George Steinbrenner RIP

[PigDogg]

George Steinbrenner, principal owner of the New York Yankees
since 1973, has died in Tampa, Fla., at the age of 80, the
team announced. During an often tumultuous reign, he placed
his stamp on 7 World Series championship teams, 11 pennant
winners and a sporting world powerhouse valued at perhaps
$1.6 billion. Mr. Steinbrenner had been in failing health for
the past several years and had rarely appeared in public.

[Jake_Sully]

OMFG.

Truly a sad day the boss is dead.

[smuttleydfs]

Sad week for the Yankees...as much as I couldn't stand the way he manipulated the league like stonewalling against any salary caps he brought a lot to the table for the betterment of baseball

RIP

[mirimark]

Sad day.  George is a good bro.  
He has always struck me as a man that no matter what he decided to do He (George) would be the best.   Wether digging a ditch or FLipping Hamburgers.
I think he is a rare breed. A true Worker Bee (Soldier).  This beer is fer you George.  

[farangbah]

He certainly made some big mistakes, but who hasn't.

And he certainly left quite a legacy. I'm really glad he softened up toward the end, and I think a lot of people came around to ol' George.

R.I.P.

[TEXASMAC]

A good investment. His group paid Ten Million dollars for the Yankees and the stadium. He invested $168,000.00. He always wanted to WIN !!I will miss him.

[BlueBallz]

Yeah the Yanks are now worth and estimated $1.6 BILLION!!! If you are 30 or under, then you remember "The Boss" (Steinbrenner not Springsteen) one way. If you are in your 40's or over you remember him another way. He was bombastic, egotistical, tyrannical on one hand but extremely generous, kind hearted and a visionary.

BTW Smutts I KNOW the player's union will oppose a salary cap much more than any owner!!!!!

[TEXASMAC]

Who remembers him and the Richard Nixon escapade?

[Jake_Sully]

I was always a Joe Torre guy honestly.. and its sad he and George will never reconcile not that they ever should because what his sons did with Torre was an insult.

I guess unlike Yogi and George, this feud will not be burying the hatchet.

[BlueBallz]

Jake if it makes you feel any better Torre and The Boss did have a relationship the last two years. I think Torre had more of a beef with Cashman. Torre said he chatted with The Bss every once in a while and he said they chatted on The Boss' Bday-July 4th!

[Jake_Sully]

I didn't know that.

I did hear that Cashman and Torre were very close at one time and Cashman actually saved Torre's job after 2006 but in 2007 he couldn't but Torre felt Cashman threw him under the bus and came up with the insulting 1 year contract offer which was something he knew Torre would turn down.

I guess I can see a rift and ofcourse Kim Ng the former Cashman adjunctant snatched Torre away.

But in a way things happened the way they did for the best. I always detested the idea of Mattingly as manager. Yes I know he was a good player, but I never saw him as manager material. Girardi is a bit overaggressive and makes you scratch your head sometimes but he's won a ring so he made me shut up but I still prefer Torre's calm demeanor.

[blonde_havoc]

Steinbrenner was a complicated man for sure. But he really revolutionized the way an owner works with a team. The Yankees went from a NY also-ran in the 70s and 80s into a powerhouse in the 90s and 00s. I was listening to Seth Everett's ESPN show and he talked about growing up in NY in the 70s and 80s. Everyone was a Mets fan those days. Times have really changed! Everyone's a goddamned Yankees fan now.

Steinbrenner was also banned from baseball activities from 1990 to 1993 for attempting to dig up dirt on one of his player's charitable organizations. He's not without his warts, but his overall legacy in baseball is positive. It's hard to argue against that.

[Lefty]

(blonde_havoc @ Jul. 16 2010,12:14) Steinbrenner was a complicated man for sure. But he really revolutionized the way an owner works with a team. The Yankees went from a NY also-ran in the 70s and 80s into a powerhouse in the 90s and 00s. I was listening to Seth Everett's ESPN show and he talked about growing up in NY in the 70s and 80s. Everyone was a Mets fan those days. Times have really changed! Everyone's a goddamned Yankees fan now.

Steinbrenner was also banned from baseball activities from 1990 to 1993 for attempting to dig up dirt on one of his player's charitable organizations. He's not without his warts, but his overall legacy in baseball is positive. It's hard to argue against that.

The Yankees won back to back world series in '77 and '78. That doesn't sound like also rans to me. They also won AL pennants in '76 and '81.