Unlike most fans of the New York Mets, I am not a Yankee hater. In fact, ever since I left New York City in 2001, I find myself pulling for the Yanks if the Mets aren't involved. I know this is blasphemy to most Mets fans, but so be it. I like it when my town gets to celebrate, especially after all it's been through.
I have always enjoyed taking trips to Yankee Stadium, because of the history of the place (the old place) and because baseball is really enjoyable in person and amazingly boring in every other form. Anyone who had the opportunity to visit Yankee Stadium prior to 2007 left remembering the voice of the public address announcer, Bob Sheppard. Sheppard died last Sunday at the age of 99. He will be missed by anyone who enjoyed the element of class he added to Yankee games, especially when there was little else classy about the South Bronx during much of his tenure. In an age of PA announcers who engage in a relentless act of self promotion (think Stu Scott on crystal meth and cappuccino), there was something haunting and beautiful about, "Now batting...the shortstop...#2...Derek...Jeter...#2". Just simple and straightforward.
Apparently Sheppard enjoyed reading books between hitters and sprinting for the exits once the Chairman of the Board started letting everyone know about the city that doesn't sleep. I would think he's the most famous speech teacher ever at St. John's.
As for The Boss, has anyone ever had such a perception transformation at the end of their life, outside of Ebenezer Scrooge? Just think how different George Steinbrenner's obituary would have read if he had died in 1995 instead of 2010. Luckily for him, he finally figured out how to handle the baseball side of his operation towards the end of his life, and, as a result, is remembered much more for who he became, rather than for who he was.
Steinbrenner exists as Exhibit A to one of the most true maxims you will ever hear, which is that no one wants to tell the rich guy to shut up. Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973 for about $8 million, and began running them almost instantly as if his hair was on fire. He had the mentality and background of a football coach, and never seemed to come to terms with losing, which is awfully hard for a sport where the best teams lose about 60 times a year. He arrived just in time to exploit the new free agency rules, and within 4 seasons had the Yanks in the World Series again after more than a decade out of contention.
His main problem at the beginning of his tenure is that he seemed to think he knew everything there was to know about baseball, and that he could buy a championship at any time without building the necessary foundation for success. The great Roger Angell once said (and I'm totally paraphrasing) that when he went to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees in the 80s, he felt like he wasn't watching the Yankee players on the field, but rather Steinbrenner's shadow, hovering over everything.
After his 3-year banishment from baseball for hiring a gambler to dig up dirt about Dave Winfield, he came back to the Bronx and embarked on a period of success that is as impressive as any other today in sports. The Yankees have won 5 championships in the last 15 years, the franchise is worth about $1.5 billion, and they're in a position to contend ad infinitum. The main reason for this (outside of the pure dollars) is that he finally realized that perhaps he should let his baseball people run the baseball team. Easy as pie.
I've always felt that any fan of a New York team secretly wishes that his sport operated under baseball's financial rules, where you can spend until your heart's content. New Yorkers pay more taxes, more for a loaf of bread, have to deal with endless traffic and congestion...why shouldn't we enjoy a built-in advantage of a big market when we have to pay the price in so many other ways? I wouldn't feel that a Super Bowl trophy would be less legitimate if we didn't have to deal with a salary cap, or if we actually got to take advantage of the fact that we have one of the wealthiest owners in sports. It hasn't cheapened the Yankees titles, why would it cheapen ours?
I recognize that the NFL's brand of all-for-one, one-for-all is better for the long term health of the game, but the Jets fan in me hates it. Just being honest, baby.
Anyway, I think most sports fans would have enjoyed having Steinbrenner in charge, if only because he always put winning first, no matter the cost. As a fan, you can't ask for anything more than that, knowing that the guy in charge is not looking purely at the bottom line, and wants to win as much as you do.
Luckily for Yankee fans, Hank Steinbrenner seems to have the same priorities as his father. And luckily for New York sports fans, he seems to enjoy owning the back pages of the tabloids and suffers from the same lack of a filter when addressing the media. So, the future should be interesting enough for both of us.
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