I’ve been a Yankees fan for my whole life.  Last week, The Boss died.  From what people close to him hinted at, he hadn’t really been himself for the last few years.  There were no loud diatribes about the handling of Joba Chamberlain; no pitching coaches twisting in the wind after a bad road trip;
no lower-level parking attendants getting fired for not paying enough deference to His Highness.  Things had gotten very quiet in Yankeeland.  It was something I was not used to in the thirty-plus years that Steinbrenner owned the team.

Before The Boss purchased the Yankees in 1973, the team’s roster was filled with the likes of Celerino Sanchez and Jerry Kenney, a third baseman who, in three years as a starter, slugged a whopping six home runs.  Steinbrenner exploited the free agent era, and with the help of Gabe Paul, built the Yankees into a powerhouse, by trading for the likes of Graig Nettles.  If Paul did nothing else in his career, getting Nettles to play third was accomplishment enough.  That guy could pick it.  He was also quick with an insightful quip.  Who can forget his observation of Sparky Lyle going from “Cy Young to sayonara”?

Nettles making it look easy

Steinbrenner was a tyrant and a bully, and I hated many of the moves that he made, and the shit that he stirred up just for the sake of stirring the pot.  He meddled too frequently, undermining his managers, and his hasty decisions led to lopsided trades, like Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps.  He created an atmosphere of fear, and changed pitching coaches on a whim.  I was furious when he let Buck Showalter go, just as there finally was a feeling of stability after an era of terrible baseball in the Bronx.  But you can’t argue with his overall record, and I’m sure that history will be kind to the man.  Winning will do that.

His good deeds seem to have been overshadowed by his bombastic persona.  Each year, he hosted a Grambling football game at the old Stadium.  He was a philanthropist, and gave many outcasts a second or third chance (Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Steve Howe…).  Rest in peace, George.  I’m sure if he gets in a position of power in Heaven, he’ll be banishing angels to the far reaches of the universe if they fall short of his expectations.

I would expect nothing less from The Boss.

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