9001290789
DETROIT FREE PRESS
900801
Wednesday, August 01, 1990
METRO FINAL
1E
MITCH ALBOM
SEE ALSO METRO EDITION, Page 1E
Copyright (c) 1990, Detroit Free Press
BOSS STEINBRENNER FIT LIKE GLOVE IN NEW YORK
It takes more than being rich, arrogant and egotistical to turn off New
York City. You have to be a loser as well. Only when George Steinbrenner sank
to this sin did the Big Apple really turn to the hangmen and say: "Get him!"
This, despite the fact that for many years, Steinbrenner was almost a
necessary evil in his town. Having lived there, I can tell you, most New York
sports fans need someone to hate, they almost enjoy it. Goes with the
territory, like Mace.
Besides, George was perfect for the job. He was a ruthless, crude,
self-centered liar, which means he reminded many New Yorkers of someone they
knew, usually a neighbor.
He wasn't just bad, he was New York bad. He inflated the free-agent market
to ridiculous proportion, bidding for guys like Catfish Hunter, Reggie
Jackson and Dave Winfield as if they were jewels on the block at Sotheby's.
And while each may have cost him an unnecessary million here or there, he
didn't flinch, no more than a New Yorker flinches when he pays $1,900 a month
for a room the size of a bookcase.
And, of course, like most New Yorkers, Steinbrenner was always in a mad
rush. Things could never come soon enough. My favorite story is the time he
phoned the apartment of his public relations director, whose roommate answered
the phone.
"Where's my PR director?" Steinbrenner barked.
"He's not here,"' said the roommate.
"Go find him, or you're fired."
The roommate laughed. "Fired? I don't even work for you."
"Then I'll buy the company you work for," Steinbrenner said, "and then
I'll fire you."
Perfect, right? He's Donald Trump.
He wasn't always this unpopular So it is no surprise that Steinbrenner
generated such a healthy hatred in all five boroughs. Or that the headlines
in two Big Apple tabloids Tuesday -- the day after commissioner Fay Vincent
forced him to resign as Yankees general partner because of his $40,000 payment
to known gambler Howard Spira -- read, with apparent glee: "YOU'RE OUT!"
George wasn't always this unpopular. Back in the '70s, when he was buying
every player in sight and building a team of free-swinging, hard-pitching
egomaniacs, the fans in New York were all behind him. They enjoyed the way he
made the other baseball owners look like grandmothers trying to unzip their
change purses. It reminded them that New York was the biggest and brashest
city in the world, even if you can't use a bathroom there without buying a
meal. New Yorkers even nicknamed Steinbrenner "the Boss," a tag usually
reserved for Mafia kings and Bruce Springsteen.
Back then, nobody seemed too upset that Steinbrenner pleaded guilty to
conspiring to make illegal contributions to Richard Nixon's campaign fund, a
felony, or that he was suspended by commissioner Bowie Kuhn following the
plea.
That's because the Yankees were winning. In New York, there is a
difference between being self-centered, bigmouthed and winning, versus
self-centered, bigmouthed and losing. It is the difference between applause
and a bag of manure. It is no coincidence that the day Yankee Stadium cheered
the emasculation of George, his team had the worst record in baseball. For
many New York fans, it wasn't the day baseball stopped a bad man, it was the
day to start talking about "how soon to the next pennant race?"
Will Hank carry the torch? Yes, with his payment to Spira and the lies that
followed, Steinbrenner went from contemptible to flat-out stupid. It was his
downfall. In his testimony before Vincent, he squirmed like a cheap hood tied
to a chair in "Dick Tracy." But, to be honest, before this Spira nonsense,
George basically did things that a lot of New Yorkers would do if they had
money -- particularly those who wear baseball caps to bed and spend their last
dime trying to get through to a sports talk show.
These people don't like the way a guy plays, they scream, "Trade him!" The
Boss did that. They get tired of a manager, they say, "Fire him!" The Boss
did that. They see a good player on another team, they say, "I wish we could
buy him."
The Boss did that.
And now, the Boss is gone, and they are cheering in the Big Apple. But
wait and see what happens if his spot is filled by some dull, plodding
starched-shirt type. They may ask for an appeal.
Personally, I am worried about New Yorkers. First they lost Leona
Helmsley. Then Trump blows his money. Ed Koch is gone. Now Steinbrenner.
Soon, they may be walking the streets with such a surplus of hatred, they
could explode. Boom! Nothing left but a subway token.
Of course, there may be a way around this. Steinbrenner's son, Hank, is
one of the candidates to take over his father's position. And while Vincent
promises Steinbrenner will not be allowed to operate the Yankees through his
child, most New Yorkers figure deep down he'll find a way.
You know what? If the kid starts winning, no one will care. They'll make
him a saint. And if he loses, well, he's just his father's son. Lots of
folks in New York are talking about justice -- and they don't even know who
Howie Spira is. They mean justice that the Yanks can get back on top. Winning,
after all, has always been the real core of the Big Apple.