George Steinbrenner dead!

[MSBNYY]

According to my sources, George Steinbrenner has died. His wikipedia page has already posted the death date, but no major news outlet reporting it yet. Stay tuned....

[CBC Guy]

wow balls that was fast.


this just broke on the wires.

No reports of him being dead yet.

Massive heart attack though and he is in critical condition.

[cactusjames]

Thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers.

[MSBNYY]

Sadly, ABC is confirming, and so is the NY Daily News.

Baseball lost one of the great ones today.

[rlm6370]

Love or hate him. Never doubt he wanted to win, all pro sports owners should emulate him in that aspect. To put the best product on the field and always strive to win a championship.

[MSBNYY]

I wrote this on facebook, so passing it along here as well:

Sometimes a death is so big that a facebook status alone can't really do the thoughts justice.

Obviously, George Steinbrenner wasn't family. So from a personal standpoint, while I remember him fondly, this isn't something I would cry over. I never get why people cry over celebrities. Friends and family is all that matters.

But that said, for a guy I never met, George Steinbrenner was responsible for a lot of great experiences in my life. For those that aren't big Yankee fans, here's a little history lesson.

From 1923-1962, the Yankees were by far, the best team in baseball. During that time, they won 20 championships. Just to put that into perspective, from 1903-2009, the team with the second most championships is 10.

The Yankees literally averaged a world championship every other year.

Part of the reason for the success was ownership. Jacob Ruppert and later Ed Barrow created a dynasty that was dedicated to winning. While they didn't have the free agency they had today, they must have had terrific scouting to find such guys like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and a lot more Hall of Famers.

But in 1964, the team was sold to CBS. The previous season, they won the pennant. This was a corporation that had no clue how to run a baseball team, and didn't know what to do about winning. In 1965, for the first time since 1918 (before Ruth was acquired), the Yankees had a losing record. In 1966, they finished in last place.

By 1972, CBS had completely run the team into the ground. Then in 1973, George Steinbrenner came and led a group that bought the team for $10 million. That was $1.8 million LESS than what CBS paid for it.

Steinbrenner had a football mentality. Unfortunately, he didn't have the skills to understand baseball talent. At first, his players kind of thought of him as a joke. But he was VERY demanding. Immediately, he brought in a good GM, Gabe Paul, and they embarked on a 5 year plan to return the team to its glory.

Steinbrenner was a pioneer and took advantage of a new labor arrangement called free agency. Before free agency, the only way to get a new player was through a trade or the minors. But with the new labor rules, Steinbrenner opened his wallet.

Steinbrenner was more than a guy trying to make money. Not that making money wasn't something he did, but that football mentality included a win at all costs attitude. I bet if he could have hired Vince Lombardi to manage the Yankees, he would have.

But that win at all costs attitude meant that he put his money where his mouth was and always went after the best talent.

He was hardly a perfect man. He was convicted of illegal campaign contributions to Nixon during the Watergate Era.

He also paid a guy to spy on Dave Winfield to dig up dirt on him, and was suspended for 2 years as a result.

But the man ALWAYS wanted to win.

Everyone WANTS to win, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to make it happen. Steinbrenner often personally went after the top free agents. He wanted the top managers and coaches, and wasn't very tolerant of mistakes.

That's why he fired a lot of people.

He made a LOT of mistakes in his day too. The early part of his time saw a revolving door of Yankee managers. He had a public feud with Yogi Berra that took 14 years to resolve.

But after his suspension in the early 1990s, he learned a valuable lesson. Other people have brains too, and that if you get the right people working for you, while giving them a big budget, you will get results.

A lot of people whine about Yankees buying championships. Those people WISH they had an owner like George Steinbrenner writing the checks. In pro sports, the only true legacy is the number of championships you win.

There are small market teams that take Steinbrenner's revenue sharing and pocket it. Steinbrenner took his money and put it right back into the team to make it better or keep it on top.

Sure, he got angry at times. If you had the highest payroll in baseball, and your team wasn't winning, you would be mad too. It took a few decades for NYers to get that, but once they did, Steinbrenner went from the most hated owner to the most loved owner in Yankee history.

During his tenure, the Yankees won 11 pennants and 7 world championships. THAT is a hell of a legacy.

The good news is that it seems that his sons will continue on in their father's tradition. They may not be blessed with all his skills, but they have that desire to win. It's showed in the last few years since they took over for the old man.

Steinbrenner had many faults, but there is no question that he is a legend, deserving of a monument in monument park, and deserving of a plaque in baseball's Hall of Fame.

The man was the best owner in sports history--bar none. As a fan, I appreciate that.

Some live at the Stadium memories that I probably owe to George Steinbrenner:

1. My first game at the Stadium in my life was started by the first big free agent signed by Steinbrenner--Catfish Hunter. Reggie Jackson played a role in a 9th inning comeback, and the game was won by a walkoff by Oscar Gamble.

2. I was in attendance at Dave Righetti's no-hitter in 1983.

3. What would the bleacher creatures be like without George Steinbrenner putting such a great team on the field? Would they even exist? Perhaps people who go all the time never would have ventured out there if not for the great teams we've seen. Not that they are fairweather fans, but that daily commitment is a lot more fun when you win. Some marriages came out of the bleachers.

4. 2003 Game 7 LCS--Aaron Boone--my favorite live game of all time.

5. 2009--Game 6, World Series. I saw my team clinch at home.

Obviously, there are more memories than that, but these are a few that pop up.

Perhaps it's fitting that long time Yankee PA Announcer Bob Sheppard passed away a few days earlier. In that great Stadium in the sky, you can almost hear the voice saying, "your attention please, now arriving, the boss, George Steinbrenner, the boss."

RIP Mr. Steinbrenner, and thank you.

[9]

Well said, Balls.

[Lindsey]

hahaha I just love the title of this thread for some reason. no like 'RIP Boss' or whatever, just like HE'S FUCKING DEAD!!!!