Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Hated in life, beloved in death - George Steinbrenner (1930-2010)
I heard some people complain because they broke into "Judge Judy" halfway through an interesting court case -- BREAKING NEWS -- because Derek Jeter had something to say and it wasn't just WCBS, all the major stations in New York cut in. Sure it was only a tiny fraction of the Jacko treatment but I thought the guy was no good after what he did to Yogi and taking away dental coverage for Yankee employees and firing Billy Martin so many times and he couldn't even appear as himself on "Seinfeld" and......God you know I remember in the Boss's heyday NY sportswriters always bashing the guy for this or that and now he's a Saint? I really don't have any overriding passionate conviction about the man. His passing is newsworthy of course just pointing out that his pre and post-death coverage seem to be about two different men but that's the way we are I guess. RIP
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Hated in Life?
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I don't buy that one..
He was only hated by the Jealous Yankee Haters.
There was a lot more to Georges life than most of the people knew.
The people that REALLY knew him loved him.
George Steinbrenner set the standard for building a baseball dynasty and made a fortune in doing so. He was his own man, one of a kind, and unafraid to do what it took to be a winner. The people that worked for him knew that and respected him for that. He didn't put his profits in his pockets, he gave it back to the fans and thats why his fans loved him and his competitors didn't. He put the best team on the field that money could buy, when other owners put the money in the bank instead.
"..He didn't put his profits in his pockets,"
ReplyDelete..well, perhaps a bit, Forbes lists his worth
$1.15 Billion.
Of course he made a lot of money... So What? He didn't just pocket the profits, he put the money back in the team.
ReplyDeleteBut – he put so much the money back in the team to make the team the best he could..for the team and the Yankee fans. Steinbrenner reinvested his profits into his team while other owners pocketed the money they made. You being a Yankee Hater can't change those facts! Even though you try your best!
Steinbrenner bought his championships. Which is not to necessarily discredit them, but to say that if you have unlimited resources you can just buy whoever you want (at prices other teams could never afford) and manufacture yourself a winning team.
ReplyDeleteHe was a consummate New Yorker; he was a bastard; people loved him and hated him just as they love and hate all their teams and all their public figures.
In Florida there's a highschool named after him in the town where he lived. I wonder how much he did for the ghettos of the Bronx.
Sorry Ms Satyavati devi dasi but I think that your assessment of Mr. Steinbrenner is all wet.
ReplyDeleteThe man was a winner and spent his own money to make sure the Yankee organization continued its dominance.
I just wish he would have come to Kansas City and did what he did in NY to the Royals.
Steinbrenner was a leader who accomplished a lot and made a lot of people mad and jealous along the way.
He was the only owner that understood that you have to spend money to make money. You put a good product on the field and you will fill the seats
Now he is gone. Let him rest in peace.
Big BAD George hated? I don't think so!
ReplyDeleteHere is one of many, many stories never told because he didn't want them told!
Imagine the irony of being a 7 year old in school watching a safety demonstration by the local fire department one minute, and then being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance because you got hurt as a result of that safety lesson the next.
That is exactly what happened to Lorraine Wallinger Blakely on Oct. 12, 1977, when she was a second grader at Alfano Elementary School in Central Islip.
"They used a two-by-four piece of wood to demonstrate how the jaws of life worked," she said, "but then the piece of wood ejected from it and hit me on the right front of my skull. I thought I ran away from it but I guess not."
In the moments that followed, her principal rushed her to the nurse's office where a call was placed to her mother. Once she arrived, she and Blakely were rushed to Smithtown General Hospital. A few hours later, Blakely was undergoing major surgery to remove the fractured bone in her brain. After that, all she had was a thin layer of skin to cover that section of her brain. And her parents had an enormous medical bill.
"I was allowed home from the hospital a few weeks later as long as I wore a hockey helmet to protect my head," she said. "But the doctor told my parents he would not perform the second surgery until he was paid for the first one."
The second surgery was to implant a metal mesh plate to replace the part of her skull that was damaged in the accident. Her parents did not have medical insurance, and the family's story made headlines. "Donations poured in through the mail," she said. "People sent whatever they could to help. But then we got the call."
The call was from George Steinbrenner's office at Yankee Stadium. She and her parents were invited to come down to pick up a $13,000 check that would cover the medical costs of the surgeries.
This was 1977. The Yankees were the toast of the town, winning a World Series title that October. Reggie Jackson's bat was still hot from his three homers in Game 6 on October 18 and Steinbrenner found it in his heart to help out one little girl from Long Island.
"He sent a limousine to our house in Brentwood to take me and my parents to Yankee Stadium," she recalled. "I was nervous but excited. We took the elevator up to his office. I remember walking by the glass windows thinking 'This is Yankee Stadium.' Then we walked into his office and I saw this angel standing there. It was George Steinbrenner."
"He was so kind and sweet and put me at ease," she said. "He also told me he was glad I was doing better. Then he gave us a tour of the stadium and then he gave us the check. There was no camera or press. He didn't want it known."
Blakely, now 40 and living in Ronkonkoma, had the second surgery at a different hospital and since then, she has had no medical issues whatsoever. She and her husband, Brian, have been together for 21 years and live in Lake Ronkonkoma with their three children: Brittany, 19, Brian, Jr., 9 and Brendan, 5. "My husband is a big Yankees fan and he couldn't believe it when I first told him the story," she said. "He helped me try to reach Mr. Steinbrenner several times over the last 10 years by email but each lead we had turned out to be a dead end."
When Blakely heard the news of Steinbrenner's death early Tuesday morning, she felt more than one emotion.
"I was sad to hear that he died, but I was also upset that I never got the chance to say thank you to him as an adult, to tell him I was doing very well, that I got married and had three kids and I was healthy and fine all because of him," she said.
She hopes she can still find a way to reach out to his family to say thank you for his kindness. George Steinbrenner will always have a very special place in my heart."
The above was taken from Today's (July 16th, 2010) NewsDay... A New York Newspaper
ReplyDeleteSatyavati devi dasi said...
ReplyDelete"I wonder how much he did for the ghettos of the Bronx."
You might wanna do a bit of research on that! It will be very easy to do as there was SO many things that he did, it may make your wise-ass eyes pop out of your bias head!
You can start right here!
Statement from Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. RE: Passing of George Steinbrenner
“Today I join 1.4 million Bronxites, and Yankee fans across the world, in mourning the passing of a great man, ‘The Boss,’ George Steinbrenner. During his tenure as owner of the New York Yankees, Mr. Steinbrenner did everything in his power to create his own winning tradition in the Bronx, an effort that resulted in seven World Series championships. While other baseball fans were jealous of his success, Yankee fans, like myself, loved him for it. Both the Bronx and New York City have lost a giant today—in baseball and in charity—and my deepest condolences go out to the Steinbrenners and the entire New York Yankees family,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
PS.. What did the owner of the team wherever you live do for tha Ghettos? HUH?
And why on earth should he have had too? Even though he did!
George Steinbrenner, kind of a polarizing figure eh?
ReplyDeleteThat's a great and touching story Mal. My Dad is fond of saying when you do something good like that don't tell anyone so there you go.
ReplyDeleteSo what you're saying is that he brought championships to the ghettos.
ReplyDeleteKudos.
NO! That's NOT what I said at all........ Oye!
ReplyDeleteWhy am I arguing with a PUTZ?
I think you two should have a show on cable.
ReplyDelete