(July 4, 1930 – July 13, 2010)
As a Red Sox fan, I see this man as a man that was always despised in his life. Since 1973 when he bought the team, he won 7 World Series titles. That is 7/36 (he was kicked out of the league for over a year on 2 separate occasions and he hasn't really been around for the last few years). But even without the adjustments, that puts him right around the Mendoza line--except instead of a batting average, we're talking about his percentage of winning the World Series in a given year he owned the Yankees! Bucky Dent? Screw that, I think we should be saying George BLEEPIN Steinbrenner.
In his death, even as Sox fans we need to reflect and recognize that he brought some pizazz to the Sox/Yanks rivalry. It has been very strong for the last 10 or 15 years (some will deny that the flame ever burns out, but when they both suck for a season or two, it will go back into hibernation).
Back in the late 1990s when Pedro was trying to drag Boston over the hump on his own thin wiry back, the rivalry was ugly and very heated indeed. I lived in Salem, about 20 miles or so north--close enough that during certain years, I went to Fenway quite often. One year I probably went to 20 games--we had a plan to beat the scalpers.
It was simple really--we would get in town and have a beer at the Uno's on the corner of Kenmore Square and watch the start, first inning or so.Then, you head up the street and without having to divert your path, you bump into a scalper dying to get something for whatever seats he had. Often better seats than I could have reasonably afforded a mere hour earlier were now greatly reduced by a highly motivated seller.
I saw many games from these good 'cheap seats' but when I think of that year, I think of the game we got burned doing that. It was a Martinez-Mussina matchup (both in their prime--sizzling hot) and upon leaving Uno's we saw only a handful of hapless guys pathetically walking around the park waving cardboard signs at each other reading 'need 1 ticket..anywhere' to each other. It was disappointing, but that was probably the only game that year our plan didn't work--which should say something about how strong the Yankees had become as a draw.
He was the Al Davis of baseball--THE BOSS and not a guy you wanted to piss off. He turned a sucky Yankees club into a pressure cooker with enough gusto to produce diamonds like Mr October and Jeter. Pains me to say it, but you can't argue with that. Go Sox, I will say, All The Way, but a part of me realizes that without Steinbrenner banging his drum, the rivalry is nowhere near this crazy for all these years.
George did a lot win that little team he bought for $8.8mm and a couple of NYC parking lots--he will be missed.
ps, Don't forget that BobSheppard just passed two days ago at 90--a sad month for the Yankees.
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