When Oakland A’s owner Charles O. Finley failed to make a life insurance payment on a policy in pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter’s contract in 1974, making Hunter a free agent, he had no idea what he was unleashing on major league baseball. The year before, in 1973, the New York Yankees had been purchased by a group led by George Steinbrenner, and little did anyone know at that time what an effect the shipping tycoon from Cleveland would have on sports in America. Steinbrenner, who initially made the statement, “I’m going to be a hands off owner”, didn’t exactly live up to that. He proceeded to aggressively sign any free agent player that he felt could help his team, and relentlessly pursued World Series titles with his checkbook like no other owner would even imagine. The Yanks pretty much tore the heart out of Finley’s 3-time champion Oakland A’s team by signing away Hunter and slugger Reggie Jackson, and the additions of Goose Gossage and Don Gullett, along with some shrewd trades, built the Yanks into 2 time champions in that era. Steinbrenner was a perfectionist. This story was told on ESPN after Steinbrenner’s passing yesterday, by Rob Parker. One night George had invited some friends to his owner’s box for a game, and the friends showed up late because they had been delayed in the stadium parking lot. The next day as Parker, a sportswriter, pulled into the press lot, he saw Steinbrenner in the lot parking cars. He asked George, “What are you doing out here?” Steinbrenner’s reply – “I’m going to show these guys how to run a parking lot!” His stubborn ways made him as hated at times as he is loved now that he has passed away. His hirings and firings of manager Billy Martin were almost like an Abbott and Costello comedy routine. He certainly wasn’t perfect. I mean, how can ANYBODY have a falling out with a jovial guy like Yogi Berra? At the end of the day, however, you can’t deny Steinbrenner’s insatiable desire to not only win but win championships. Any fan that says they wouldn’t want him as the owner of the team they root for would be lying. He never cheated the fans. Stories of his loyalty and quiet charitable contributions have come out over the last 2 days also. He was rushed to the hospital when he suffered his heart attack that had a sign outside advertising the “Steinbrenner Children’s Emergency Unit”. When Steinbrenner was young and trying to break into sports, Lou Saban hired him as an assistant football coach when he became head coach at Northwestern, and took Steinbrenner with him when he moved on to Purdue. Saban’s nomadic coaching career is well known, and when he seemingly ran out of options in the football world after changing jobs almost every year (or at least it seemed that way), Steinbrenner hired him as a vice president with the Yankees in 1981. I’m about the furthest thing from being a New York Yankee fan as there is, but there is no denying the impact Steinbrenner’s term as Yankee owner has had on baseball and the sports world in general. Certainly every major league player who is collecting paychecks on a massive contract should thank him.
