RIP George Steinbrenner 1930 – 2010

George M. Steinbrenner III, aka The Boss, passed away today at the age of 80.  While not wholly unexpected – Steinbrenner had been out of the public eye and rumored to be of poor health for the last few years – it is still a tremendous loss for the game of baseball, one that I feel personally even more than the other losses experienced by the Yankee family.

When I read the news this morning, it was more than just sadness though.  It was sadness, nostalgia, and a kind of emptiness, tinged with a little bit of pride.  Not to be too self-indulgent, but George always reminded me personally of my grandfather who passed away a few years ago, whom I was very close with.  The parallels were abundant: birthdays within a few days of each other, both named George, both started to have health issues around the same time, and they even looked similar.  Most of all though, they were both demanding and kind benefactors.  Sure, they had some of the faults that stubborn and passionate men can have, but it is some of that same will that demanded that they do everything for their family and for those that mattered. I guess that’s where the pride comes from: to use an old sports cliche, you leave it all out on the field. So in some ways, the passing of Steinbrenner gives me a chance to reflect on my own personal loss, even as I lament publicly here the passing of a Yankee legend.

There is no reason to feel bad for George Steinbrenner: he accomplished everything one would hope to accomplish in a lifetime. He oversaw the Yankees ascent to being a perennial winner again – not to mention fielding the greatest team perhaps ever in 1998 – and even built a brand new stadium in the Bronx. There were times when both of those things seemed unlikely. He went out the way anyone would want to: a champion.

Steinbrenner was often a controversial figure. He single-handedly changed the landscape of baseball with the way he handled free agency. He went after the biggest stars and paid them accordingly. The idea of “buying” players invokes some negative feelings amongst many, but Steinbrenner’s ultimate impact upon the game was overwhelmingly positive. In many ways, The Boss was just a huge fan and consequently he wanted to win and he wanted to win cheering for the game’s biggest stars. He made himself part of the game and he made baseball interesting, all while pouring billions of dollars into the sport, creating revenue streams not just for the Yankees, but all of baseball. Unlike other owners who saw their teams as only a way to make money though, Steinbrenner saw his team as a way make an impact.

How do you make an impact? You win. You’ll read a lot of articles in the coming days about how winning the World Series was everything to Steinbrenner, but I think it was deeper than that. Sure, winning the World Series is what he demanded on the field, because that’s how he could best serve the city of NY. But winning also meant giving and I don’t just mean the money spent on baseball. It meant giving everything he could. Steinbrenner gave $1 million dollars to Virginia Tech after their tragic shootings. He donated liberally to other national tragedies, like 9/11 and Katrina.  He donated to countless scholarship funds as well as to his various alma maters. He even donated to Red Sox-affiliated charities. You didn’t have to ask with George; he was there when he was needed.

Sure, there is a level of selfishness and ego that is required to want to win at all costs.  But George didn’t want to just win for himself; he wanted to take all of us along with him. He wanted to win with his family, with his team, with his city, with his fans. And I think today is a good time to say thank you for that and think about others in our lives who want to take us with them. If the goal is to win, then you better do it right.

I never really knew George M. Steinbrenner III, but that is what he means to me and how I choose to remember him.

George, you are missed.

Related Stories

• July 14, 2010 -- Yankees Notes: All-Star Game, Patches, Warren (1)
• July 14, 2010 -- The Passing Of The Torch: Hank and Hal Now Fully In Charge Of Yankees (0)
• July 4, 2010 -- “This One’s For You Boss.” George Steinbrenner, A Man All About Winning (2)
• March 6, 2010 -- Hit and Run: Cervelli is OK, Burnett’s Changeup, and Brackman (0)