What has not been said by every beat writer for MLB or baseball lifer about the late George Steinbrenner who passed away yesterday following a heart attack?
As a fan, he was the guy we all hated. His suspension from baseball in the early 90's was probably the best thing to happen to the New York Yankees because for the first time, real baseball people were in charge in Gene "Stick" Michael and Buck Showalter.
It was hard being a fan in the 80's when the Yankees had the best win-loss record but never made it to the post-season after its 1981 World Series debacle against the LA Dodgers. But in the 90's, there was an air of hope. I was a huge Bernie Williams fan then. And to see the club joined by a pair of great hitters in Paul O'Niell and Wade Boggs who came in from the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox respectively. When Steinbrenner came back, I cringed. Would he meddle once more? Don't be naive. It was a matter of time.
I didn't like the Boss (after all, who did) more so after he fired and made life miserable for Billy Martin who he hired and fired five times. Martin was one of my all-time favorite Yankees. There are few who were born to be a Yankee and Billy Martin was one of them. Steinbrenner made peace with Martin right before the latter's death in 1989 and it also prompted a reconciliation with Winfield with whom he feuded for some time.
Following the loss to the Seattle Mariners in the AL East Wild Cards, I had a feeling that it was the end of the road for longtime icon Don Mattingly. Incredibly, Michael and Showalter were gone the following year. I recall that it was new GM Bob Watson who introduced Joe Torre to the media as the new Yankee skipper.
But the Yankees were winning and once more he couldn't wait to build another all-star team. Incredibly, he forgot that his World Series champions of the 70's had some great players who came up from the draft and the system. He added the first of the free agents back then with Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, and Goose Gossage. When he began to add more all-stars that's when the team imploded. Sure I was a fan of Dave Winfield when he was with the San Diego Padres but he was a high-priced free agent as compared to the "homegrown" Mattingly. And for sure, I was a fan of the players they brought in none more than Steve Sax out of the Dodgers and the Oakland A's speedy Rickey Henderson.
The Yanks floundered when they brought in Jason Giambi, Jose Contreras, the Big Unit, and Kevin Brown to name a few. You could feel the Boss' imprint all over those deals. And when he was labeled as the Emperor of the Evil Empire that is New York -- apt but utterly hilarious! After what seemed an eternity of post-season failures, then they got their groove back and won last year. It was a repeat of a feat when the Yankees won a title in the first year of their new house.
I will not deny that Steinbrenner made the Yankees winners once more. How much is the club worth now -- over a billion? And to think the skinflint paid less than $9 million when he purchased the team from CBS.
Could the team have won more titles had he not interfered periodically with his managers? Of course. Would they have won without Steinbrenner? Sure but probably not as much too.
The Boss may be a lot of things but who isn't? He is as synonymous with those all-time Yankee greats such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Donnie Baseball, and Warrior O'Niell.
When asked what he'd like to be inscripted on his tombstone, the Boss didn't mince his words: "He never stopped trying."
Actually, he never stopped winning.
Thanks, Mr. Steinbrenner. From a devout New York Yankee fan. Rest in peace.
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