It’s a sad day today for New York City, the Yankees and their fans as longtime majority owner George M. Steinbrenner passed away today after suffering a massive heart attack at the age of 80 years old. George was known as The Boss, something he certainly lived up to since 1973. The Boss brought back winning to the New York Yankees where they won 7 World Series Championships under The Boss’ ownership. Losing Bob Sheppard just the other day is very sad as well.
“Owning the Yankees is like owning the Mona Lisa"
“Winning is important to me. Breathing first, winning second”
The Boss was once asked what he wanted to be engraved on his tombstone and he said “He Never Stopped Trying”The Boss was suspended from Major League Baseball, twice, but brought back after each suspension. He hired and fired Billy Martin five times! I loved the Bronx Zoo years. The Boss forever changed baseball by paying free agents ridiculous money to come to the Yankees, starting with Sparky Lyle from the hated Boston Red Sox and World Series Champions from the Oakland A’s Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson. The Daily News would call him “Steingrabber.” The list went on and on. The Yankees won 103 games during the 1980 season under manager Dick Howser, one of their best seasons in their history. After the Yanks were swept 3-0 to the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series The Boss fired Howser. Nice! The team had an 18-year stretch without winning a World Series with some good years but no Series to show for it. The Boss taunted New York City and New Jersey politicians in an effort to get a new stadium built in the Bronx. He pulled the same act in the 1970s and finally the Yankees built the stadium for a cost of $1.6 billion. The Yankees should owe a lot to Gene Michael. He brought the team back to relevance in the 1990s by rebuilding the farm system, trading for players, signing quality free agents and bringing up homegrown talent. Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Pasada and Derek Jeter are all examples. Buck Showalter was fired as manager after bringing the team to the playoffs in 1995. Joe Torre was installed and the rest is history. The NYC newspapers called Torre “Clueless Joe” and “Joe Who?” as he was not a winning manager at the time. Steinbrenner tried to bring Showalter back as the fans were outraged. Fielding the best team money can buy certainly helps your managing legacy. During the 2000 World Series The Boss changed the furniture in the visiting clubhouse at Shea Stadium with Yankee gear. Who else would think of doing that and then do it? What would have happened if the deal for buying the Cleveland Indians (and of course then not the Yankees) went through? I’m a Met fan but will miss The Boss.
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