The Worst Thing In The World Happened...

The Yankees won the World Series.  For a Yankee-hater such as myself, who was admittedly an obnoxious presence to both the Yankee fans in the bar where I watched the Bombers lose Game 1 and my Yankee fan friends and acquaintances throughout the playoffs, this is the worst thing that could have happened.  

I mention all of this not in attempt to gain your sympathy, but because it's important to note that the rest of this post my be coming from a biased perspective, and probably is.

But the idea that the Yankees are shoving down our throats--that their ailing boss, George Steinbrenner, "deserved" this championship--is utterly ridiculous.  It's news to me that George Steinbrenner deserves anything.  In his prime, he routinely terrorized and bullied his underlings, including successful Yankee managers like Billy Martin and Dick Howser.  It seems like a long time ago, but he ran the Yankees into the ground when he couldn't check his ego at the door, and he was SUSPENDED from baseball for trying to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield.  The fans would boo George, and there were empty seats at the Stadium.

That was his prime.  Now, the image that the Yankees are putting forth is that he's a sweet old grandfatherly type, and maybe that's what he's become as he's aged.  But shouldn't a person be judged during the prime of his or her life, as opposed to their later years when they need help going to the bathroom?

Many fans would respond by citing Steinbrenner's indefatigable efforts to satisfy their desire to win, as if he's some selfless sports philanthropist.  WHAT ELSE COULD HE DO?  That's the business of sports.  If the fans sense you don't care about winning, they are not going to come, especially when it's no secret that the Yankees are the wealthiest team in baseball.  I'm not saying that Steinbrenner doesn't have passion to win--clearly, he does--but the passion is part of an act to get people to buy into his product.

Derek Jeter made it clear that he wanted to "win it for George."  If someone was paying me a 9 figure salary, I'd probably want to make them happy, too.

In the end, the Yankees are his team, and Jeter, Cashman and the rest can dedicate the World Series to whomever they want.  But let's not change history; one of the most odious tyrants in sports history may be succumbing to old age, but he was still an odious tyrant.