George Steinbrenner Definitely “One of a Kind”
By: Alex Reimer
George Steinbrenner was a walking paradox. He is credited with developing the YES Network, and building the Yankee brand into the revenue conglomerate that it is today. However, before he forayed into baseball, Steinbrenner was credited with running his father’s shipping business into the ground.
Steinbrenner presided over the Yankee Dynasty of the late 1990’s, resulting in 4 championships. He produced 7 titles in 37 years of ownership. Steinbrenner also presided over arguably the most downtrodden years in Yankees’ franchise history, the 1980’s and early 1990’s.
Steinbrenner hired members of illegal criminal organizations to “dig up dirt” on Dave Winfield, after Winfield sued him for failing to pay Winfield’s foundation the $300,000 guaranteed in his contract.
That resulted in George’s second ban from baseball. The first came after it was revealed Steinbrenner had made illegal contributions to Richard Nixon’s 1972 presidential campaign.
But in the late 1970’s with Reggie Jackson and in the late 1990’s, there arguably wasn’t a more polarizing figure in the sport. Not every owner gets his or her own character on Seinfeld.
There was the “Big Stein” side of George, which fed the media with enough compelling quotes to fill several stories. There was also the side of George that terrorized and tortured Yankee employees, from Front Office personnel to valet parking attendants.
He was a regular donator to the Jimmy Fund here in Boston and personally sent flowers to pitcher Jon Lester when he was recovering from cancer. Steinbrenner also pushed and bullied many, including Yogi Bera, who refused to step inside of Yankee Stadium for years.
With George Steinbrenner’s passing at the age of 80 today, there will be a lot of revisionist history. It’s an American tradition. When somebody dies, you never bring up his or her flaws.
But Steinbrenner had flaws. Prior to his return from his 2nd suspension in 1993, George Steinbrenner was Dan Snyder, Jerry Jones, and to a lesser extent Peter Angelos. He was the classic “deep pockets” owner who took over day-to-day operations of the club and failed miserably. He was never afraid to throw around money, but often threw it around at the wrong targets.
That practice of handing out poor contracts continued into the mid-2000’s, where the Yankees signed Jason Giambi, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, and others on the free agent market.
It was Gene Michael who built up the Yankees’ farm system in the early 90’s, by drafting Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and the rest of that Yankee core. These guys were allowed to develop and everybody was allowed to breath without Steinbrenner around.
But through his warts, one thing was for certain. George Steinbrenner always wanted to win. He cared deeply about delivering a quality product to his fan base. As a fan, one knew his heart was always in the right place in regards to his intentions with the team.
Compared to the other extreme, apathy, Steinbrenner’s style should be lauded. What’s the purpose of buying a professional sports franchise if you’re not going to try to win? If you just want to make money, then stay on the board of executives of your exporting company, or whatever you do.
Another thing that’s for certain is that George Steinbrenner simply made baseball more interesting. He was a larger than life figure, the head of the “Evil Empire.” Cursing out Hank and Hal just isn’t as fun. Their father was the perfect villain.
The Red Sox and Yankees rivalry will not be the same with George’s involvement. Players came and went, but Steinbrenner was forever. He was a character.
Ultimately, that’s exactly what George Steinbrenner was. A character. Some good and some bad went with that. But another thing that’s for certain is this. They don’t make’em like George Steinbrenner anymore.
Alex Reimer is the host of the Red Sox podcast, “Without a Curse.” “Without a Curse” is available on both www.thesportsstuff.com and in the iTunes store. Alex is also the host of “The Alex Reimer Show,” which airs every Saturday from 4-6 PM EST on 1120 AM WBNW Boston and www.moneymattersradio.net. Alex can be reached at, Alexredsox076@aol.com.
