George Steinbrenner is dead

[Gary]

First the "Voice of God", and now "God". according to some.

So would this make Hank Jesus?

RIP George

[BadSeed84]

I hate the yankees. But R.I.P. George Steinbrenner, gotta respect what he did.

[MC Buffalo]

I hate the yankees. But R.I.P. George Steinbrenner, gotta respect what he did.

I know that anytime someone passes away, the tendency is to focus only on the good, and I understand and respect that.

However as someone who grew up mostly rooting for the Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates I don't think anyone's "gotta respect what he did".

He used the huge advantage of having a team in the best market for revenue to try and dominate the free agency market. Unlike any other sport the disparity between the "haves" and "have nots" is huge in Baseball. I know it's not just the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Angels and a sprinkling of other teams also have payrolls that are in the Yankee stratosphere, but how many Royals and Pirates fans truly begin spring training with the hope that "this is our year". How long before the Royals Zack Greinke signs with a major market team?

I think you'll find the majority of fans of the Royals, Pirates, Brewers, and the other Major League Development League teams are probably not shedding many tears at the passing of George.

Now, having said that, I do truly feel bad for his family, his extended Yankee family, his community in Tampa (where he does do terrific work), and all of Yankee Fan Nation who have benfitted from his dedication to the Yankees these past 40ish years.

It's always sad when someone passes, but it would be nice to see comments that were rooted somewhat in reality rather than just praising him for being "a God".

[DPV713]

Wow, I'm shocked. This was really shocking. We have truly lost a living legend.

R.I.P. George Steinbrunner

[Cujo]

From a business standpoint, I'll give Steinbrenner a massive amount of credit for turning the Yankees into an absolute money making machine. The 'interlocking NY' is a worldwide symbol of excellence because of that man.

But I believe his (over)spending killed most people's enthusiasm about Major League Baseball. Just take a look at how many teams are in the gutter because they weren't able to keep up with The Bo$$'s payroll.... Their demise is one of the reasons why the NFL has replaced baseball as America's national pastime.

[Gary]

From a business standpoint, I'll give Steinbrenner a massive amount of credit for turning the Yankees into a money making machine. The 'interlocking NY' is a worldwide symbol of excellence because of that man.

But his (over)spending killed most people's enthusiasm over Major League Baseball. Just take a look at how many teams are in the gutter because they weren't able to keep up with the Bo$$'s payroll.... Their demise is one of the reasons why the NFL has replaced baseball as America's national pastime.

Agreed, I think he is one of many reasons why baseball needs a structured salary system that works instead of one team grabbing the biggest free agents before anyone can breath, he was a great businessman, but that's it. Championships or no, the man really didn't matter to me

[JayJaxon]

I feel for his family and if he did contribute to charities then that is a good thing. But what gdffl86 said is true and I'm glad someone had the balls to say it. No payroll was too high and no championship too expensive. Without getting too much into it, that is what I will remember Steinbrenner for.

[CDixonDesign]

A good point made earlier on sports radio I heard, atleast Steinbrenner put the millions of dollars he earned BACK into the game, instead of keeping it himself. I was shocked to find out that he's even given to many Red Sox charities as well. For those that say he crippled other teams, eh, every one of those teams benefitted from the luxury tax he forked out,

[Gothamite]

True enough. The Pirates get enough in revenue sharing to cover 75% of their major league payroll. That's without selling one single ticket, cap or pierogi.

You can't blame the Yankees, or the Red Sox, or the Mets, or any of the others for following the rules as they exist.

Unlike people like Carl Pohlad, who cried poor while pocketing the team's money himself, Steinbrenner put the profits back into the team. He never paid dividends to his shareholders.

Should MLB have a hard salary cap? Of course. But until it does, all owners should do what Steinbrenner did.

[Seadragon76]

People today may remember him for his tireless work on turning what was once a sleeping giant into a fully unleashed behemoth that not only got the best players, but they won championships. Yes, the small markets would look at the Yankees as a bane to their exsistance, but the man lived up to his words... 'Breathing comes first, then comes winning' (Or something along those lines. Can someone clarify it for me?)

RIP Boss... I may dislike the Yankees and the team can change and players may leave, but there will never be another Boss.

[BBTV]

I hate the yankees. But R.I.P. George Steinbrenner, gotta respect what he did.

I know that anytime someone passes away, the tendency is to focus only on the good, and I understand and respect that.

However as someone who grew up mostly rooting for the Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates I don't think anyone's "gotta respect what he did".

He used the huge advantage of having a team in the best market for revenue to try and dominate the free agency market. Unlike any other sport the disparity between the "haves" and "have nots" is huge in Baseball. I know it's not just the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Angels and a sprinkling of other teams also have payrolls that are in the Yankee stratosphere, but how many Royals and Pirates fans truly begin spring training with the hope that "this is our year". How long before the Royals Zack Greinke signs with a major market team?

I think you'll find the majority of fans of the Royals, Pirates, Brewers, and the other Major League Development League teams are probably not shedding many tears at the passing of George.

Now, having said that, I do truly feel bad for his family, his extended Yankee family, his community in Tampa (where he does do terrific work), and all of Yankee Fan Nation who have benfitted from his dedication to the Yankees these past 40ish years.

It's always sad when someone passes, but it would be nice to see comments that were rooted somewhat in reality rather than just praising him for being "a God".

So what, he should have just pocketed billions and allowed other teams to sign players that could improve his team? That's silly. The old phrase "don't hate the player, hate the game" works here. It is true that he had a huge advantage by being in the largest media market, but what should he have done? If there isn't going to be a cap imposed by the league via the CBA, then should he just watch players leave his club because he feels a moral obligation not to pay them what they're worth to him?

You act like his death is going to change anything, because he was the bad guy that invented spending money. George Steinbrenner is not the reason why those clubs you mentioned are in the position that they're in. He alone cannot stop the other owners from binding together to come up with a revenue-sharing plan and shut down the sport for a year in order to win a cap in the CBA. If anything, he was subsidizing those teams via the luxury tax.

[Shmee]

I think you'll find the majority of fans of the Royals, Pirates, Brewers, and the other Major League Development League teams are probably not shedding many tears at the passing of George.

Not to derail from Steinbrenner's passing anymore, but I hate this kind of ignorance. The plights of these woebegone franchises are just as much (if not more) due to their own spendthrift owners than they are any other cause. The teams you've listed here don't even belong in the same group together. Milwaukee's payroll this year is ~$81 million, more than the Rays, Reds, and Rangers. The Reds and Rangers are both division leaders, and the Rays are the second best team in the majors. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's team payroll clocks in at a pitiful $35 million. To put that in perspective, the Penguins are dishing out and additional $21 million in team salary for the coming year. I don't care what city you're in- if the hockey team outspends the baseball team, it's your own fault. If the Pirates' owner would invest the insane amounts of luxury tax he has collected from Steinbrenner over the years into the team in addition to some of his own funds, that team would have no problem being competitive. Or, you know, sell the thing to Lemieux like Super Mario has inquired about.

Now, that said, I am fiercely pro-Steinbrenner. No other sports owner has ever been so strongly committed to winning. Like I have talked about in other threads (see: the airline one) I believe that the key to a successful business is making your customers happy. George did that better than anyone else. His steadfast refusal to field anything less than a championship-capable team every season has made the Yankees the most valuable baseball property in the world.

[BBTV]

I think you'll find the majority of fans of the Royals, Pirates, Brewers, and the other Major League Development League teams are probably not shedding many tears at the passing of George.

Not to derail from Steinbrenner's passing anymore, but I hate this kind of ignorance. The plights of these woebegone franchises are just as much (if not more) due to their own spendthrift owners than they are any other cause. The teams you've listed here don't even belong in the same group together. Milwaukee's payroll this year is ~$81 million, more than the Rays, Reds, and Rangers. The Reds and Rangers are both division leaders, and the Rays are the second best team in the majors. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's team payroll clocks in at a pitiful $35 million. To put that in perspective, the Penguins are dishing out and additional $21 million in team salary for the coming year. I don't care what city you're in- if the hockey team outspends the baseball team, it's your own fault. If the Pirates' owner would invest the insane amounts of luxury tax he has collected from Steinbrenner over the years into the team in addition to some of his own funds, that team would have no problem being competitive.

Now, that said, I am fiercely pro-Steinbrenner. No other sports owner has ever been so strongly committed to winning. Like I have talked about in other threads (see: the airline one) I believe that the key to a successful business is making your customers happy. George did that better than anyone else. His steadfast refusal to field anything less than a championship-capable team every season has made the Yankees the most valuable baseball property in the world.

Let's not forget about what a laughing stock the Yankees were in the early '90s. They didn't win a division title between 1982 and 1996, and had the worst record in the AL in 89 or 90. When I was really getting in to baseball, they were considered a total joke.

[Shmee]

Let's not forget about what a laughing stock the Yankees were in the early '90s. They didn't win a division title between 1982 and 1996, and had the worst record in the AL in 89 or 90. When I was really getting in to baseball, they were considered a total joke.

Fair enough, though I'll note that it wasn't for lack of trying on Steinbrenner's part. The guys were there, they just weren't producing at the level management had hoped. I also grew up in the 1990s and my first big Yankee memory is the 1996 World Series. The embarrassingly bad stretch before that is not something I grew up with.

[Gothamite]

Let's not forget about what a laughing stock the Yankees were in the early '90s. They didn't win a division title between 1982 and 1996, and had the worst record in the AL in 89 or 90. When I was really getting in to baseball, they were considered a total joke.

Fair enough, though I'll note that it wasn't for lack of trying on Steinbrenner's part. The guys were there, they just weren't producing at the level management had hoped. I also grew up in the 1990s and my first big Yankee memory is the 1996 World Series. The embarrassingly bad stretch before that is not something I grew up with.

True enough, and Steinbrenner was a very active owner in trying to pull out of that particular tailspin. How many managers did they have during that period?

Steinbrenner didn't always win, but he always actively tried to win first and foremost. Higher even than making money. You can't say that about a lot of other MLB owners.

[slapshot]

Steinbrenner's charitable donations are to be commended. He would call every year during the Red Sox' annual charity drive (it may have been the HotDog Safari, not sure, but it was related to the Jimmy fund). He would donate every year, and the Red Sox ownership would do the same for the Yankees.

Absolutely a huge influence over the game, both positive and negative. A businessman, yes, but definitely a fan of the game as well.

[CDixonDesign]

Oops.

[IceCap]

I think you'll find the majority of fans of the Royals, Pirates, Brewers, and the other Major League Development League teams are probably not shedding many tears at the passing of George.

If so then those fans are sad, sad people who are unable to separate sports from what actually matters. Did I "hate" the guy because his powerhouse teams squashed the Jays' playoff hopes? Yes. It was "sports hate" though. I never actually HATED the man, and I certainly never wanted him to die.

If people are actually celebrating Steinbrenner's death then, well, it's pretty sad.

It's always sad when someone passes, but it would be nice to see comments that were rooted somewhat in reality rather than just praising him for being "a God".

I don't think anyone has said that Steinbrenner was a God, at least in a serious manner.

[NoHoJoe]

RIP George...you were one of the greatest in the Yankees Oraganization...

BTW...Now that Steinbrenner is in heaven, he can finally do something he has been waiting for since December 25, 1989.....Reunite with Billy Martin, only to say "You're Fired!" one more time!

[oddball]

My first thought when I heard it this morning was, "You damn selfish bastard! You couldn't wait a day to die and have it all to yourself? NO!!!" So now it will be an All-Star Game that becomes a Steinbrenner love fest. I don't have a problem with him spending the money, and it's not his fault that teams such as KC, and Pittsburgh don't, but let's be honest here, he was the most selfish and insecure a-hole there ever was. It wasn't about the Yankees winning, it was about George owning the Yankees who won. Go to Hell George where you belong right next to Georgia Frontiere! You two bastards deserve each other's company! Stop kissing his ass as he doesn't deserve a love fest.