Steinbrenner

At the age of 80, George Steinbrenner passed away today in Tampa, Florida. Of course, we all know Steinbrenner as the the die-hard Yankee fan and owner who would stop at nothing on his pursuit to win a championship.

The Yankees have won 11 pennants and 7 World Series during Steinbrenner's reign, which began in 1973. He was known as "The Boss" in the sports world because of his great deal of interactions with the clubhouse activities.

He has hired, fired, rehired, refired managers and has traded and signed big named players. Yankee fans could always trust him because he was just as much of a fan of the team than any other New Yorker. Of course, sometimes his fan-impulse mind would deter good decision making. The controversy with Dave Winfield (the person The Boss made the richest player in the Major Leagues), when he said, "Where is Reggie Jackson? We need a Mr. October or a Mr. September. Winfield is Mr. May. My big guys are not coming through. The guys who are supposed to carry the team are not carrying the team. They aren't producing. If I don't get big performances out of Winfield, Griffey and Baylor, we can't win." (Which is one of the reasons why Griffey never wanted to play for the Yankees).

Steinbrenner never took a back-seat, it was painful for the Managers but necessary for the fans. Except, Steinbrenner did take it too far at one point in his career and paid an individual named Howie Spira to find "dirt" on Winfield after Steinbrenner was sued by Winfield for not paying $300,000 of Winfield's contract.

Of course, The Boss returned to his owner position and continued his reign in 1993, except there was no more dictatorship. Steinbrenner played less of a role in baseball operations and did not dig up anymore "dirt" on other players. Steinbrenner let the farm system grow and groom players instead of trading prospects to win every year--which in turn developed Bernie Williams to become the promising center-fielder of the New York Yankees.

The team was flying high and although there was a drought of Championships for New York--he still is acknowledges as one of the most influential owners in sports history. Steinbrenner stepped down in 2006 and let his sons take over the team; again, proved to be helpful as the Yankees won in 2009.

The New York Yankees; one of the most successful franchises in sports history won 7 times under this owner. No matter what kind of owner Steinbrenner was, he is still a fan favorite in New York.

He becamse such a figure in New York that even the show Seinfeld had a Steinbrenner's character as a humorous figure. He was George's boss and although you never see his face, his mannerisms were mimicked and adored by all Seinfeld-viewers (COSTANZA'S IN THE BUILDING!).

So to the most powerful and passionate owner in the world; we recognize you today--the day of the 2010 All-Star game, and the day George Steinbrenner leaves his legacy: thank you for all you have done for NYC.