Boss Surrenders His Post
It is too arrogant and presumptuous – qualities often associated with George Steinbrenner – to tell you what to think of the man the day he died. This is merely an opinion.
The praise will float like flowers from cloud to coffin. He was a great man, many of you will say.
Abraham Lincoln was a great man. John Basilone was a great man. Jonas Salk was a great man. George Steinbrenner does not fit in that montage. Yet he gave us much to consider.
Since he was a societal luminary, we nibble on the fruits of his conduct, some digesting it better than others.
If nothing else, he brought championships. America in general and New York in particular project misguided qualities on men because of results on a field of grass.
If nothing else, we can smile over the good time on his dime – Reggie's three shots on three pitches, the ball that dropped into Charlie Hayes's glove, Derek Jeter's November home run – and appreciate what George Steinbrenner did for New York.
He bought the Yankees for $10 million and turned them into a billion. Several billion, if you include the YES Network. And he gave the town jewelry, bragging rights, Yankee Pride In that sense, he got it.
Steinbrenner gave millions to charity and did not tell us about it. He is not the first wealthy man to do that, but it is noble nonetheless. Steinbrenner also fired managers and other personnel for contrived crimes. He was surly, emotional, and often overbearing. But he won. Winning cloaks many warts. We don't need his death to know that.
Professionally, Steinbrenner died when he collapsed at Otto Graham's funeral in 2003. The machine was already in place and his offspring, led by son Hal, have oiled it into another title in 2009. Steinbrenner often spoke in metaphors, telling us that it was time let "the young elephants" into the tent – meaning at least some of his young were being reared to assume the wheel.
The Deity operates in strange ways, indeed. A few days after Bob Sheppard, the bard of Yankee Stadium, died, Steinbrenner followed. Sheppard's voice soothed a city while his boss often chafed it.
Sheppard was over two decades into his job as the "Voice of God" when Steinbrenner bought the team. Sheppard called DiMaggio's last game and Mantle's first. Perhaps it is on the premise and precedent of those men that inspired Steinbrenner to purchase the most successful team in the history of baseball.
We can almost recite the comical missives he issued when he was in full fury over his team. We have the archives and the back-page fodder and Howie Spira. New York City also has six World Series titles by dint of his corporate will.
There are also those of you who are authentically and justifiably angered by the distorted matrix created by the fusion of the richest city, richest team, and most ravenous owner. But in a strict economic sense, he broke no rules when he broke the bank. In business vernacular, if greed is good, then Steinbrenner was great.
He never threw a pitch or hit a baseball, but he procured everyone in pinstripes who did. Penurious owners abound, and no doubt much of the rancor directed at Steinbrenner comes from them, their minions, and their fans, which is really veiled envy.
If you are a true sports fan who speaks in the collective – "We won six rings with the Boss" – then you know what that means. Steinbrenner was spawned by a shipping empire and used his coin wisely. He basically bought the Yanks during a glorified garage sale by CBS. The rest was his accomplishment.
As men become older and more sentimental we tend to forgive their transgressions. Maybe that is proper. It is our instinct and inclination to respect the dead. But it's also time to reflect on the deeds of the deceased.
Many see the Yankees in Larry Lucchino's context (Evil Empire), as the vortex of monstrous capitalism. Indeed, he made a lot of money. But he also spent it, largely on his product. There wasn't a free agent worth a darn who didn't get a whiff of Steinbrenner's wallet.
Steinbrenner often thanked the Yankees fans and the New York City after winning a championship. Frankly, I think he was sincere. Since he was from Cleveland, many wonder what would have become of the woeful Indians had he bought them instead of the Yankees. He didn't.
But George Steinbrenner did great things for the New York Yankees and, by default, their fans. He gave many a reason to smile.
Feel free to email me: Jakster1@mac.com
