Legacy vacated? Where’s the passion and commitment to win world championships?
A few baseball owners have spoken about the Los Angeles Dodgers spending more than $450 million in the club’s attempt to repeat as world champs. But what’s interesting is that small-market owners haven’t been vocal. It’s the Dodgers’ big-market competitors, including the Cubs and Yankees. Never mind that those clubs own regional sports networks and seem to have various other means to print cash.
In New York, complaining is another way for Hal Steinbrenner to destroy the legacy his father built. He should know better. Yankees fans don’t want to hear him cry. Let’s face reality: New York is in a market that can attract the best players, and the franchise’s pedigree is unquestionable.
Yes, we can criticize the late George Steinbrenner all we want because he would do this or that and seemingly anything else he wanted. But one thing you couldn’t do is question his love for the Yankees and their history. He spent to win to protect and advance the Yankees’ legacy.
Hal? He isn’t George and will never be. Like many baseball owners, he seems more interested in cash flow. So, it’s easy to understand why Yankees fans are frustrated. They pay expensive fees to attend the games and pay their monthly cable bill. They want a return for their product, and that outcome has been in short supply. The Yankees went to the World Series this past season for the first time since 2009 and then left that series with their 15-year championship drought intact.
Photo courtesy New York Post
How would George Steinbrenner feel about that? You know the answer. Worse yet, is there evidence that things will change? I think not. Here are five reasons. The Bronx Bombers should have signed Corbin Burnes, who signed with the Diamondbacks. Juan Soto should have never been allowed to sign with the Mets, and the Yankees should grab the Mets’ Pete Alonso. On the pitching side, NYY should have signed just about every reliever in the market, and inking Carlos Estevez as the setup guy for newly acquired Devin Williams would have made sense.
What gets me is that they signed Paul Goldschmidt because the price was right. Are you going to tell me he is better than Alonso? You can’t. Imagine Alonso hitting balls out of Yankee Stadium, especially in the short right-field porch.
You would think that the younger Steinbrenner should have been motivated to spend after losing to the Dodgers, including how the Yankees lost. Sure, they may get another E-ZPass to a World Series appearance, but the team hasn’t stepped up to challenge the Dodgers or other primetime NL clubs, like the Phillies, Braves, Phillies, and let’s not forget the Mets. The bottom line is that the Yankees are not good enough to compete with those NL contenders. Why? Their starting rotation is questionable, and their offense is home run or bust.
Furthermore, I’m not convinced that the younger Steinbrenner covets championships as his father did. Notice that he rarely, if ever, talks about it. He seems satisfied when his team makes more money and operates in the black. Success!
Hal is not his father, and he will never be.
