End of an Era
Our friends at the NY Post reported on Sunday that good ol’ George Steinbrenner is finally stepping down from his seat of power over at the NY Yankees organization.
The Steinbrenner boys have taken the reins, Yankees brass has told The Post.
Hank and Hal Steinbrenner will share leadership of father George’s beloved Bronx Bombers in an arrangement to be further ironed out at top-level meetings in Tampa this week.
“George has taken on a role like the chairman of a major corporation,” said team president Randy Levine.
“He’s been saying for years he’s wanted to get his sons involved in the family business. Both of them have stepped up and are taking on the day-to-day duties of what’s required to run the Yankees.”
George Steinbrenner bought the NY Yankees back in 1973 for the hefty sum of $8.7 million. While a controversial figure, his aggressive management style brought success to the Yankees very quickly, with an AL Championship in 1976 and back-to-back World Titles in 1977 and 1978.
The NY Yankees organization is now valued at $ 1.2 billion. People may not like him, but there is no arguing with success: under his watch the Yankees have 6 World Series Championships, 4 AL Championships, and most recently 12 consecutive years of post-season action. No baseball franchise comes close to the success of the NY Yankees.
Enjoy your semi-retirement, George! And thanks for everything.
Mr. Steinbrenner, you done good!
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George has taken a lot of heat, and much of it is legitimate. He was absolutely unbearable in the late 70s, but except for a few recent flare-ups (threatening to fire Torre is the Yankees lost last week), he hasn’t been all that bad in recent memory.
And you can’t argue with a success, after all!
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I guess the thought of it was more than Joe Torre could bear!
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I don’t blame Joe. Given how George acted out a couple of weeks ago, he doesn’t want that sword hanging over his head for just one season. He has a find history with the Yankees, and left the organization with dignity.
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