enough about his stomach discomfort to go to Torre's office.
"He from time to time has had some stomach problems," Torre said. "He just felt just something in [his stomach] ... he wasn't in excruciating pain. [We] didn't think it was anything more than just acid buildup."
The Yankees don't believe that the appendicitis was linked to Williams' previous stomach problems.
When reporters informed Lofton of Williams' condition, Lofton's jaw dropped. "Wow," he said. "I thought they said he had some food poisoning. I don't know. That's all I heard until just now."
With Williams out, Steinbrenner's acquisition of both Lofton and Lee appears far more sensible.
"I've always liked Kenny Lofton because he's a good basketball player," Steinbrenner said, referring to Lofton's college days at Arizona. "I've followed him for a long time. He's a fine athlete. And he'll be a good man to fill in for Bernie."
Just Wednesday, the arrival of Lee, a defensively superior first baseman, prompted questions about a possible move to DH by Giambi. Williams' injury opened a hole at DH and therefore generated another round of questions.
"I'll play wherever," Giambi said. "Joe and I have great communication."
Staff writer Jim Baumbach contributed to this story.
Battered Bernie
Bernie Williams, who needed an appendectomy yesterday, has had frequent absences from the Yankees' lineup.
2003: Missed 42 games after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee May 27 to repair a tear of the medial meniscus.
2002: Received cortisone shots in both shoulders April 15. Missed three games.
2001: Missed 13 games because of his father's illness and death.
2000: Missed 19 games because of a strained rib cage.
1999: Missed three games with a stomach virus and one game with tendinitis in his left shoulder.
1998: Missed 31 games with a sprained right knee.
1997: Missed 33 games because of two trips to the DL, both with a strained left hamstring.
1996: Missed 19 games because of a strained left calf muscle.
1993: Missed 23 games because of a rib-cage injury.
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