"Began with Horace Clarke and died World Champion" Remembering The Boss(Updated with more reaction)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
There are many quotes I could use as the headline, but the above is what MLB analyst Peter Gammons wrote on his twitter and I thought that speaks volumes of how far Steinbrenner has come when he first bought the Yankees, and how appropriate it is that he leaves us as a reigning World Series Champion. Here are some more reactions from players, writers, coaches, and friends of Steinbrenner:
"Steinbrenner was a fascinating figure: Charitable and cruel at the same time, stubborn yet visionary. He changed all of sports. In my 1st year covering the Yankees, most of spring training was spent chasing George down hallways. He was bigger than any player." Peter Abraham, Boston Globe. Former Yankees beat writer.
"George Steinbrenner was one of the most giving n generous person I ever met-he had a special fire in his belly to win and a Big HEART!...In my years in sports I have met many winners- the 3 people I knew that hated losing more than most were Steinbrenner ,Knight, n Bo Schem." Dick Vitale, NCAA Basketball Analyst, Baseball Fan.
"George was The Boss, make no mistake. He built the Yankees into champions and that’s something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much." Yogi Berra, former Yankee catcher, manager under Steinbrenner.
"Few people have had a bigger impact on New York over the past four decades than George Steinbrenner. George had a deep love for New York, and his steely determination to succeed – combined with his deep respect and appreciation for talent and hard work – made him a quintessential New Yorker." NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Mark Feinsand of the Daily News also has more reactions. It seems nobody has any current player reactions right now. Once I find some I'll add them to this post.
"He was bigger than baseball. Everybody knew who The Boss was. Anywhere you went with him, people wanted his autograph or to talk to him." Gene Michael, former Yankees GM.
"I will always remember George Steinbrenner as a passionate man, a tough boss, a true visionary, a great humanitarian, and a dear friend. I will be forever grateful that he trusted me with his Yankees for 12 years. My heart goes out to his entire family. He will be deeply missed in New York, Tampa and throughout the world of baseball. It’s only fitting that he went out as a world champ." Joe Torre, former Yankees manager.
"George redefined professional sports ownership with his vision, his ability to build a champion and a passionate approach that lifted the visibility and popularity of his franchise and his sport. From an interest level, baseball was always better when the profile and the performance of the New York Yankees was at a high level, and George always made sure that was the case." Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys
"He expected to win every day. I remember my first or second year I got doubled off third base on a line drive, but we won the game. Afterward he’s yelling at me, ‘Don’t get doubled off again.’ I said, ‘We won the game.’ But he expected perfection.” Derek Jeter, Yankees shortstop
"Winning the World Series meant a lot to him, but the next day he was back to work – ‘OK, how are we going to win next year? He loved winning the World Series, thought it was a huge accomplishment, but never rested after it." Joe Girardi, Yankees manager
