Hank Steinbrenner Makes New York Yankees Interesting Again

I know I’ve said this on Bleacher Report before, but it bears repeating: 

I love Hank Steinbrenner.

Hank Steinbrenner is the best thing to happen to baseball since the designated hitter (purists be damned!).

Since he took over for the late George Steinbrenner (he is dead, right?), it’s been entertaining Hank quote after entertaining Hank quote.

Ask Hank about Boston fans booing poor, cheating, drug user Andy Pettitte (or any of the many, many Yankee HGH and steroid users) and he responds with this beauty:

"I don't think they would want to be hollering too loud at Andy up in Fenway. They had plenty of players doing this stuff, too. It's just that those players weren't mentioned in the Mitchell Report."

An MLB owner implying that the Mitchell Report was incomplete and the drug problem in baseball is even worse than believed?  Especially with the defending champions? 

Fantastic! High-five, Bud Selig!

And when his team has a few ill-advised dustups with the Tampa Bay Rays during some meaningless Spring Training games?   You can count on Hank to stoke the flames a little bit with comments like this:

"I don't want these teams in general to forget who subsidizes a lot of them...I would prefer if teams want to target the Yankees that they at least start giving some of that revenue sharing and luxury tax money back."

Think you can get away with questioning his ridiculous treatment of the great Joe Torre? 

Absolutely not!

"Where was Joe's career in '95 when my dad hired him? My dad was crucified for hiring him ... Let's not forget what my dad did in giving him that opportunity—and the great team he was handed."

His response after being told about the existence of a “Red Sox Nation” is classic Steinbrenner:

"Red Sox Nation?  What a bunch of [expletive] that is.  That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.  Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

The Red Sox closer dares suggest that Hank should keep his mouth shut and “stick to pencil pushing”?  Hank’s ready for that one too.

"Being insulted by Papelbon is like being attacked by a mouse."

The best thing about Hank Steinbrenner: Yankee fans are secretly as terrified of Hank as non-Yankee fans are entertained by him.  

They all know he will eventually go crazy, fire either the manager or the general manager, and make some completely insane signing or trade. 

Or he'll do something completely ridiculous like claiming victory in the Alex Rodriguez negotiations...then paying him almost $100,000,000 more than any other player..even though nobody else was bidding for his services.

Great job, Hank! 

He’s already compared Joe Girardi to a sober Billy Martin.  Don’t be surprised if the Yankees morph back into the Bronx is Burning

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