ESPN- George Steinbrenner, who rebuilt the New York Yankees into a sports empire with a mix of bluster and big bucks that polarized fans all across America, died Tuesday. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday July 4. Steinbrenner had a heart attack, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Fla., and died at about 6:30 a.m. ET, according to multiple reports.
There's just not much to say on this other then the New York Yankees lost one of its greatest individuals this morning- player, manager, or front office person.
Many people close with sports, and especially baseball would say George Steinbrenner was a loud mouth owner who felt he could make his prescence known simply because he was shelling out the bucks. For many years the Boss was considered the Darth Vader of Major League Baseball, constructing his Yankee teams like a conquering death star, while all along the way feuding with some of his high profile players and managers much to the dismay of the Yankee fan base, as well as sports fans all around the country.
While Mr. Steinbrenner was infamous for making "appearances" at the Yanks game's when the club was not playing well, it was his way of saying "Things better turn around, because nobody's job is safe." His sheer presence made players, managers, and front office people sweat bullets because the bottom line was George was the boss and the only thing he wanted to do was win championships.
Mr. Steinbrenner's love for his team, and his immense desire to win is what manifested his legend as a championship driven owner and an icon at that. During his legacy he also brought the Yankees back to the prominent franchise they had become in the 20's-60's, but had lacked in greatness at the time he purchased the team in 1973.
To say he was hated by some would be an understatement, but that is because he would do anything and everything to make sure the Yankees were on a winning track. His ends justified his means and that is evident in the fact that his initial purchase of the Yankees was 8.7 million. He died knowing he turned this team back into a prestigious winner as well as a multi billion dollar franchise. For that, George Stienbrenner should be considered a hero and a legendary figure amongst the Yankees most historically great "immortals."
As a die hard Yankee fan for all my life, I cannot begin to imagine what I would say to George if I got the chance to meet him. It would be something like "dude, without your crazy antics no chance we have 15 playoff appearances, 7 World Series visits and 5 rings at least since I have been a fan." I would be shaking his hand violently and he would be like "kid get off me I need to go fire some people, we're only 20 games over .500 and I want the Red Sox to be choking on their own dicks." Well, I dunno if that vulgarity is just a product of me fantasizing about meeting my favorite sports owner but i'm sure he's said way worse shit about people before on his way to the top of baseball lore. This is a sad day, but also a time to remember a man who single-handedly grabbed a team that was hanging by a thread and weaved them back into an unstoppable winner that is now constructed like a steel chain.
The core 4 of Jeter, Pettitte, Mo, and Jorge will go down as one of the greatest groups to play during the 90's-2000's in Yankee History-there's absoltuely no question. But, to a fan who grew up on the antics of Stienbrenner and his viscous hunger for winning, how can we say as baseball fans that he was not just as intricate to the team's success as the winning athletes he put on the field for us fans to see game in and game out.
"Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing," Steinbrenner was fond of saying. "Breathing first, winning next."
RIP "The Boss"
-Dbl-A
No comments:
Post a Comment