Former New York Yankees star Bernie Williams was a little nervous about playing the national anthem at the Little League World Series."I'm going to make my impression of Jimi Hendrix without lighting the guitar on fire," the outfielder-turned-professional guitarist joked Saturday before the U.S. championship game.Williams' music is a little more subdued. Retired from baseball since 2006, Williams' burgeoning music career is off to a great start with his single, "Go For It," having reached No. 1 on Billboard's Smooth Jazz chart."I'm a frustrated percussionist being from Puerto Rico," Williams said. "I incorporate all those rhythms in my guitar."Williams first picked up a guitar as a child. He attended a performing-arts high school, and kept music as a side hobby during his 16 seasons with the Yankees. The smooth-fielding switch-hitter retired with a .297 batting average and four World Series rings.The 40-year-old Williams said he was not aware of a federal appeals court ruling Aug. 26 that said investigators had no right to seize baseball's anonymous drug-testing results from 2003. The ruling means investigators are barred from accessing any names except for the 10 players listed on a 2004 search warrant.Williams said Major League Baseball has taken "great steps toward their ultimate goal of trying to clean up the game."I think performance-enhancing drugs has certainly made a mark on the history of the game whether we want to admit or not ... it's taken this far for Major League Baseball to take the steps it should have taken a long time ago to make sure that we're on a level playing field," Williams said.He also said he had not heard of Hall of Famer Jim Rice's comments earlier in the series critical of today's major leaguers. Rice specifically named Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, saying they didn't compare to players of his generation."I do think there's somewhat of a responsibility for professional players. Whether we like it or not, we get looked up to," he said. "It would be nice to set a good example."Williams played Little League starting at age 8, a shortstop before moving to the outfield.___HAIL TO THE VEEP: Vice President Joe Biden plans to attend the Little League World Series on Sunday, when he is enshrined into Little League's Hall of Excellence.The White House gave Little League the heads-up Friday night. Little League announced before the series it was honoring Biden. Because of security, fans wishing to watch the ceremony must be seated an hour before the game's 2 p.m. start.The vice president grew up in Scranton and played in the Green Ridge Little League, about 100 miles east of Little League's South Williamsport headquarters.New York Rangers center Chris Drury will also be enshrined into the Little League hall. Drury was the winning pitcher in the title game for the Trumbull, Conn., team that took the title 20 years ago.___FRANKLY SPEAKING: Tommy Franks, once a Little Leaguer back in Texas, made his first visit to the World Series.Franks was commander in chief of the U.S. Central Command when the United States began military action in Afghanistan in 2001 and invaded Iraq in 2003. He retired in 2003.No military talk though on Saturday when he was to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the U.S. title game.Franks fondly remembered his days playing Little League as a catcher in Midland, Texas, in 1956-57. He joined his wife and two friends in the stands to take in the international game between Mexico and Taiwan.Franks said he didn't have "a lot of natural skill" and played two years before "I found girls and football."
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