tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post2967038600243137792..comments2024-01-30T04:32:47.585-05:00Comments on The Cooler: Death of a Statesman: The House of SteinbrennerJason Bellamyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-15645388412438717882010-09-27T16:57:44.939-04:002010-09-27T16:57:44.939-04:00People mutter "friggin' Indians" all...People mutter "friggin' Indians" all the time, usually isolated to the Cleveland area.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-66074993263691343472010-09-26T11:49:13.962-04:002010-09-26T11:49:13.962-04:00I cannot remember for the life of me where I read ...I cannot remember for the life of me where I read this (I'm 99.9 percent sure it was on ESPN.com), but I remember a fascinating look at the fact that Steinbrenner tried to buy the Cleveland Indians before he bought the Yankees. It's easy to visualize scores of "what-ifs," but baseball would have looked vastly different had the original purchase gone through. <br /><br />Or maybe not...maybe the only real change would have been people muttering "friggin' Indians" instead of "friggin' Yankees."James Yateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08318633423894546202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-59650444955564759562010-09-26T11:28:17.112-04:002010-09-26T11:28:17.112-04:00Thanks so much Jason for those very kind words.
T...Thanks so much Jason for those very kind words.<br /><br />Though anything can happen over the next ten days or so, it doesn't appear that the Yankees have what it takes this year to give the Steinbrenner family another world championship. The starting pitching has faltered for one, and three AL teams have really come into their own. (Tampa Bay, Texas and Minnesota) It's pretty much a certainty that the Bronx Bombers will qualify as the AL wild card, but playoff success seems doubtful. Yankee fans have to learn to be appreciative for what they've accomplished, rather than this eternal greed for victory, which may be the downside of the Steinbrenner legacy.<br /><br />You've mentioned yourself how elusive a winning tradition can be, in your broaching the D.C. area playoff failings.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-83079972999994688442010-09-24T22:19:53.202-04:002010-09-24T22:19:53.202-04:00Sam: What a terrific comment!
"But I must sa...Sam: What a terrific comment!<br /><br /><em>"But I must say that despite the dictatorial demeanor of his celebrated ownership, Steinbrenner was an incredible man, charitable to the end, and committed to winning to the last penny."</em><br /><br />I think that's true. As I tried to express, I'm a little uncomfortable with the film's implication -- through the voice of the fans -- that if George were still around that the new Yankee Stadium experience would be the price of the old one. That's just not so. Here in Washington, DC, we haven't had a winning product to get behind, but we have had a winning team's prices -- so it goes with new (and mostly new) stadiums. (Unless you're in Pittsburgh -- home to not just one of the best ballparks in the country but certainly the best value of any major professional sports venue in the states; even if their on-field product sucks, and has for well over a decade now.)<br /><br /><em>His monument behind the center field fence is a shrine to a era and a style never to be seen again.</em><br /><br />That's very true. It's been interesting to hear reactions to that "shrine." Some not that it's a little puzzling that Steinbrenner's plaque would be bigger than those of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle put together. But Steinbrenner was an oversized personality -- so it's only fitting that his plaque should match.<br /><br />Glad to see a New Yorker deliver some local passion here. Thank you.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-42172887536726917082010-09-24T18:24:56.506-04:002010-09-24T18:24:56.506-04:00Talk about coincidence, just LAST NIGHT I was enga...Talk about coincidence, just LAST NIGHT I was engaged in a discussion with my 59 year-old fanatical lifelong Yankee fan cousin, who was explaining to me how one must mortgage their house to attend a Yankee game. Mind you, I live maybe 15 mintes from the stadium (across the Hudson River from Manhattan and the Bronx, and I've attended over a hundred games there over the years, but in recent years, I've curtailed appearances in favor of television and radio, as the movies, opera and concerts took over my wallet) The price of the refreshments you speak about is insanity (over $100 for a few hot dogs and drinks) but it's all so true. This is why the player's salaries are what they are.<br /><br />But I must say that despite the dictatorial demeanor of his celebrated ownership, Steinbrenner was an incredible man, charitable to the end, and commited to winning to the last penny. <br /><br />What Yankee fan wouldn't appreciate this?<br /><br />I remember well (I'm 56 now) the CBS years, when the team hit rock bottom, and the cry of fans everywhere, most who had forgotten the glory years (the team won five world championships starting in 1949) and the statistics that no team in any sport could match. The Billy Martin charade was as colorful and exciting as any continuing event in sports, and Steinbreener brought Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson and others aces to bring the glory back to the Big Apple. Yes, my friend, he was absolutely a "team icon--as intrinsic to the New York Yankees' identity as the team's famous pinstripe uniform."<br /><br />There are so many stories out there. One man now reveals that Steinbrenner befriended him in the stands many years ago, and just recently the Yankee owner - who by now had become a close friend - paid off the mortgage on his home. If he liked you, he'd go the distance. His kindness and generosity to the Munson family after the tragedy that took the life of the beloved catcher and team captain, is now lore, as his his resistence to be identified for many of his sizable donations.<br /><br />George Steinbrenner was a superstar, and to Yankee fans the most significant of all those who brought fame and glory to the Big Apple.<br /><br />His monument behind the center field fence is a shrine to a era and a style never to be seen again. I weep for this.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.com