Rivera blasts Yankees for treatment of Williams

	Mariano Rivera is seeking a two-year extension and, unlike his friend Bernie Williams, is likely to get it. Charles Sonnenblick/WireImage.com
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By Jon Heyman, SI.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- Bernie Williams isn't in Yankees camp. But whether he comes or not, it's obvious he's going to be an issue.

Mariano Rivera, the great Yankees closer who'd previously expressed dismay over the team's delay in extending his own contract, told SI.com on Tuesday that the Yankees should be treating Williams better.

Responding to a question about whether he's surprised that Williams didn't receive a guaranteed deal from the Yankees, Rivera responded, "Surprised? Yes ... I think Bernie shouldn't be treated that way. But who am I to say?''

Rivera had declined to discuss Williams' situation on Monday, when he expressed disappointment at having to wait to have his contract addressed, even though he had told the Yankees weeks ago that he was interested in staying beyond 2008. However, Rivera made it clear in an interview with SI.com how he feels about Williams' plight.

"Bernie should be here with his bat,'' Rivera said, emphatically. "He had a great year last year, and he helped us a lot. I guess that's the business side of baseball.''

Without regard to sentimentality, the Yankees made a calculated roster choice to have 12 pitchers and three first basemen and only extend a non-guarantee, non-roster minor-league invitation to Williams, a Yankees icon. However, they risked upsetting a few longtime teammates of Williams's, particularly since he had a fine 2006 season, hitting .281 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs.

While Williams has responded to questions regarding his situation in a circumspect manner, friends say he is very upset to be relegated to non-guaranteed and longshot status after having a terrific bounceback year in 2006. Asked how Williams is taking his plight, Jorge Posada said Tuesday, "What do you think about that?''

The problem is that some key Yankees decisionmakers feel that Williams is not equipped for a reserve role, saying that he's no longer above average defensively and that he couldn't excel as a pinch-hitter. Williams, though, did perform admirably as a backup last year, even while learning a new position, right field.

The Yankees also had to know that their decision could upset the very players who led them to four World Series titles, and on Tuesday, Rivera became the first to criticize the team for the call. The decision regarding Williams may also have caused Rivera to feel anxious about his own contractual situation.