R.I.P George Steinbrenner

[FutureUSFstudent]

I remember reading after hurricane Andrew that George took a truck and personally drove some runs of water down for the survivors.  I understand that he did much for the community without seeking recognition.  Thanks for caring, George.

Go Bulls!

Did you just call in on 620 and tell that story?

[gobulls83]

schools, operas, ballparks, hospitals

There are those who would say these things are more important than a baseball team (though I'm not sure Steinbrenner was one of those people!).

[Bull94]

Goodbye to the man that made professional sports what it is, and that is not a good thing. A guy that would cut his office workers benefits so he could pay a cokehead $1M+ to hit a ball. A guy whose win at any cost philosophy has raised salaries outrageously, concession prices exorbitantly and pushed families out of the ballparks. But he did donate a bit to schools, operas, ballparks, hospitals and even sprung for some swanky NY Yankee logos for TAMPA cop cars so I guess he is seen as saint.

You're a sad and bitter man.

Free agency would have happened with or without Steinbrenner. Not sure you can blame him for wanting to win and playing by the rules.

You cry about him raising ticket prices, concessions, etc for watching grown men play a kids game and then turning around and using some of those "ill gotten" gains for schools, hospitals, youth fields, etc??

Wow. You sure have your priorities mixed up.

[IncrediBULL]

George probably donated to 200 or more charities and not for profits in the Tampa Community alone, not counting NYC metro donations.  They were very philantropic in the area, and Tampa is a better place because of him.

I personally know of donations he makes to a particular school, and has over years, that has benefited many students.  It allowed them to do things they wouldn't have been able to do without his donations.  I still have a child at that school.

I do not like the Yankees, or MLB that allows a team like the Yankees to exist.  But he was a businessman using the cards he was dealt, which isn't his fault.  Don't get me started on how I feel about salary caps, etc... 

But for someone who was rich, he had no problem spreadign it around the communities in which he lived.  And I respect him for that.  He is probably one of the areas largest donors, along the lines of Patel, Sykes, and a few others.  May he rest in peace.

[Bull94]

here you go minotaur.

"I am dead set against free agency. It can ruin baseball."

- from the book Hammerin' Hank, George Almighty and the Say Hey Kid, discussing the proposed free agency rules in 1973. Free agency eventually came to baseball in 1975, and Steinbrenner's Yankees often made the highest bids in the market

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/07/13/george-steinbrenners-best-quotes-from-the-stadium-to-seinfeld/

what a terrible man, eh minotaur. charging all those overpaid new yorkers top dollar to watch grown men play a kids game and then using some of that money to donate to Tampa area charities. how could he live with himself. end sarcasm

[mikebeau]

im sure minotaur wishes baseball was run by the Pittsburgh pirates

[Ricky the Bull]

A quick GS story:

When my wife was a principal of an elementary school in south Tampa, they were raising money to purchase new playground equipment.  After all the fundraising, they were about $2,500 short and were going to go with a scaled-back version of the playground.  My wife got a letter from George with a personal check that more than covered the shortfall.

My wife corrected me when I got home.  The personal check was for $10,000.

[Brad]

im sure minotaur wishes baseball was run by the Pittsburgh pirates

Leave the Pirates out of this.

Bulliever

Pirate fan since 1970

Sad and depressed since 1980

[gobulls83]

<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/07/rush-limbaughs-mind-boggling-t.html">Here</a> is what Rush Limbaugh had to say about George Steinbrenner:

"That cracker made a lot of African-American millionaires."

[Bruce Blingstein]

Goodbye to the man that made professional sports what it is, and that is not a good thing. A guy that would cut his office workers benefits so he could pay a cokehead $1M+ to hit a ball. A guy whose win at any cost philosophy has raised salaries outrageously, concession prices exorbitantly and pushed families out of the ballparks. But he did donate a bit to schools, operas, ballparks, hospitals and even sprung for some swanky NY Yankee logos for TAMPA cop cars so I guess he is seen as saint.

umm I worked directly with all time Yankee greats before and after GSs time.  I worked directly with Yankees employees behind the scenes.  Not one of them doesnt have benefits.  your facts are asinine. 

I also dont know one Yanks fan who boycotts games because of concessions or disagrees with the vision the man had.  He built an empire.  He is a success story beyond what you can ever imagine. 

I wonder who is more disgrunted the so called non benefit yanks employee or the Rays season ticket sales telemarketer working mostly off commission. 

You may hate the Yankees but to talk bad about a legend  for the mlb the day he dies is ignorant.