Posted on 07/13/2010 6:47:13 AM PDT by Haiku Guy
Fox News Crawl. Steinbrenner, who turned 80 on July 4, has suffered a massive heart attack. That is all.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
An apparently addled Steinbrenner, 77, repeatedly said, "Great to see ya," to nearly every question, no matter what was being asked by a longtime friend during a recent visit, according to an upcoming article in Condé Nast Portfolio magazine.
"I'm shocked," the friend, Tom McEwen, said later. "George doesn't even seem like the same person. I figured he might be in a bad way, but I never expected this."
Since purchasing the Bronx Bombers in 1973, Steinbrenner has made headlines and enemies because of his often mercurial management of the Yankees front office and his bombastic pro- nouncements.
In recent years, however, Steinbrenner has lost much of his thunder as his physical health and mental capacity has appeared to decline.
Last month, Post sports columnist Phil Mushnick wrote that, "All reasonable signs indicate that his dementia . . . is now so profound that he is being carefully hidden from public view."
Condé Nast Portfolio writer Franz Lidz's new story focuses on possible successors to the Boss, including eldest son Hank.
Lidz recently gained entry to George Steinbrenner's home in Tampa, Fla., by tagging along with McEwen, a wheelchair-bound former Tampa Tribune sports editor.
"A solitary figure emerges out of the shadows, limping towards us," wearing silk pajamas and a terry-cloth robe, Lidz writes.
"Great to see ya, Tommy," Steinbrenner says to McEwen.
Steinbrenner says "Great to see ya," each time McEwen, 84, asks about the Boss' wife, sons and daughters in separate questions.
Lidz writes that "he looks dreadful."
"His body is bloated; his jawline has slackened into a triple chin; his skin looks as if a dry-cleaner bag has been stretched over it . . . His features seem frozen in a permanent rictus of careworn disbelief."
After snarling at Lidz that the then-struggling Yankees will "come around," Steinbrenner ignores the writer's question about whom he wants to succeed him.
"A few minutes later, Steinbrenner starts repeating himself again. 'Great to see ya, Tommy,' he says in response to every question. 'Great to see ya.' "
Steinbrenner's spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, yesterday said the repetition "might be a defensive mechanism."
"He doesn't want to give any interviews, and it's better to say, 'It's great to see you,' as opposed to 'Get lost,' " Rubenstein said. "I think George is in a good way. And it isn't right for someone to come in under false pretenses."
RIP, George.
Or extremely sleepy
Bob Sheppard died on Sunday.
Now Steinbrenner is gone.
All Star game tonight.
Billy, you’re fired...
Per local news in Tampa, he died from a blood clot- not the heart attack as earlier reported.
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/sports/mlb/george-steinbrenner-071310
Wow.
That’s a disturbing story, but it doesn’t surprise me. A few years ago I noticed that Steinbrenner had largely disappeared from public view, and many of his comments on issues related to the Yankees that appeared in media reports were given in the form of “public statements” through the Yankee organization.
Wow.
Wow. Just stunning. He was a real classic. Will never forget him and his time with Billy.
A loss for the sporting world.
Rest in Peace George, and no fighting with Billy Martin in heaven!
Actually, Moneyball is the frugal approach to the game i.e. finding and signing undervalued players who outperform their peers.
May have previously suffered a mini-stroke.
RIP. Too bad he never followed through on the offer from Tyler Chicken to change the concession stands to chicken hot dogs, chicken twists and alcoholic chicken.
They can fire each other for the rest of eternity, lol!
Yes, coincidence is not wonderful in this case.
Steinbrenner reignited the Yankee franchise that Topping and Webb let slide before dumping it off on CBS. The Eye did nothing, he was the spark plug.
;-)
His first act in the after-life will be to fire Billy Martin...again.
Wonder if he’s now trying to manage the Yankees up there in heaven. Trying to imagine DiMaggio, Ruth, Rizzuto, Billy Martin, Gehrig, and the rest of the gang’s reaction to his showing up.
RIP, George. Not many people know of your kindness, especially to the people in and around Tampa.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.