So long, Boss.This morning, after hearing that David Ortiz won the home run derby, beating out Nick Swisher. George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, died of a massive heart attack in his home.
I'm joking of course about the cause of death, and I apologize for that. It's hard to believe, but the boss of the Yankees organization since 1973 lives no more. His health has been in decline for several years now, and he recently turned over control of the organization to his eldest son, Hank. But still, the Yankees just won't be the same with him gone.
Just two days after long time Yankees public address announcer, Bob Sheppard, died at the age of 99, another longtime Yankee figure has died. It has certainly been a tough week for Yankee fans.
George Steinbrenner had a tumultuous and controversial history within the organization and throughout the sports world. His resume includes 7 World Series championships, from 1977-1978, 1996, 1998-2000, and 2009. But the methods by which he got these championships and his actions during his tenure are often seen as immoral or otherwise controversial. He had 23 managers in his time with the Yankees, the longest serving of whom was Joe Torre, from 1996-2007. Steinbrenner had a particularly adversarial relationship with Billy Martin, who he hired and fired 5 times during the late '70s and '80s.
The Boss also had a major hand in taking advantage of free agency and the lack of a salary cap in baseball. He is cited as a major reason why players are paid much more today than they were in the past, and in fact, more than most normal people are paid today. I imagine this had an influence on other sports, but he forced other teams to keep up with him somewhat and thus increased the average overall salary of MLB players significantly.
As a Red Sox fan, it's harder for me to feel bad about Steinbrenner's death than it is for me to feel bad about Sheppard's death. Sheppard was an announcer. He did his job with his voice, introducing players to the fans. He was known as the Voice of God in New York, and hearing your name announced by him was considered really making it in the big leagues. Steinbrenner was an owner, and a very aggressive one. He was an asshole to his managers and his players and he transformed baseball from the American pastime to a business of overpaid whiny bitch players who make more money than they could possibly ever need. The Boss, at least to me, represents most of what evil there is in this world. But as a person, I know, I didn't know him, and I hear that he was a nice guy and charitable and all. From 1990-1992, he was out of baseball for a "lifetime ban" which involved something involving digging dirt on Dave Winfield, one of his own players. But the ban was reduced to only a few years. Soon he was back, and within a few years he won a championship and started a short dynasty.
Of course, in the years from 1979-1995, Steinbrenner won exactly zero championships and yet these were the years of his most controversial actions. This was the era of wild manager firings and rehirings. George had a temper and couldn't accept failure. But by not giving managers a second chance, he did not allow the organization any stability. By the 1990's, I think George learned that this was not the way to do things, sticking with managers for longer and finally landing a winner in Joe Torre. It is said Steinbrenner was extremely tough, and unappreciative of everyone in the organization, including his son, Hank, who finally "did something" by winning a world series as owner. Of course, as I said, George was said to try to mend relationships he had trouble with and was charitable. There are positive and negative things about almost all people. No one is just one way or another. But truly, George was a polarizing figure.
The All-Star game is today. I was originally going to post an All-Star snubs team, but since George is stealing the headlines even in death, that hardly seems significant now. I'm sure there will be some sort of mention of George tonight, even though the game is in Anaheim, not New York. I don't understand why they say "massive heart attack" vs "regular heart attack." As if they are trying to make it seem more violent. I know it's not good to lie, but I think softening the truth would make it easier to swallow. Also, why is Pete Rose's lifetime ban not removed but Steinbrenner was so easily able to get back in? I guess it's because he's an owner. I don't know.
Overall, Steinbrenner's legacy is one of success but also of controversy. He won seven world series rings as owner, but it took 23 managers and an overhaul of baseball as a business (i.e. paying players a lot more and generally involving more money) to accomplish it. Yankees fans love him, but even they have their misgivings, I'm sure (some of them, at least). The rest of the sports world is jealous of his success or resents him for his actions. And, you may say that the rest of the league followed suit by paying players more and being more aggressive, but certainly he started the trend. Whether you love him or hate him, George Steinbrenner was undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the business of baseball in the sport's history.
I'm joking of course about the cause of death, and I apologize for that. It's hard to believe, but the boss of the Yankees organization since 1973 lives no more. His health has been in decline for several years now, and he recently turned over control of the organization to his eldest son, Hank. But still, the Yankees just won't be the same with him gone.
Just two days after long time Yankees public address announcer, Bob Sheppard, died at the age of 99, another longtime Yankee figure has died. It has certainly been a tough week for Yankee fans.
George Steinbrenner had a tumultuous and controversial history within the organization and throughout the sports world. His resume includes 7 World Series championships, from 1977-1978, 1996, 1998-2000, and 2009. But the methods by which he got these championships and his actions during his tenure are often seen as immoral or otherwise controversial. He had 23 managers in his time with the Yankees, the longest serving of whom was Joe Torre, from 1996-2007. Steinbrenner had a particularly adversarial relationship with Billy Martin, who he hired and fired 5 times during the late '70s and '80s.
The Boss also had a major hand in taking advantage of free agency and the lack of a salary cap in baseball. He is cited as a major reason why players are paid much more today than they were in the past, and in fact, more than most normal people are paid today. I imagine this had an influence on other sports, but he forced other teams to keep up with him somewhat and thus increased the average overall salary of MLB players significantly.
As a Red Sox fan, it's harder for me to feel bad about Steinbrenner's death than it is for me to feel bad about Sheppard's death. Sheppard was an announcer. He did his job with his voice, introducing players to the fans. He was known as the Voice of God in New York, and hearing your name announced by him was considered really making it in the big leagues. Steinbrenner was an owner, and a very aggressive one. He was an asshole to his managers and his players and he transformed baseball from the American pastime to a business of overpaid whiny bitch players who make more money than they could possibly ever need. The Boss, at least to me, represents most of what evil there is in this world. But as a person, I know, I didn't know him, and I hear that he was a nice guy and charitable and all. From 1990-1992, he was out of baseball for a "lifetime ban" which involved something involving digging dirt on Dave Winfield, one of his own players. But the ban was reduced to only a few years. Soon he was back, and within a few years he won a championship and started a short dynasty.
Of course, in the years from 1979-1995, Steinbrenner won exactly zero championships and yet these were the years of his most controversial actions. This was the era of wild manager firings and rehirings. George had a temper and couldn't accept failure. But by not giving managers a second chance, he did not allow the organization any stability. By the 1990's, I think George learned that this was not the way to do things, sticking with managers for longer and finally landing a winner in Joe Torre. It is said Steinbrenner was extremely tough, and unappreciative of everyone in the organization, including his son, Hank, who finally "did something" by winning a world series as owner. Of course, as I said, George was said to try to mend relationships he had trouble with and was charitable. There are positive and negative things about almost all people. No one is just one way or another. But truly, George was a polarizing figure.
The All-Star game is today. I was originally going to post an All-Star snubs team, but since George is stealing the headlines even in death, that hardly seems significant now. I'm sure there will be some sort of mention of George tonight, even though the game is in Anaheim, not New York. I don't understand why they say "massive heart attack" vs "regular heart attack." As if they are trying to make it seem more violent. I know it's not good to lie, but I think softening the truth would make it easier to swallow. Also, why is Pete Rose's lifetime ban not removed but Steinbrenner was so easily able to get back in? I guess it's because he's an owner. I don't know.
Overall, Steinbrenner's legacy is one of success but also of controversy. He won seven world series rings as owner, but it took 23 managers and an overhaul of baseball as a business (i.e. paying players a lot more and generally involving more money) to accomplish it. Yankees fans love him, but even they have their misgivings, I'm sure (some of them, at least). The rest of the sports world is jealous of his success or resents him for his actions. And, you may say that the rest of the league followed suit by paying players more and being more aggressive, but certainly he started the trend. Whether you love him or hate him, George Steinbrenner was undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the business of baseball in the sport's history.
