The Boss

It is shame that on the eve of baseball's all-star game, the greatest owner in the history of sports, George Steinbrenner, passed on at the age of 80 following a massive heart attack. Since buying the team in 1973 for about $9 million, Steinbrenner has turned the Yankees into the model organization for all of sports. During Steinbrenner's tenure, the Yankees are now worth almost a billion dollars, they have their own TV network, and have won seven World Series championships. The Yankees are the ultimate team that fans love to hate. But fans didn't hate the Yankees and George Steinbrenner, they hated how jealous they were. It was easy to hate the Yankees while growing up in Minnesota when we had an owner who was actually wealthier than Steinbrenner but viewed the team more as a business than as a love. Steinbrenner loved the Yankees and loved winning. He would do whatever it was in his power to win a championship every single year. What fan would not love that in an owner? This is not to say he was not a little crazy. He was known to be incredibly demanding of his managers and players. He had 17 managers under his watch. He was suspended from baseball on numerous occasions for things like bribery and slander; and had several infamous feuds with baseball legends like Joe Torre and Daryll Strawberry. But at the end of the day he just wanted to win. That is all I want out of my owner. R.I.P.