"I had the good fortune to call George Steinbrenner both partner and friend. I had the privilege to watch George as he built a system that ensured his beloved Yankees would have a strong foundation for sustained excellence. And then we fiercely competed in the American League. George Steinbrenner forever changed baseball and hopefully some day we will see him honored in baseball's Hall of Fame as one of the great figures in the history of sports."If Henry's campaigning for Steinbrenner in the hall isn't shocking enough, how about this quote from team president Larry Lucchino. The man who originated the "Evil Empire" moniker said this about The Boss:
"He had a giant heart, often well hidden from public view. Part of his legacy here in Boston will be the profound kindness he showed to numerous local philanthropic causes, especially as a regular and generous contributor each year to the Jimmy Fund of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute."Team chairman Tom Werner said that "baseball's greatest rivalry will not be the same without him." Werner said he "knew George as a competitor and today Red Sox Nation lost a person who truly relished the prospect of facing the Red Sox and doing all he could to make sure his beloved Yankees would come out victorious."
To top it all off, the Red Sox will observe a moment of silence in Steinbrenner's honor before Thursday night's Fenway Park game against the Texas Rangers. That might be the most shocking news of all!
9 comments:
If Charles Comiskey, Tom Yawkey and Walter O'Malley -- the latter two did some good things, but all three caused some harm to the game -- are in the Hall of Fame, then so should George Steinbrenner be in.
So should Mets' founding owner Joan Payson. I'm not sure if Bill Shea had any role in running the Mets other than his work in making the organization possible, but his candidacy is worth considering.
Correction: Comiskey, Yawkey, O'Malley... the FIRST two did some good things. Not the latter two. O'Malley does not belong.
Uncle Mike--If my Dad had seen your first post saying O'Malley belonged in the HOF he would have come out of his grave and kicked your butt from your side of New Jersey to Montauk Point.
I agree. Comiskey and Yawkey should be in the HOF, along with Mrs. Payson. But Steinbrenner does not belong. How can you induct a felon who was TWICE banned from the game? If he gets in, then he better be preceded by Pete Rose.
I have heard some say that Both George and Rose should be in
I'm no baseball historian, but what did O'Malley do that was so wrong? He helped break the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson, not such a bad thing. He moved the Dodgers to California, again not such a bad thing. By moving the team to CA, he opened up new markets for the game, as many new teams west of Missouri were established. Sure it broke the hearts of Brooklynites, but the game was better for it. Compared to Steinbrenner, Mr. O'Malley is a saint.
@urinalfresh23---don't say that to any old Brooklyn Dodger fan
Oh I know, Brooklyn Dodgers fans are probably still bitter, but he had his reasons. If he's not making money, then he has to move the team. If the Yankers were to fall on hard times, I'm sure King George would have moved them too. Seriously, how many Brooklyn Dodgers fans are still alive? This happened over 50 years ago, time to get over it and move on.
Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson, over O'Malley's objections. O'Malley traded him away. He also forced Rickey and Red Barber out. All that before the awful things he did both during and after the process of moving to Los Angeles.
Let's tell the truth here: He was a rotten person before he moved the Dodgers. He was as cheap and vindictive as Charlie Finley, without the sense of humor and love of silly promotions. He did nothing for the game that wouldn't have been done anyway: Major League Baseball was coming to the Pacific Coast within the next few years, even if he'd built a "Dodger Stadium" in downtown Brooklyn.
Besides, if you hate Steinbrenner that much, you should know that he liked O'Malley. George was never exactly known for having taste.
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