On George Steinbrenner

Alex sent me over this great picture which I needed to post on the blog at some point. I figured there wasn't a better time than when we were all bitter about being back at work after a long holiday weekend that is supposed to mark the end of the summer.

I have not watched the Yankeeography of George Steinbrenner yet although I do have it DVR'ed. I'm very interested to see what they've done (knowing, of course, that because it's the YES Network, it's going to have an inherent bias).

While other fans may love him or hate him, Yankees fans should have nothing but love from The Boss. At one point in the 1980s, he ran the team into the ground, signing way to many guys that played the same position. But since his suspension in the early 90s, he's spent more money than any owner in sports and had more championships than any owner in sports.

True, he dictated that the team make some bad moves like signing Gary Sheffield over Vladamir Guerrero or his obsession with acquiring Randy Johnson or Hideki Irabu. And he could sometimes be a distraction to the team with his constant rants about the team and his meddling in team affairs (though his "Fat Toad" description of Hideki Irabu was great). He also had such a rough personality at times that loveable Yogi Berra refused to be part of the team.

But he was always about winning and there's no fan of the Yankees that should be upset with any part of that. He acquired the team for $2 million and has built an empire. Since 1994, they've made every playoffs except for last year. His teams are always competitive and he's willing to drop the extra penny to get the missing piece. And he's always been a big part of honoring the Yankees' history, bringing back old legends and relenting on his grudge with Yogi to bring him back to the Yankees.

Some may complain that's only because the Yankees play in a big market, but how many of the other owners stuff their pockets with George's revenue sharing money or are mutli-billionaires that try to save a few 100K on a player? Wouldn't you rather an owner that put the money back into the team?

The Boss hasn't been as much of a factor in recent years and some say he's been deteriorating mentally and physically. His sons Hank and Hal have taken over the team and the transition has been pretty seamless. But I'll miss the man when he's gone. He's been as important as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Joe Torre or Brian Cashman in building the Yankees into the franchise they are today. And hopefully one day there is a nice shiny plaque in Cooperstown to commemorate that.