Fantastic Steve Jacobson column on George Steinbrenner.

In the aftermath of yesterday's Yankee ownership change, I think this is a very fair look at George Steinbrenner by someone who covered him for many years.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spjake215936177nov21,0,7265415.story

 

Good for Jake. It's easy to feel sorry for Steinbrenner these days, or to confuse the real man with the "Seinfeld" caricature. It's good to have a realistic view of him and how he ran the Yankees.

 

If that's your definition for fair I'd hate to see how you define unfair.

 

fair? maybe not. accurate? heck, yeah.

 

Why do you think the column is unfair?

 

Y'know, I was in NYC while "The Bronx is Burning" was on ESPN (great book, mediocre miniseries...John Turturro and the guy who played Jimmy Breslin were fantastic).
Anyway, I was reading the newspapers talking about how Steinbrenner should be in the Hall of Fame before he's gone to the big owner's box in the sky.
It was so refreshing to watch "The Bronx is Burning" to remind everyone what a complete fucking psycho Steinbrenner was.
I liked this column.

 

He still belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Ty Cobb was fucking psychotic and he's in the HOF.

 

Ty Cobb, psychotic or not, <b>played</b> baseball and accomplished things on the field.

 

So, since Peter Gammons didn't play, he shouldn't be in the Hall?

 

Bingo.

 

Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner changed baseball in a monumental way and should be in the Hall of Fame.

 

Who has been inducted into the Hall for his contributions as an owner? I don't know off the top of my head.