Kuzul

I am the George Steinbrenner Plaque.

I am 760 pounds of solid bronze living in my new digs in Monument Park.  I’m seven feet wide, wider than CC Sabathia is tall. And I’m five feet tall, taller than CC Sabathia is wide.

I dwarf all these other plaques around me of famous Yankees.  Because I am the Boss.  People walk by and look my way and say, “God, look at the size of that plaque.”  It’s 35 square feet of STEINBRENNER! 

When I say I am bronze, I mean it.  I’m the color all these young muscle builders at the beach yearn to be. 

Hey you, Joe DiMaggio plaque!  How do you like ME now that I’m next door to you?  Are you able to get a Mr. Coffee out here, Mr. Joe DiMaggio plaque?  Does the ghost of Marilyn Monroe float by and say, “That’s my Joe’s plaque?”

Hey you, Babe Ruth plaque!  Mr. Bambino, I’m in your house now.  Aren’t you going to look my way?  What’s the matter, Babe? You think I don’t belong here with all the Yankee greats because I didn’t play ball?  I BUILT this new stadium; I mean GEORGE STEINBRENNER built this stadium.  I’m his plaque.  I belong. 

Hey kid, I see you looking at the Mickey Mantle plaque.  Why don’t you come over here and look at me?  Am I too big for you?  Yeah, get your Dad, have him come over here.  Read ME!  

Why does your Dad say my coat looks crumpled?  That’s the way they do a plaque, kid.  If my coat were smooth, it wouldn’t be interesting. 

Ask your Dad who was responsible for building this new stadium.  See that little girl over there?  She’s cute, huh?  Maybe she’ll come look at me…hang around, kid. 

The sun is just starting to shine in my direction.  Patina, kid!!!  Look at the richness of my bronze.  Check out the depth of me. That, kid, is what you call your bas-relief.  No, wait a minute, it’s actually your high relief.  Boss gets the HIGH relief.    Not all cast bronze plaques get this much relief.  Only the important ones.

I got so much relief I’m almost a statue. Pigeons have tried to land on my shoulder. Pigeons!   And check out my border; that’s one inch thick, kid.  Go ahead, you can touch it. You can’t hurt me, because I’m made of BRONZE.  Big Bronze in the Bronx. He’s the Bronx Bomber. I’m the Bronze Bomber. Get it, kid?

Hey, Mickey’s Plaque, did you see the kid checking me out?  He’s looking at you and you weigh 120 pounds!  I weigh 760 pounds.  Do you hear that, Mickey’s plaque?  You weigh less than Pee Wee Reese.  You weigh less than Wee Willie Keeler.  You guys are all shrimp plaques.  You were good ball players, but your plaques are shrimps.

Hey kid. Be sure to tell your friends to take a tour. Tell them, if they want to see the most gigantous, beautiful plaque in the world, come out here.  Thanks, kid.

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This past Monday, the New York Yankees unveiled the largest plaque ever displayed in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium, a seven-by-five-foot, 760-pound monument dedicated to the Yankees long-time owner, George Steinbrenner, towers over the plaques dedicated to Yankee legends Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio.

Some people believe that the monument is too large. Others believe that the plaque is appropriate.

Given Steinbrenner‘s impact on the Yankee brand, its size is justified for the larger-than-life Yankee owner, and here are two reasons why.

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Yogi Berra managed the New York Yankees to their fifth consecutive pennant in 1964, which tied the record for most consecutive pennants by a team, but the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Yankees in the World Series.

Yogi was relieved of his managerial duties, and in a bizarre move, Cardinals manager Johnny Keane took over the Yankees’ reins.

In 1984, Yogi again became the Yankees manager, and following a third place finish, 17 games behind the World Champion Detroit Tigers, Yogi was among those who wondered about his status.

Mr. George Steinbrenner assured Yogi that he would manage his team the entire 1985 season.

Yogi would not be fired.

“Yogi will be the manager this year. A bad start will not affect Yogi’s status.”

The team started poorly. After 16 games, the Yankees had won only six games and were in last place.

Mr. Steinbrenner, the greatest owner in the history of sports (sorry, Jerry Jones and Al Davis), sent general manager Clyde King to inform Yogi that his services were no longer required.

About an hour later, Steinbrenner telephoned Yogi. Billy Martin was the new (and the old) Yankees’ manager. It was the 12th time Steinbrenner had changed managers.

Yogi refused to criticize the Yankees’ owner. “He’s the boss. He can do what he wants. I’m used to this.”

The players refused to comment when they learned the news, but Don Baylor, after reading the prepared statement given to reporters, kicked over a trash can.

One baseball journalist wrote:

“…the principal owner has known that it wouldn’t be easy to drop Yogi—a symbol of whatever class the Yankees have left.”

He then commented on Billy Martin.

“But no matter what Billy Martin does, he’s just another interim Yankee manager, as they all are in George Steinbrenner‘s tyrannical regime.”

Yogi Berra didn’t speak much. His actions spoke for him.

In 1988, Yogi and legendary catcher Bill Dickey, who, Yogi once said, “Taught me his experience,” were given plaques in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. But Yogi was still convinced that Steinbrenner had gone back on his word and he didn’t attend.

Ten years later, Mr. Steinbrenner and Yogi mended fences.

Steinbrenner visited Yogi and he apologized.

It was believed that two factors finally forced the Yankees owner to take action. One was a guilty conscience and the other was the influence of the greatest of all center fielders.

“I got very close to Joe DiMaggio at the end,” Steinbrenner said. “He would point that finger at me and say, ‘You’ve got to get him back.’ You have to believe Joe is smiling today.”

References:

By MICHAEL MARTINEZ Special to The New York Times. (1985, April 29). Berra Dismissed by Steinbrenner; Martin Rehired to Manage Yanks :Berra Dismissed. New York Times (1923-Current file),p. A1. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2006). (Document ID: 118849488).

Dave Anderson. (1985, April 29). Sad Switch For Yanks :Sad Switch For Yanks. New York Times (1923-Current file),C1. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2006). (Document ID: 118849642).

Yogi Returns

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Let’s start with a serious question today: Should Monument Park be renamed STEINBRENNER SHRINE (& Assorted Other Dead Guys)?

I’m not even joking. Babe Ruth has been dethroned as the biggest star in the cave tucked beneath Mohegan Sun’s bar, and he’s been replaced by a guy who a) never played a game, b) had a male F.U.P.A., and c) exclusively wore white turtlenecks.

This actually happened.

Steinbrenner’s monument is a beast. It measures 7 feet across and 5 feet high across its bronze face. It weighs 760 pounds, or roughly one Hideki Irabu. The shrine positively towers over monuments to Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Miller Huggins, which are all 2 feet by 3 feet.

I suppose this can’t be considered a surprise. The “George would have wanted it this way!” sentiment probably ran pretty deep within the organization and son Fredo Hank Steinbrenner likely demanded the dimensions as one final “Am I good enough for you now…DAD?!?” gesture.

Amazingly, this may not have even been the oddest subplot of the night.

Enter Joseph Paul Torre. With the Dodgers off Monday, management invited the former Yankees manager and Don Mattingly to the ceremony. And while it was great to see a beaming Donnie Baseball reveling in his newly-minted managerial glow, this didn’t seem like the right circumstance to bring Torre back.

In case you’ve forgotten, things have been, well, awkward between Torre and the Yankees since his departure from the organization in 2007. After making the playoffs 12 straight years, the Yankees told Torre he would have to take a pay cut to stay on as manager, which prompted his exit and eventual tell-all book that basically read like a 512-page breakup note.

You could tell the fans wanted to give Torre the welcome he deserved, but the circumstances dictated a subdued response. And with Vegas listing a 283 percent probability rate of Torre managing the Mets next season, we’ll probably have to wait at least a couple more years before New York’s prodigal manager can properly come home.

It was an unusual night to say the least, all done in the big, loud, “Pomp and Circumstance” nature that the Yankees have perfected over the years. Oh, and they beat the Rays to increase their lead in the AL East. I’ve got a feeling that would’ve been ol’ George’s favorite part of the night.

Actually, it’d probably still be the massive shrine. It’d definitely be the massive shrine.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached via e-mail at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.

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In one line I will say this: Anything but a World Series in the year of the loss of George M. Steinbrenner, would be a disappointment. 

The best and highest paid team in baseball needs to be motivated after tonight’s emotional memorial for George Steinbrenner. Watching the memorial I saw a man standing at the right field foul pole with a sign saying, “Win one for The Boss.” I know it is easier said than done to win a World Series, but a repeat for The Boss would even make rival managers melt down in tears. 

The Yankees and the Rays meet today and it also brings a question to mind: Is it more important to play the Twins in the divisional series by winning the wild card? The Twins are a team the Yankees don’t find trouble with in the playoffs, or the other scenario is this: the Yankees could go all out and win the American League East. This meaning that they would play arguably the best team in baseball, the Texas Rangers. I would rather let the veterans take a breather, lose the division and home field advantage, and meet Tampa in the ALCS without breaking a sweat. 

My closest encounter with Mr. Steinbrenner was before opening day 2009 at the New Yankee Stadium. I went to meet Reggie Jackson at his hotel to get his autograph and I found out that the Steinbrenner’s were staying there. My dad and I were pressed for time before the game. The first Steinbrenner appeared outside. It was Hank. A man in the news all of the offseason. This before I learned not to get starstruck during interviews. I walked over to Hank, who was smoking and chatting with body guards, BlackBerry on “Voice Recorder” in hand, and asked Hank as low as I could speak and as fast, “My name is Brad Wolff, I am 13, and write a sports blog. Can I ask you a few questions please?” I lost the interview once I didn’t know how to save. I think I may have asked 2 or 3 questions including, “What is it like owning the Yankees?” He responded, “It’s great.” I walked away as Mr. October walked out. I got his signature on a ball I caught at the stadium from the day he was inducted into Monument Park. He signed it and my dad got a call from my mom. My mom and brother were on their way to the stadium and thought we should make our way there. We went on the subway moments after, as I never got the opportunity to witness George M. Steinbrenner in front of my eyes, not through a television.

The Yankees got bombed that day as I sat in the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar above monument park. I predicted the first home run (Jorge Posada) and remember a Shin Soo Choo homer to right field. All throughout the first blow out and the nice new ballpark, I wondered what meeting George would be like. Would he have a conversation with me or go right in his limo? Now it’s just a lingering thought in my head as the Boss’ legacy lives on.

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Via the NY Post:

Joe Torre and Don Mattingly will attend the unveiling of George Steinbrenner’s monument in Monument Park, according to multiple people with knowledge of the names who will be on hand at Yankee Stadium.

The Steinbrenner family invited people with ties to The Boss, and Torre and Mattingly responded by telling the Steinbrenners they will attend.

Having Torre and Mattingly on hand is a significant event since they are such big parts of recent Yankee history.

Torre guided the Yankees to World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000, and led the Yankees to 12 straight playoff appearances. Mattingly is one of the marquee names for a franchise loaded with them, and has a plaque in Monument Park.

Speaking Friday, GM Brian Cashman attempted to explain there was no animosity between the organization and Torre.

“There are no issues with Joe Torre and the Yankees,’’ Cashman said. “The issue was his rejecting the offer. Without question he is welcome.’’

 

This news makes a big event even bigger. Since the Yankees and  Joe Torre parted ways the Yankees have pretty much ignored one of the biggest managers in their history. It was immature and it’s a huge step toward the fences being mended.

He’s sure to get a big hand, and Don Mattingly being involved will make this a pretty special night. Mattingly, who was once considered the future manager of the Yankees, was recently named the next manager of the Dodgers and proud Yankee fans will surely give him an extra huge ovation to show how proud they are with the former Yankee captain.

Related Stories

• September 17, 2010—Mattingly To Become Next Dodgers Manager
• June 28, 2010—Cano and Mo Steal the Show: Yankees Comeback to Beat the Dodgers in 10 Innings
• June 24, 2010—Yankees Notes: Mariano, Granderson, A-Rod, Torre
• June 21, 2010—Interleague sets up World Series Rematches for Yankees

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This past week, Major League Baseball witnessed one of the best three-game, going-for-the-division slug fests in history.  Three one-run games.  Two extra inning games.  Cy Young caliber pitching.  Heavy hitting.  Seven lead changes.

The New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays clash featured playoff-caliber baseball, a preview of next week’s four game set in New York, and a preview of the potential ALCS opponents. 

Next week’s games could very well determine who wins the best division chase baseball has ever seen.  Throughout baseball’s 120-plus year history, at no time have two teams with this good of records been in the same division, and still duking it out for the division crown.

Consider New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman less than impressed.

“We’re in this thing to win a World Series. Our focus is a World Series, not 10 years from now being known as division champions.”

Why does this sound like a spoiled rich kid who lost his lollipop, but acts like he didn’t want it in the first place?  Your focus is not on the division?  If you can’t beat a team for the division, how can you beat a team, or any team, for that matter in the post-season?

This is the Yankees we are talking about, right?  Where winning is everything?  The team who is built on a nearly 200 million dollar payroll with the purpose of being better than every other team?  And you can’t win the division?

There is no way anyone would have muttered these words if George Steinbrenner was still around, and in charge.  I’m pretty sure George would have fired him on the spot for saying that. 

Why? 

Because they are the Yankees and winning is everything, and second place is always unacceptable.  Even the division.

If anything, maybe this is an indictment on baseball’s playoff format.  If winning the division can be scoffed at, then maybe the team that wins the division isn’t getting the advantage it should be getting.  Maybe they should be getting more home games.  Maybe you increase the Wild Cards to two, and the top division champ gets a bye like in football.

But Cashman says his reasons for not focusing on the division is because he is looking at the bigger picture.

“If you’re not World Series champions, nothing else matters. Nobody really remembers.” 

The bottom line is all that matters.  It’s hard to argue with that.  But how do you get to be the best?  By beating the best.  At the end of the day, the Yankees have faced off with the Rays 14 times.  The Rays, and not the Yankees have gotten the better of the head-to-head-matchup, 8-6.  Even at Yankee Stadium, the Rays own a slight edge, 3-2.  In the second half, against the Cliff Lee upgraded Rangers, the Yankees are 1-4.

And even though a team in your own division has been better than you, you still say your focus is on the World Series and not the division?  How can you say you have a clear sight on the “bigger picture” when you are ignoring the biggest thing that is standing in your way?

“That doesn’t mean we’re conceding anything. We could have swept the whole series but we didn’t. Tampa won those games and you have to give them credit. We’ll live to fight another day.”

Could have?  Is this the same “could have” but instead got swept by the Rangers?  Which is it—these games matter or they don’t?  How do you say you could have won the series? The man who touts the “bottom line” mantra is trying to now sugar coat the bottom line?

One thing is for sure, these aren’t your father’s Yankees. 

The rotation is spotty behind Sabathia.  The team still has its classic Bronx Bomber power, but it is lacking career-average production from its big names.  The bullpen outside of Rivera has questions.

This team isn’t as iron-clad as it was last year.  But don’t worry.  Only 1-4 in their last 5 games against Texas?  No problem.  Winning the division?  You know what, second place isn’t so bad.

You have a general manager who believes you’ll fight another day, without beating the best. 

Maybe the “another day” he’s referring to is Spring Training. 

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Before inter-league play, the New York Yankees played the New York Mets in an annual exhibition game for the Mayor’s Trophy. The proceeds went to charity, usually sandlot baseball.

Players on both teams didn’t care much about winning the game. It was, after all, merely an exhibition game, but for the fans, it was much more, especially for one Yankees’ fan.

George M. Steinbrenner became the principle owner of what had become New York’s “other” team in 1973. His primary goal was to change that, which meant the Yankees had to be better than the Mets.

From 1974-76, the Yankees won the game, but the Mets won in 1977.

The 1978 game was played on April 27, at Yankee Stadium, before 9,792 fans who braved temperatures that dipped below 50 degrees.

It wasn’t fun for the players, who just wanted to get the game over, but Brian Doyle, a little second baseman who would become crucial to the Yankees in the World Series, was trying to make an impression on Yankees’ manager Billy Martin.

Doyle might have been the only player on either team who didn’t care how the game ended, as long as it ended quickly.

Twice, with the bases loaded and one out, Doyle made great diving stops of ground balls and turned each into an inning-ending double play.

“I was trying to show everybody I could play. I was giving 110 percent,” Doyle told reporters.

“After my first play, nobody congratulated me. I thought, well, I’m just doing my job. But after the second one, all the guys were just ragging me. It was pretty funny.”

Not to Steinbrenner, and the players knew it, especially Brian Doyle.

“That game meant as much to George as the World Series and he was up in the box.”

The game was tied, 3-3 in the 11th inning, when Mets’ catcher Ron Hodges hit a ground ball to third.

Graig Nettles, considered by some to be the best of all Yankees’ third basemen, fielded the bouncer but threw the ball about 10 feet over first baseman Chris Chambliss’ head. Hodges wound up at second when the ball went into the stands, but the Mets couldn’t score.

Sparky Lyle, in The Bronx Zoo , claimed that Nettles deliberately messed up the throw to first, an accusation that Nettles denied.

The Yankees finally won in the 13th inning when Fran Healy pulled off a successful squeeze play, scoring Jim Spencer.

George Steinbrenner cared. Most of the fans cared. Brian Doyle’s motivation was self-interest.

Admittedly, self-interest is probably the most powerful of all motivating factors, but so is pride.

The late New York Yankees owner had pride in his team. He had pride in his players, although some players lacked pride in themselves and their team.

When Brian Doyle saved the game twice, the players were disappointed. What a disgrace.

Forget that it was an exhibition game. It was a game against the Mets. That made it worth winning.

A few short years ago, the Yankees opened up the spring exhibition season against the Boston Red Sox. The game was sold out, and some fans had to pay many times face value to see an exhibition game.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a game that doesn’t count in the standings. When a player takes the field, he must care and try his hardest.

Joe DiMaggio said it best.

“There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time, I owe him my best.”

The Yankees owed their fans and George Steinbrenner their best.

References:

Post, Paul and Ed Lucas. “Some Major Leaguers Recall Embarrassing Moments.” Baseball Digest , Nov. 1999.

Sporting News , Apr. 4, 1951.

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On a night when hearts were heavy and tears were plentiful, the New York Yankees Nick Swisher capped a momentous evening with a single in the bottom of the 9th inning. The single, Swisher’s third hit of the night, scored Curtis Granderson with the winning run in a 5-4 victory at Yankee Stadium–the House the Boss Built.

With tremendous tributes to both former principal owner George Steinbrenner and public address announcer Bob Sheppard (who also was a former cast member of the Seinfeld series *), the Yankees won in walk off fashion with Swisher’s third hit, and third RBI, of the night.

The drama and circumstances were eerily similar to the August 6, 1979 tribute game ** to the late Thurman Munson (my favorite player) when Munson’s great friend, Bobby Murcer, hit a walk-off, two-run single to win that Monday night baseball game.

The Captain’s funeral was earlier that day in Canton, OH, and Murcer gave one of the eulogies, then hit a three-run homer in the 7th inning that night before the two-run opposite field single in the 9th.

Murcer drove in all five runs that night in the Yankees 5-4 win, the same score they won by on tribute night to the boss and the voice.

It was fitting that Swisher, who went to Ohio State (where Steinbrenner once coached football and as a native Ohioan was an avid Buckeye supporter), had the same type of game in support of “Big Stein” that Murcer did for Munson, another native.

Swisher ended the night 3 for 5, with three RBI, including a mammoth HR in the 8th inning to tie the game at 4-4.

It was a big night for all Yankees and Yankee fans, fitting that “The Boss” was presented with a classic Yankee style victory.

George M. Steinbrenner would have demanded that type of finish, and not expected it any other way.

*Sheppard’s voice can be heard in three different Seinfeld episodes. One was at Giants Stadium, with Sheppard asking Elaine’s boyfriend, “Will Joel Rifkin please report to the stadium office.” The next two are scenes set at Yankee Stadium where Elaine will not remove her Baltimore Orioles hat and another episode when the Miss America contestants are announced. “Poise, poise, poise!”

**Another great thing about this game is that Ron Guidry, who got the win, pitched a complete game despite allowing nine hits and four earned runs. He also struck out nine and his pitch count must have been somewhere around 125 or more.

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Yankee Stadium, both the Old and the New, has seen its fair share of dramatics.

On Friday night, Yankee lore honored the passing of two great men that meant much more to the Yankee franchise and the game of baseball than can ever be expressed in words.

Thursday afternoon, designs for the commemorative patches to honor Yankee Principal Owner George Steinbrenner and long-time Public Address Announcer Bob Sheppard were released. Friday evening, they made their debut.

Bob Sheppard manned the PA booth at Yankee Stadium for 57 years, announcing over 4,500 games during his tenure. The Yanks adorned his circular patch, a microphone placed in the center of a baseball diamond with his name, on the left sleeves of their uniforms.

But “The Voice of Yankee Stadium” would not be alone.

On an elliptical patch sat the initials “GMS” in the middle with “George M. Steinbrenner III” arched over the top and “The Boss” lining the bottom of the patch. Fittingly, the GMS patch was placed above the interlocking NY—just above the heart.

Steinbrenner bought the Yankees from CBS in 1973 for $8.8 million. Today, the Yankees’ estimated value hovers around $1.8 billion.

Both patches will, of course, remain on the team uniforms for the duration of the season.

But the honoring and commemoration did not stop there.

Prior to tonight’s game at Yankee Stadium, the first home game since the passing of Sheppard and Steinbrenner, a tribute was made by the Yankees, the opposing Rays, and the fans.

In addition to the video remembrance, Yankee closer Mariano Rivera laid two roses across home plate. The captain, Derek Jeter, was invited to say a few words regarding both The Boss and The Voice.

George Steinbrenner’s close relationship to the Army’s West Point Academy earned both himself and Bob Sheppard a house call from Army officers to present the colors and play taps prior to a moment of silence. It was a silence that was described by YES Network telecasters as so silent, the train beyond the right field fence could be heard rushing by as well as the half-mast flags whipping in the breeze.

But all these tributes still weren’t enough. This is, of course, New York, and these are the Yankees.

To honor Public Address Announcer Bob Sheppard, the PA booth remained empty for the duration of the game. No player names were announced coming to the plate, nor were any other sounds coming from the PA booth. Any noise made in the stadium came from the teams, and the spectators.

The Yankees did, however, play tribute videos on their centerfield monitor in-between innings.

Even before C.C. Sabathia hurled the first pitch to the plate, everyone knew the Yankees were playing with heavy hearts, and that was evident on the scoreboard.

For the first six innings, the Yankees struggled to get any kind of offense going, taking a 3-1 deficit into the sixth inning while only earning two hits.

Perhaps it was the somber crowd affecting the team, or maybe it was the other way around.

With two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the sixth, Robinson Cano lined a laser shot out to centerfield that just made it over the fence. He delivered it into the Yankee bullpen—directly next to the partition of Monument Park.

The spotlight soon shifted when Jorge Posada hit a towering homer on a 3-0 fastball to the second deck in right field to tie the score at three.

It wouldn’t be until the eighth inning when Nick Swisher, who was robbed of a home run earlier in the game by Rays’ rightfielder Gabe Kapler, would send a shot that no one could take back to the upper deck in right field. This came after the Rays had previously retaken the lead in the seventh.

Swisher was responsible for the Yanks’ first run in the third when he laced an RBI single down the rightfield line.

With Curtis Granderson sitting on second base in the bottom of the ninth inning, it was, again, Swisher who came through, dropping a walk-off base hit into right field to score Granderson.

It would have been fitting if Jeter had gotten the game-winning hit. But when asked about it after the game, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said, in a broken voice and with evident emotion, that The Boss cared about the win—and that is what was delivered to him tonight in dramatic walk-off fashion.

George M. Steinbrenner                                                                                

July 4, 1930-July 13, 2010

Bob Sheppard                                                                                        

October 20, 1910-July 11, 2010

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