Bernie Williams' mother is praying he can handle being rejected by the Yankees and accept that he likely has played his last game in pinstripes."He understands the situation," Rufina Williams told the Daily News yesterday from her home outside San Juan. "I'm just praying he will be at peace with it."
The spring training standoff between the Yankees and their longtime star apparently came to an end this week, with Williams' agent declaring that the popular veteran would not report to camp if he had to play his way onto the roster.
Williams' relatives in Puerto Rico said the Yankees' decision to not offer him a guaranteed contract caused him great heartache. But they said they're still hoping he can somehow play one more season in the Bronx.
"If he knows he can't play any more, he would just walk away," said Williams' uncle Jedan Figueroa, 73, who has a framed autographed poster of his nephew in his living room in Barrio Maricao, where Williams grew up. "But he knows he can still play."
