Steinbrenner, Again

Ken — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:29:52 +0000

R,
I admit that he returned the Yankees to greatness. There are several replies. One, they had won a pennant or a series in more than half of the 53 years (1920-1972) before he purchased them. Two, I hadn’t even mentioned how meddlesome he could be. In 1981, when they had a 2-0 lead against the Dodgers in the Series, he was calling the dugout before game three, instructing Bob Lemon on what the starting line-up should be. Ed Lynn wrote an excellent book on how intrusive he could be. That was one of the most painful losses (right up there with 1960 and 2001), and he is in large part to blame for it. Three, so I don’t see how he was a greater owner than Colonel Ruppert (who owned them from 1914 through 1939) or Webb and Topping, who owned them from 1945 until 1964. Thanks for the reply.

–Ken

On George Steinbrenner

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:50:06 +0000

I’m in favor of celebrating the accomplishments of George Steinbrenner’s life. But I found much of the coverage of his legacy overly pious and uninformed. For one, the Yankees did exist before he found them. Sure, he did steer the team to seven World Championships in 37 years, from 1973 through 2009. That’s a 18.9 percent success rate. In the previous 50 years however–from 1923 through 1972–the Yankees won 20 World Championships. That’s a 40 percent success rate. He didn’t invent the franchise; he discovered it, bought it, and brought them back to success.

Ken Shouler

Steinbrenner, Again

On George Steinbrenner