New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams still remembers well his two seasons with the Albany-Colonie Yankees in 1989 and 1990.
He recalls the passion that local fans brought to home games at Heritage Park and bonding on bus rides with teammates such as Gerald Williams, Hensley Meulens, Andy Stankowicz and Steve Adkins—traveling to places as far away as Canton, Ohio, and Hagerstown, Md. He remembers pouring endless hours into honing his skills on the diamond and wondering if he’d ever get a call-up to the big leagues.
The Albany-Colonie Yankees ceased operations in 1994, and Heritage Park, which was once near Albany International Airport, was torn down in 2009. Still, years later, Williams speaks fondly of his time with the organization’s Double-A affiliate, where he turned 21, learned to be a professional and spent his nights in hotel rooms strumming his guitar…