Posted on 07/13/2010 6:47:13 AM PDT by Haiku Guy
RIP.
Yes, Steinbrenner spent generously and lavishly. The players and fans loved him, but the Yankees aren't the only team in baseball.
Steinbrenner's spending habits is one symptom of what is wrong with MLB. Salaries are into the stratosphere even for mediocre players. You would be hard-put to find a better era in baseball in the 1960's in large part because the Yankees got neutered by the later half of that glorious decade and nearly everyone was a contender.
May he rest in peace, but, he was belligerent and antagonistic to his own employees. He summarily fired lower level Yankee employees for minor infractions. He acknowledged that he ruled through fear.
If he loved New York so much, why did he move the team offices to Tampa, Florida? Is any other team run from another city like the Yankees are?
He was suspended from baseball twice.
He may have been somewhat unstable, as he broke his hand in Dodger Stadium in an alleged fight with Dodger fans. More likely he punched the wall in anger and did himself in with that incident. Of course he got angry all the time, because that’s the type of personality he was. Yes he wanted to win and re-built the Yankees brand, but he was apparently a very mean-spirited person.
For all the good he did behind scenes, which he deserves credit for, his public record of ownership leaves him a very mixed legacy.
My guess would be tax avoidance, both income and estate taxes. Ohio's scumbag liberal Senator Howie Metzenbaum became a Floridian shortly before his death exactly for that reason.
I told that story precisely because it is NOT part of "his public record."
BTW, the player I spoke of was Mickey Rivers.
Steinbrenner’s life and work ethic screams of conservatism.
So I’m not surprised some would hate him.
The man that is almost totally responsible for the obscene wages that baseball lavishes on their players. Each and every player from the beginning of Steinbrenner’s ownership needs to build a memorial to his passing. If I were the player’s union I would require all baseball uniforms to have a silhouette of George on every uniform in perpetuity.In short, the players should treat the Steinbrenner family like gods
Berra released a statement today with his wife about Steinbrenner:
“This is a very sad day for me and Carmen and all of baseball. My sympathies go out to the Steinbrenner family.
George was The Boss, make no mistake. He built the Yankees into champions and that’s something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.”
Mr. Cushman : Ah, Mr. Steinbrenner, sir. There’s someone here I’d like you to meet. This is Mr. Costanza. He’s one of the applicants.
Mr. Steinbrenner : Nice to meet you.
George : Well, I wish I could say the same, but I must say, with all due respect, I find it very hard to see the logic behind some of the moves you have made with this fine organization. In the past twenty years you have caused myself, and the city of New York, a good deal of distress, as we have watched you take our beloved Yankees and reduced them to a laughing stock, all for the glorification of your massive ego!
Mr. Steinbrenner : Hire this man!
Gave millions to charity. Helped a former Olympic star with his medical education when his father died - after just reading the story in the paper.
Some didn’t like the new standard of his - because now they had to live up to it in order to be competitive. Some took the challenge and some continued to whine and complain.
Nothing new under the sun.
I wouldn't say anyone spoke about hating him. They were just obviously on edge when he was at the Stadium. They would always let me know if he was there. (I didn't work for the Yankees. I worked for the company responsible for the scoreboards there.) You should recall that this was around the time when he was repeatedly hiring and firing Billy Martin.
ML/NJ
RIP, Mr Steinbrenner
Hope you’ve drawn a winner on the other side, too.
Sorry, didn’t mean to imply you said it - but it REMINDED me of how many loved to throw cold water on his success by saying he drove some/all hard - as if it were a bad thing.
I could understand them telling you ‘the boss is here’ and the ‘on edge’ feeling.
What a great job you had and, now, memories to share.
RIP George - thanks for home run, Did it My Way, life story.
http://www.nycpba.org/publications/mag-04-summer/shield.html
And then later they dubbed the commercial to say "Billy, you're hired."
"Not again!"
I'm sure Billy and George are catching up with each other right now.
He was also a big booster for the University of Florida.
Amazing how a few World Series titles can change everything. It's a classic "Rise and Fall and Rise Again" story.
THANK YOU! Yes, Yoggi and George were friends despite past differences. It shows their character is bigger than any ‘I’m right’ pride problem, IMO.
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