Public Persona
During his stewardship of the Yankees, Hank Steinbrenner, like his father, has gained a reputation for being outspoken. He has been criticized by many New York sports columnists for his off-the-cuff remarks that seem to lack forethought. Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently wrote, "Hank Steinbrenner is the owner of the Yankees by DNA accident. He blabs a lot, but does nothing that actually demonstrates leadership."
Steinbrenner voiced his displeasure with the term "Red Sox Nation" in a 2008 interview:
| “ | Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of bullshit that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order. | ” |
In response, Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry inducted him into Red Sox Nation, complete with a membership card giving him access to an array of options, including the group newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats, and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz.
Concerning the Yankees' spring training feud with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, Steinbrenner stated, "I don't want these teams in general to forget who subsidizes a lot of them, and it's the Yankees, the Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets...I would prefer if teams want to target the Yankees that they at least start giving some of that revenue sharing and luxury tax money back. From an owner's point of view, that's my point."
Regarding former Yankees manager Joe Torre, Steinbrenner has said his father did not get enough respect for hiring Torre in 1995, and that Joe Girardi has "...a little more fire in his belly" compared to Torre when it comes to managing. Steinbrenner has gone on to say that he will "support everything does" and " was the manager I wanted, and that's not anything towards Joe Torre. That's the manager we wanted at the time. Times change."
In 2008, Steinbrenner lashed out when Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang was injured while running the bases in an interleague game against the Houston Astros, suggesting that the National League needed to "join the modern age" by implementing the designated hitter.
In September 2008, after the Yankees were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 1993 (Yankees had the best record in the American League in 1994, but it was taken away by a strike), Steinbrenner penned an article in The Sporting News criticizing Major League Baseball's divisional format.
Read more about this topic: Hank Steinbrenner
Famous quotes containing the word public:
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