Tuesday, July 13, 2010
RIP, George M. Steinbrenner III
Happy trails, Boss.
UPDATE: 1) Condolences from all over for a son of Cleveland (what a tough few days it's been for that city: LeBron skips town; "American Splendor" author Harvey Pekar shuffles off and now this).
2) In February, my Post colleague Mike Vaccaro reminded people of George Steinbrenner's non-Yankees sports triumph -- revitalizing US Olympics.
3) The blustering sports owner was also a canny businessman.
4) A nice tribute by Keith Olbermann.
5) Sigh. Rush Limbaugh reminds everyone why NFL owners didn't want him in their club. (Difference between Olbermann and Limbaugh takes proves why bombastic Olbermann still manages to get his Sunday NFL gig: He manages to keep his sports and politics sensibilities separate; Limbaugh can't.)
Labels: George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Yankees White House Stimulus
The championship round of the national pastime should be a moment of unity. Save for supporters of the teams playing in the Fall Classic, the country should come together and celebrate a sport as American as apple pie.
Alas, this year's World Series carries with it serious built in conflicts. As The New York Times pointed out Tuesday, poor New York Mets fans are torn between hating their division rival Philadelphia Phillies and their crosstown rival Yankees.
With such hate to go around, there is no joy in Flushing this week. (And, come to think of it, in Cleveland either, considering their Cy Young award winning pitchers of the two previous seasons -- the since-traded CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee -- are the respective Game 1 pitchers for the Yankees and the Phillies).
But if you think that's bad, consider the plight of an even more overlooked group with conflicted loyalties. I speak of the Republican Yankee fan. Based on stereotypes, one would think that Yankees and Republicanism go together like hot dogs and mustard. The Yanks are baseball royalty and have long had the biggest player payroll in the sport. They're the one that has to pay a painful luxury "tax" -- punishing them for making and spending the most money. The similarities with the Republican Party is obvious.
However, let's go back a few years: As we've mentioned in this space before, in an otherwise criminally- overlooked article six years ago, the New York Observer's Jonathan Rosenthal pointed out that, since George Steinbrenner became principal owner of the Bronx Bombers in 1973, they've never won the World Series when a Republican has been in the White House.
A cursory look seemed to bear him out: Yankees made the W.S. in 1976 (Gerald Ford) but were swept by the Reds. They won the next two (Jimmy Carter). They then made it back in '81 (Ronald Reagan) -- only to lose to the same Dodgers team they beat in their two previous appearances.
The Yankees wouldn't make it back to the Fall Classic for fifteen years -- covering three GOP administrations. In '96 (Clinton), they
won and proceeded to win three more times over Clinton's second term. They made it back in 2001, but oops! George W. Bush was now in office: Despite playing in one of the most exciting series in recent memory, the Yankees lost to the Arizonna Diamondbacks.
Rosenthal called this strange pattern "the curse of Nixon," pointing to Steinbrenner being suspended from baseball in 1974 because of illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign.
But still, even with all that evidence, when Rosenthal's article appeared, the Yanks had just concluded their sixth Series appearance in eight years. Surely, they would win at least one Series in the Bush years -- even assuming he won re-election, right?
Nope. Since then, Rosenthal's analysis/prediction has held true -- and then some. Adding insult to injury, one year later, not only didn't the Yankees win the World Series, they didn't make it -- and their long-suffering arch-enemies, the Boston Red Sox, finally "reversed the Curse" (of the Babe -- not Tricky Dick) and won their own world championship for the first time in 86. Oh, and George W. Bush won re-election a few days after that. In the next four years, the Yankees wouldn't even make it to the league championship series -- and completely missed the playoffs in 2008.
Now, obviously, having a Democrat in the White House doesn't guarantee Yankee success in the Series (they made the postseason in both '95 and '97, but didn't go all the way). But, it sure as heck seems to enhance their chances.
So, now consider what it must be like to be Republican Yankee fan. Democrat Barack Obama is now president of the United States -- a fact you probably don't like. However, the Yankees are back in World Series -- with one of their strongest-looking teams in years. Even Alex Rodriguez is hitting in the playoffs -- something he never did during the Bush years. Is it possible that Barack Obama really is 'The One" (not to be confused with "The Natural")?
Does the Republican Yankee fan silently thank the Fates that there is a Democrat president somehow being a good luck charm for the most storied franchise in history? Is just Obama's presence providing -- gasp!! -- a "stimulus" of the sort that Goldman Sachs would just die for? Talk about the rich getting richer!!! What ultimately is the Republican Yankee fan to do -- switch teams? Switch parties? Just mark it down to some bizarre coincidence?
And, goodness knows, there's at least three -- and possibly, seven -- more years when this horrible conflict could raise its infernal head!!!
Oh, the horror!!!
Oh well, in the meantime: Go Yankees!!! (I'm thinking in six games.)
Labels: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, New York Yankees, Ronald Reagan
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Nice Weekend
Labels: New York Yankees, NFL
Friday, September 11, 2009
No. 2 Stands Alone
Labels: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
Monday, December 29, 2008
Swinging For The Free Market
...Let's not go crazy talking about salary caps and manifest injustice and all of that jazz. The Yankees have spent extraordinary amounts of money this decade. The result of that has been the ability to bypass the typical success cycle by never truly cratering competitively and always being in the playoff hunt. The result of that has not been the disruption of overall competitive balance or the prevention of success on the part of the other teams such that radical changes are necessary, let alone desirable.In fact, since the Yankees last won in 2000, seven different teams have won the World Series, the Red Sox being the only repeat champion (though the Beantowners were in the Top Four in spending). What happened during that same period in the salary-cap sports? In the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers won the title three times (and making the finals two other times), the San Antonio Spurs twice, the Pistons won one championship, lost another and have made the conference finals five years in a row. In the NFL, the Patriots won the Super Bowl three times and made it to another.
I will grant you that the former point is somewhat disheartening, but it is certainly not devastating. If you don't like Tampa Bay as an example of why the Yankees' spending isn't terrible (i.e. because it took a decade in the wilderness for the Rays to get where they are) I'll give you the Angels. Or the White Sox. Or the Phillies. Or the Twins. Or the Marlins. Or the Cardinals. Or any other team that has found success without spending $200 million.
But, because of the New York Yankees, baseball has a competitive balance problem? (Speaking of which, how is it that the NFL -- the paragon of "parity" in sports -- managed to produce both an undefeated team and a winless club in consecutive years?)
Labels: baseball, New York Yankees
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Politics of Sports...
Thoughts to ponder.
Here's another: The corollary to this is that -- as I believe I mentioned once before, after discovering a few years ago -- the New York Yankees, in the George Steinbrenner era, have never won the World Series with a Republican in the White House. In the Bush era, they made it twice, but lost both times.
So, though it's hardly a surprise that New York will vote for Barack Obama this year, Yankee fans have even a stronger reason to see him win. In fairness though, having a Democrat in the White House doesn't mean that Yankee problems will be fixed overnight: Bill Clinton took office in January of 1993 -- and the Yankees didn't win the World Series until October, '96.
Labels: baseball, New York Yankees, politics
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Manny Goes Hollywood
Manny gets to be Manny in Hollywood! Joe Torre should have much fun.
By the way, all those people who complain about the Yankees free-spending ways: please note that the Red Sox are paying all of Manny's remaining salary this season just to get rid of him! Once upon a time, the MLB commissioner would have blocked a trade that relied so much on cash exchanging hands. Not anymore.
P.S. Mets fans should be happy as well. Most reports today had Ramirez going to the Florida Marlins -- who are right behind the Mets in the National League East (and just knocked the Amazin's out of first place by taking two of three).
Labels: baseball, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Sports
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Sad Saturday
Murcer was never quite that good, but he nonetheless had several tours of duty with the team from the '60s and '80s-- and then gained even greater respect and love from the Yankee faithful as a broadcaster. An especially poignant passing just three days before the All-Star Game is held at Yankee Stadium.
Bobby Murcer, dead at 62, from cancer.
R.I.P.
Labels: Bobby Murcer, New York Yankees
Monday, March 31, 2008
Batter Up!
Sorry, Sawx fans, but the two-game interlude last week in Japan doesn't count (yes, the Japanese like the sport, but baseball is still our national pastime).
Sorry, Nationals fans, but your nice debut in your new stadium last night doesn't count (a one-game series!?!? And, besides, DC isn't a state, right?).
But, today is the real day. An historic season as the New York Yankees open one last season in the classic Yankee stadium, against the Toronto Blue Jays, before moving across the street for a new park in '09. The Mets open on the road in Florida (before beginning their final season at Shea Stadium next week). Fading into the past are last season's disappointing end for both Big Apple teams and a tumultuous off-season -- especially for the Bronx Bombers, who endured a change in managers for the first time in twelve years and had to deal with the Mitchell Report's information on the Yankees' role in the Steroid Era.
Nope, today spring officially begins; change and hope (not the Obama variety) are in the air and all things are possible!
Baseball is back!
Play ball!
UPDATE: Or don't play. Ya win some; ya lose some -- and some get rained out. Let's hope the weather is better in Florida!
UPDATE II: And, yes, the weather is better. And Johan Santana was great: The Mets win!
Labels: baseball, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Needles and Pins
ESPN reported this morning that one of those names is Roger Clemens. The Rocket's (and Andy Pettitte's) former trainer is said to have told Mitchell that he supplied Clemens with steroids.
If this is true, that means that arguably the best position player (Barry Bonds) and the best pitcher of the current era may have padded their stats with performance-enhancing drugs.
The report is to be released today at
UPDATE (1:00 PM): Barry Bonds, obviously, is facing a trial for perjury in the BALCO steroids case. It will be some months before that is resolved. Depending on how that trial goes, the appearance of Roger Clemens in the steroids story may, ironically, enhance Bonds' chances of going to the Hall of Fame. Many sportswriters were saying that they wouldn't vote for Bonds because of the steroids issue -- even though he had already amassed a Hall of Fame career before he apparently started juicing (circa 1999). If it now looks like Clemens started doing the stuff around the same time, will sportswriters make the samed conclusion that the Rocket should be kept out -- or will they conclude now that this is a completely tainted era (including the best pitcher and the best player, among many others) where players should be judged on their stats apart from when they started taking stuff (if that can be ascertained). Keep in mind that if Bonds never plays again and Clemens officially retires (as it is now almost certain he will), they would both be eligible for the HOF in 2012.
While this isn't a good thing to contemplate, I'm thinking that Major League Baseball is "happy" that a big white superstar like Clemens has been implicated. There was an undercurrent in some articles that Bonds was being persecuted because he was black -- while white stars like Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi hardly got much attention. Now, of course, the main reason for that is that Bonds was still playing and he was chasing one of the sports most cherished records. McGwire was thoroughly humiliated after his 2006 congressional hearing -- an appearance that cost him election to the Hall of Fame the next year. Meanwhile, the majority of players suspended for steroids/HGH use throughout baseball (including the minors) have been Latino.
Fairly or not, having a white superstar gets MLB off the hook of looking like this is an attempt to unfairly target minority players. (Yes, I recognize that players like Rick Ankiel, David Segui and Paul Byrd have been named in previous performance enhancing stories, but they aren't in the same category as a Bonds or Clemens).
UPDATE II (2:15 PM): Here's the full Mitchell Report -- all 400 pages!
UPDATE III: Current and former New York Yankees players of some prominence mentioned in the Mitchell Report: Clemens, Giambi, Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Ron Villone...
UPDATE IV: Sports Illustrated reports that this is hardly the end of the "naming of names." Ongoing investigations will inevitably bring more names to light.
Labels: baseball, George Mitchell, Mitchell Report, New York Yankees, steroids
Monday, October 29, 2007
Yanks For The Memories
Knowing A-Rod, he'll probably try to sign with the Sox. Of course, given that each team he's joined has arguably gotten worse, that may be a preferred development for the Yankees.
Still, with the Boss in ailing health, his sons seemingly behind the Torre putsch and the leadership of the team becoming a Hydra-headed monster, the beginning of the 21st century is looking a lot like the start of the 20th: Boston ascendant and New York struggling to find an identity.
UPDATE: The Yankees officially make an offer to Joe Girardi. The "curse" seems to have been avoided.
Labels: Alex Rodriguez, baseball, New York Yankees
Friday, October 26, 2007
Don NO!
Don Mattingly would be the absolute worst choice to be Yankees manager. I'm glad that Brian Cashman appears to be wavering on this. Do I base my views on any sort of great baseball knowledge? Not really -- though the fact that he has NO experience as a manager should be a factor.
No, my objection goes to a point I made once before: Mattingly IS the "curse" of the Yankees. He is the best player the Yankees have ever had WHO NEVER WON ANYTHING. I made this point in one of my earliest RT posts. Time has proven my point even more: The Yankees haven't gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since Mattingly returned to the team as a coach.
And, circumstantial evidence suggests that this is not just a coincidence. Aside from starting pitching problems, what differentiates the Yankees of the last four seasons ('04-'07) from their dynastic brethren of '96-'03? The answer is patient clutch pitching. Failure to get that clutch two-strike, two-out hit has doomed the Yankees in recent years. Who was the hitting coach in three of those four years. Yep, Mr. Donnie Baseball -- the man who came up to the major leagues just when the Yankees concluded a four World Series/two championships-in-six-year-run. The team wouldn't make it back to the Fall Classic until the year after Mattingly's last year.
He returned in '04. The rest is history.
In a game where superstition accounts for quite a lot, Don Mattingly is the black cat, the broken mirror and the crack in the sidewalk all rolled into one.
Labels: baseball, Don Mattingly, New York Yankees
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Rudy's Ultimate Betrayal
'Nuff said.
And worst of all -- he announced the news to reporters without even having the decency to tell the Yankees first.
Of course, this has nothing to do with the New Hampshire primary.
Right.
Labels: GOP 2008 President, New York Yankees, Rudy Giuliani, Ultimate Sports Betrayal
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Bye, Bye, Joe
|Tuesday, October 09, 2007
End Of The Road
Well, thanks for running a great classy operation, Joe.
Labels: New York Yankees
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Holy Cow!
Famed Yankee shortstop and broadcaster (and Meatloaf's greatest backup "singer") Phil Rizzuto now plays for the angels.
R.I.P., Scooter.
Labels: New York Yankees, Phil Rizzuto
Monday, August 13, 2007
Why Did I Allow My Faith To Desert Me?
Damn Yankees!
Labels: baseball, New York Yankees
Monday, July 02, 2007
Taps For Pinstripes
After a twelve-year streak of making the playoffs that included winning the division in ten of those years, making the World Series six times and winning it all four times, the New York Yankees are toast in 2007.
Oh well, at least Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez made the All-Star Game. Shockingly, no one from the pitching staff -- including Mariano Rivera -- did.
Maybe my colleague Joel Sherman has the right idea.
Labels: baseball, New York Yankees
