(USA TODAY Sports Images)

Former Yankees outfielder and smooth-jazz guitarist Bernie Williams will formally retire from Major League Baseball in a ceremony at Yankee Stadium on Friday, because the Yankees simply do not have enough ceremonies.

Williams last played in the Majors in 2006, so his formal exit from the game is surprising only in that it hasn’t happened yet. Often, teams hold retirement ceremonies for longtime players who went elsewhere for short stints on the tail end of their career, allowing them to sign one-day contracts with the clubs they’re most closely associated with so they can “retire as a Blue Jay” or whatever.

But all cynicism aside, it’s nice to see the Yankees making moves to give Williams credit for his role in the team’s dynasty around the turn of the Millennium. For whatever reason, the Yankees love to laud the “Core 4” — Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada — but Williams was arguably just as valuable to his teams as Posada was and never left for two years in Houston like Pettitte did.

The Yankees will also retire Williams’ No. 51 on May 24, so it’s a good thing they can be sure he’s retiring first.