Who?

Some guy from the United Kingdom.

They play baseball in the UK?

I wouldnt know, though at last check, I have about a dozen hits from across the pond, so maybe one of you guys can fill me in.
Then again, if the WBC is any guide, then (American) baseball isnt played in Europe.

Anyway, what has this scumbag done to deserve my brown-tinted spotlight? Well…

Hating the Yankees is about as American as rainouts, war protests and redneck weddings, and it takes place an aweful lot.
The most celebrated form of Yankee-Hating is was taking shots at the owner, George Steinbrenner and everything he represented (as in: cash, money, green, dead presidents, currency)…though for the time being, its taboo to do so, on account of George having died. Even Boston fans are easing up on the hate, out or respect, for the greatest owner in baseball sports history.

Enter Mr Cohen…

Heres a f*cking love letter if Ive ever read one: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jul/15/george-steinbrenner-loser-baseball

Granted, Steinbrenner had his low points (all of the 1980s come to mind) but Cohen paints the man as having no redeeming qualities whatsoever, when that couldnt be any farther from the truth.

“Steinbrenner was a laughable figure in the comedy series Seinfeld with nothing funny about him. He was a generous man whose many donations we never heard about – as anyone who follows baseball has heard about constantly for the past 35 years – who was breathtakingly cruel and petty.”

So, its not a good deed unless you tell the world in explicit detail about it? pass.
GOOGLE THAT SH!T if you really want to know.

Of coarse Cohen makes it a point to bring up every anti-Steinbrenners favorite point: Steinbrenners 2nd suspension from baseball paved the way for the modern dynasty.
…not entirely true. Yeah, the suspension allowed the Yankees to promote from within, which helped them win in 1996. But 1997 proved that it wouldnt be enough to create a dynasty. The offseason following the Yankees’ ALDS elimination was classic Steinbrenner dealings. Fill in the holes in the lineup with the best talent available on the market. From that, the 125 win 1998 season was possible.
The recent dynasty was set up by George’s suspension, but it wouldnt have survived without him.

I really dont get it. Every other sport its ok to do whatever it takes to win. F*ck, in Europe, cities riot whenever a soccer game doesnt end well. And dont feed me this “its 162 games/marathon” bullsh!t either. That doesnt change anything. Last I checked, wanting to win every game is a good thing when competing against other teams. Baseball is a marathon, but so is every other sports season.

Another thing I dont get, spending money on your team is bad? Only in baseball?
The NBAs Boston Celtics last championship was more or less bought and paid for with their free agant signings. Hell, Cleveland is burning down as I type because LeBron James is going to Miami, who (like the Celtics and Yankees) have swallowed up the best players for their team.
The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and the New York Yankees.
All 3 aquired and paid for the best talent and are under pressure to win because of it…but only the Yankees are criticized because of it.
The Yankees are criticized for their expensive new stadium…while the NFLs Dallas Cowboys and their Steinbrenner type owner built a new stadium more expensive then the combined payroll of the NFC North Division, but nobody criticizes them.

lets see…

what else can I disprove from this idiot…ah, here we go…

” In his last gasp of conceit before formally ceding control of the team to his son Hank, Steinbrenner orchestrated the dismissal of manager Joe Torre, who’d led the Yankees to the postseason for 12 consecutive years.”

This one is easy…Torre left us, not the other way around. We offered him a deal that still wouldve made him among the highest paid managers, if not THE highest paid manager, and he said no, then left.
Torre left because he was sick of the pressure to win. Sure he led to 4 championships, but that was almost a decade ago at the time and what Yankee wouldnt be impatient at that point. The Yankees offered him a deal that would pay additional money for every playoff win…and Torre said “no thanks” then left the Yankees.

Dont say George ran Torre out of town because at a certain point, you need to understand how it works in NY. Dont say you understand how things work with Steinbrenner then cry when he insults you. Torre served the Yankees well, then simply got tired of winning and went to manage the Dodgers.

Anyone who knew anything about Steinbrenner knew he had his redeeming qualities that made him tolerable. To not understand that makes me question what credentials you have to even write about the man…then again, what credentials does a guy who writes for UK based news have to write about an American sport icon in the 1st place?

 

…BTW, like the last time, feel free to comment to this t w at-waffle over why hes wrong. Im sure he’d love to hear from you.

……BTW again, I feel the best overall response would be to wait for an iconic European sports figure to die, then write an article about how sh!tty a person they were…but that would require me to actually give a sh!t about European sports…

………BTW again again, I just love how this guy cant even show his face for his own acticle. Also how, according to his profile, “Muhammad Cohen, a native New Yorker in exile” I wonder if thats because he once worked for the Yankees but got fired by George.
Hell, that explains Tim McCarvers hatered…