Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner Passes Away

The New York Yankees always found a way to remain in the news during George Steinbrenner’s time as the team’s owner. On this day in 2010, the colorful, and often controversial, Yankees owner passed away due to a massive heart attack in his home in Tampa, Florida.

It is safe to say that George Steinbrenner changed baseball. The owner of the New York Yankees, Steinbrenner was one of the first owners to spend lavishly in free agency, attracting players like Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson with his impressive offers for their services. He would get involved in the day to day operations of the team, changing managers and front office personnel on a whim. Of course, that also involved Billy Martin being hired, and fired, four times. At least he got his number retired for that.

Regardless of what thought of Steinbrenner, the baseball world lost a true giant when he passed away on this date in 2010 due to a heart attack. He had given more control of the team to his song Hal, as he had been struggling with his health in the past few years, but he was always willing to share his thoughts on the Yankees and the team at large. He also still had that same competitive desire, and the overwhelming urge to win, no matter what it cost financially.

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That desire was seen in his actions in free agency and in the dugout. He signed the best players available, bringing in Dave Winfield, Eddie Whitson, Rickey Henderson, David Cone, Roger Clemens, and others, opening the vaults any time someone came available. He would micromanage every aspect, firing managers if the team had a slow start, or changing the general manager if the team he put together did not perform to Steinbrenner’s lofty expectations.

Of course, it was not just his hijinks with the ballclub that Steinbrenner was known for. He was suspended from baseball twice, first for an illegal contribution to Richard Nixon in 1974, and for associating with gamblers during a failed attempt to destroy Winfield’s reputation. He claimed to get into a fistfight with Dodgers fans in an elevator during the 1981 World Series. His love for the attention of the media, at times, seemed to override his idea of discretion, as he would just vent to whoever was around without considering the consequences.

Yet, through it all, no one could question Steinbrenner’s passion for the game, for the Yankees, and for his overwhelming desire to win at all costs. He wanted to build the Yankees into the premier team in baseball, and he did just that twice, making them a powerhouse in the late 1970’s and a dynasty in the mid to late 1990’s.

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George Steinbrenner was a controversial figure in baseball from the moment that he purchased the New York Yankees, but the game was never dull when he was around. A giant on and off the field, Steinbrenner cast a large shadow that will be felt for decades to come.