George Steinbrenner, R.I.P.

"The Boss" is dead. Now, if you don't know who George Steinbrenner was, you're obviously not a baseball fan and should probably stop reading now and click on something else, like the latest video from the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The Boss" schmoozing with the media

George Steinbrenner died Tuesday of a heart attack at his home in Tampa. He was 80 years old, a reasonable age at which to die. I know I'm going to catch a lot of grief from all those citizens of the so-called "Red Sox Nation" who number themselves among my friends and family, but I must always speak (or write) the truth. To do otherwise would make me either a liar or a relativist. And the truth is, I always liked George Steinbrenner.

He was not an easy man to like, at least from a distance. He was sometimes a bully and sometimes a bit of a blowhard and sometimes, to borrow a phrase from Winston Churchill, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. An unpredictable man who nevertheless was remarkably successful in both business and baseball (which to him was far more than a business), he knew how to capture the attention of those who mattered, the players and the fans. And no one ever accused him of being boring.

I suppose I really should have despised the man. After all, he fired two of my favorite childhood players, Yogi Berra and Billy Martin, and did so multiple times. But getting fired by Steinbrenner was really a badge of honor of sorts, and getting fired and then rehired...well, that had to be a sign of the highest respect.

G.S. & Billy Martin (1983)

Despite his abrasive public personality, something he had in common with many driven people, there was a lot to like about George Steinbrenner. He gave more of his money to worthy charities than probably 99% of the folks in his income bracket. He was not the sort who would try to "take it with him." Believe me when I say that, although he might have been disliked by most New Yorkers, he was loved in Tampa. And he was loved not because of who he was, but for what he did. His quiet acts of personal charity are almost legendary. 

Yogi Berra and G.S. (1983)

I didn't know George Steinbrenner personally. I never even met him. Had I known him, I'm pretty sure I still would have liked him. He was just one of those unique, one-of-a-kind persons that I enjoy spending time with. Yes, like all of us he was a sinner, but he was also a devout Catholic who took the Gospel seriously. He might have strayed on occasion, but he knew he had strayed. (Click here for an interesting article in the Boston Archdiocesan newspaper.)

A sign left Tuesday morning at the entrance to the Steinbrenner home

Baseball has lost one of its great personalities. The sport, the players, the fans...we will all miss him.

Requiescat in pace...