In Trinity, FL, some 1,144 miles south of Yankee Stadium, George Steinbrenner, aka “The Boss”, is rolling over in his grave wondering how the Yankees could blow a 10 game lead. While there is still plenty of baseball left, “The Boss” would’ve never let it get this interesting. At the 5 game mark, Steinbrenner would’ve invited himself into the clubhouse for a good ‘ol fashioned tongue lashing. He’d point a finger at Alex Rodriguez, calling him out on his inability to get anything done in the clutch. He would make the note that he is hitting just .227 with RISP on the season. A finger would be pointed at Sabathia, making note about how overweight he is, and that he is the highest paid pitcher in the rotation, yet an aging Hiroki Kuroda has out shined him this season. While Cano is a .303 hitter this season, Steinbrenner would be sure to point out that he is just as crappy with RISP as Rodriguez, making note that he is a .305 hitter when the bases are empty, yet he has only managed to hit .236 with RISP. The truth is, a lot of players on the team have been under-performing ALL season, so this could take awhile.
After going through each player on the team, he would make his way up to the executive office and rip into Hal and Hank informing them that this team has been built to win, and that as executives, they owe it to the fans and the City of New York to win!!! He will remind them of his fiery ways, and how he was able to instill fear in his employees, but at the same time be compassionate. While fans questioned a lot of his business practices, the fact is, it worked! The firings and hiring led the man to 7 championships under his leadership. If only Hank and Hal could show us the same fiery attitude. I used to love hearing the statements that Steinbrenner would release to the media anytime the team was under-performing, or failed to accomplish the ultimate goal of a championship. If he were around today, I believe the following is what we would be hearing and/or reading. I hope Hank and Hal see this, and decide to open their mouths.
Mock statement from George Steinbrenner:
“I want to take a minute to apologize to the fans, and to the great City of New York. There is absolutely no reason why any team should blow a 10 game lead. I assure you that the ship has been steered back on course, and we will work hard for the remainder of the season to bring to the city another World Series Championship.”
