Baseball, beats, and Bernie Williams

Today's New York Times has an interesting article on pro ballplayers who were/are also pro musicplayers.   Musicians, we mean.  Musicplayers are what, like music boxes? Anyway, it's prompted by a new book by former Yankee center fielder, and smooth jazz guitarist, Bernie Williams.

We give this article bonus points for siting our favorite baseball/music crossover of all time:

"The Marx Brothers, in  “A Night at the Opera,” produced perhaps the greatest intersection of baseball and music: the overture to Verdi’s “Trovatore” slides into “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at measure 35, inspiring Chico and Harpo to leap up in the pit for a game of catch and Groucho to hawk peanuts down the aisle."

If you haven't seen "A Night at the Opera," track it down.  Probably a better use of your time than buying Bernie's album (no offense Bernie, but smooth jazz?).