The Boss

George Steinbrenner, who died Wednesday, was not a great guy. That, however, doesn't mean that we shouldn't mourn his passing or that his death was deserved. But it also doesn't mean that we should forget who he was or paint him as some sort of grandfatherly figure just because he's gone.

Who he was a thug, someone who obstructed justice and violated federal election laws in the 1970s after making illegal contributions to Richard Nixon's Presidential campaign; someone who was suspended, not once, but twice by Major League Baseball; someone who treated his employees cruelly and with malice, in one instance paying a mob figure $40,ooo to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield.

Yeah, the Yankees won. Great. But their successful run since the 90s was almost entirely due to Gene Michael, who was able to hold onto to young prospects -- Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, ect -- while Steinbrenner served his second suspension in the early 90s, instead of trading them away for aging veterans, as was George's want during the 80s.

His death marks an end if era for sure. He changed baseball forever, transforming the Yankees into a brand by signing an exclusive marketing deal with Adidas and establishing his own television network, YES. But, please, let's not forget who dude really was.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.7