George Steinbrenner has passed today at the age of eighty. He was without a doubt the greatest owner in the history of sports. He took a moribund franchise from the clutches of the evil CBS empire and took them to championship after championship.
Now I know that most of you guys living in the boonies hate his guts for spending the money to make the Yankees great. He came up with the concept of the Yes Network that all of the successful franchises have copied. He did what any of us fans would do if we owned a team. Hire the manager. Fire the manager. Trade the players. Berate them if they don't produce. Praise them when they do great.
Steinbrenner was a tremendously charitable man. He financed the college education of many of the children of cops, fireman and military who died in the line of duty. His charity to the less fortunate is legendary but best of all he did it out of the public spotlight so that most people have no idea.
Best of all Steinbrenner was a True Yankee who believed in Yankee tradition. He would always put old Yankees on the payroll and bring them back for Spring Training and Old Timers games. He would always be good for a touch for a down on his luck Yankee. You always would see ex-Yankees around the team in one guise or another. He didn't trash Yankee history the way franchises like the Mets do. He was proud of the Yankees and what they had accomplished.
George Steinbrenner. A Great American. A Great Yankee. Rest in Peace.
5 comments:
You lauded my heroes so I'll laud yours.
RIP George Steinbrenner
Correct Trooper, around the rest of the country George Steinbrenner and the Yankees are the owner and team that everybody loves to hate. Blind jealousy and sour grapes.
Steinbrenner always kept the storied Yankees as just that, rich with tradition and lore that nobody else could beat...and that routine with Billy Martin, entertainment par excellence.
R.I.P. George Steinbrenner, you did one helluva job for New York baseball.
He would always put old Yankees on the payroll and bring them back for Spring Training and Old Timers games.
When nobody would give Strawberry a chance Mr Steinbrenner did.
I also liked how he asked the players to shave and keep a good trim as an example to the fans.
He was truly the last of a dying breed.
A true baseball hero. He changed baseball, and for the better.
You were lucky to have him as owner of the Yankees. We had Bud Selig as owner of the Brewers. Gaaack.
I never hated George. He took full advantage of New York being New York! What's wrong with that?
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