Ex-Star Homer Bush is a part of Yankees history

The great man sat at the end of the dugout, still the center of attention 47 years after he traversed the vast expanse of center field at Yankee Stadium.

Back in the locker room, the young backup infielder heard the news and made it his business to seek out the elder statesman. When they were introduced, the great man said, "Nice to meet you. Very nice to meet you."

It's not every day you get a personal audience with Joe DiMaggio. And it's not every day you are part of a group of players that may turn out to be the greatest baseball team ever assembled for a single season.

It's certainly not what Homer Bush envisioned, especially when there were times last year he'd sit in the home clubhouse at Cashman Field wondering where his baseball future was headed.

Now, he gets to play on a team that is 56 games over .500, a team that is running away with its division, a team that is shooting for the record of most wins in a single season (116 by the 1906 Chicago Cubs).

He gets to watch this first-hand, with "watch" being the operative word.

Bush would like to play more. But he knows his place and he knows he's onto a good thing.

After all, Joe DiMaggio doesn't hold court in the Florida Marlins' dugout.

"It's unbelievable," Bush said. "It's really unbelievable.

"I've never been on a team like this. It's not a matter of winning or losing, it's how we're going to win."

Bush has only 38 at-bats in 25 games (he's hitting .342) but does play an important role on the Yankee Express that is motoring to history. His role is to not make waves in the clubhouse, be ready when Joe Torre needs him and be a company guy.

"I'm like a church mouse," he said. "I just listen to what the guys say and stay out of their way.

"But they actually want me to talk more and feel like I'm part of it. But I know what my place is here."

He was an everyday player with the Las Vegas Stars, and when you're an everyday player, you develop a routine at the ballpark which keeps you physically sharp.

In New York, Bush has to be mentally prepared as well. He never knows when Torre will ask him to run for Darryl Strawberry or play defense for Chuck Knoblauch at second base.

"To tell you the truth, there's no pressure on me," he said. "I don't try to make the game any tougher than it is. If I get in, I just try and get my bat on the ball, or if I'm in the field, just make the plays."

Bush also has had to deal with the anxiety of never having control over his fate. Last year, his career was in limbo while the Yankees tried to complete a deal with San Diego to bring Hideki Irabu to New York.

Bush was supposed to be part of the deal. But as the negotiations dragged on, he lost some of his focus with the Stars. Finally, in late May 1997, the deal was made. Bush spent most of the remainder of the season at triple-A Columbus, though he appeared in 10 games with the Yankees.

It was nearly deja vu all over again last month. Bush once again was linked with Irabu, this time over a possible trade with Seattle for fireballing left-hander Randy Johnson.

"I was thinking, 'I'm gone,'" Bush said of the trade rumors that were nonstop late last month. "The front office told me there were 8-10 teams that were interested in me.

"But we've got some guys who have gimpy legs -- Strawberry, Tim Raines. Chili Davis is rehabbing. So I guess they needed to have someone around who can run."

Normally, someone in Bush's position would love the opportunity to go where he could play regularly, if not every day. But this hasn't been a normal season in the Bronx. When you're on a team that's this good, that has a great shot at landing a World Series ring, those aspirations of playing regularly can wait.

"You have to be confident and let your ability come out," Bush said. "When you see these guys on TV, you think, 'Man, they're great. They're perfect.' But you play alongside them and they're human. They strike out. They make errors.

"I'll always remember what (Stars manager) Jerry Royster told me in double-A and triple-A. He said, 'Just take advantage of it when you get your shot. Don't try to be perfect. Just do the little things well and help the team.'

"There are days where I'd like to play more, but I know my role and what it means to be on a team that's so special."

And to be special in New York, where fans can be so passionate, adds to the mix. They pull for the underdog in the Big Apple so when Bush gets into the game and makes a contribution, the fans love it.

"It's a great place to play," he said. "The fans have been real good to me. I had three hits against Detroit and they were chanting my name. It was a great feeling."

Just to hear Bob Sheppard, the legendary public address announcer at Yankee Stadium, call his name is a rush.

"Yeah, that's pretty cool now that I think about it," Bush said.

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