O/T - Steinbrenner Monument

[Mr. Mitt]

Anyone else appalled by the size of the Steinbrenner monument? Don’t get me wrong, I’m a lifelong Yankee fan who’s been a backer of him and his antics for his entire tenure. He deserves a monument as well as enshrinement in Cooperstown, in my opinion. But to have a monument that dwarfs those of the other Yankee greats is beyond scandalous. I, for one, have lost a lot of respect for the entire organization today. Mantle always insisted that DiMaggio’s plaque (and subsequent monument) be slightly taller than his. What does this monstrosity signify? That Steinbrenner was more important to the team, their history and legacy than Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle combined? A sad day, the powers that be clearly do not get it.

[HRBAKER]

Maybe they get it and don't care. Essentially he is erecting a monument to himself. That tells you all you need to know.

[Peter_Spaeth]

very classy
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/m...ory?id=5597711

[chris6net]

I would say classless based on the way he treated many of his employees and personal contacts over the years. This is a typical Steinbrenner move. No way does he deserve a monument. CN

[mcap100176]

When I saw it I thought it was too large. But then looking at a the video, it appears that there isn't any room left in monument park. I haven't been to the new one yet, but everything that I have seen is that it is small and tight. It appears that the only place for the thing was the wall.

Anyone been to the new monument park?

[egbeachley]

I thought the Yankees World Series victories were a direct result of the GM and other Yankee executives drafting a core group of players during the times George was suspended from Yankee operations. Not sure why he would be considered for the Hall of Fame.

[Republicaninmass]

I didnt see it, but was it a statue of him writing out a giant check? That would have been fitting

[Chris Counts]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

I didnt see it, but was it a statue of him writing out a giant check? That would have been fitting

The statue matches the size of Steinbrenner's ego. As for the Hall of Fame, I find it appalling and offensive that guys like him could be inducted into Cooperstown while worthy players like Minnie Minoso and Ron Santo are on the outside looking in. It's like the Roman emperors who a spent vast sums to erect statues that deified themselves. More than anything, though, I cringe at the thought of Bud Selig being inducted ...

[oldjudge]

While I think that the size of Steinbrenner's monument is offensive, I think he certainly deserves a monument. Also, he did a lot more for baseball than Minnie Minoso

[D. Bergin]

Hey, it is in the "House That George Built".

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

The statue matches the size of Steinbrenner's ego. As for the Hall of Fame, I find it appalling and offensive that guys like him could be inducted into Cooperstown while worthy players like Minnie Minoso and Ron Santo are on the outside looking in. It's like the Roman emperors who a spent vast sums to erect statues that deified themselves. More than anything, though, I cringe at the thought of Bud Selig being inducted ...

Really? Minnie Minoso and Ron Santo? Wow.

[Al C.risafulli]

I'm a huge Yankee fan an I think Steinbrenner deserves HOF induction. I can live with him having a monument, although Jacob Ruppert has a strategically-placed plaque the likes of which would also have worked fine for George.

He does NOT deserve the biggest monument out there. Steinbrenner should not have a monument bigger than Babe Ruth. With all the plaques out there, there are very few monuments - Miller Huggins, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were each put in place prior to 1950, and Mickey Mantle and Joe D got theirs in 1996 and 1999. I think Steinbrenner's should be smaller than all of those. In Yankee terms, its honor enough to be there.

-Al

[yanksfan09]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

I didnt see it, but was it a statue of him writing out a giant check? That would have been fitting

I gotta say: At least he was an owner that wrote big checks to help his team win instead of pocketing the cash. Isn't that what any good owner should do for it's fan base if their intentions are good?

Steinbrenner gets a lot of crap, and certainly some if it is justified. But, the man's passed. He spent money because he wanted to win; which all fans should want from their owners. Also, he's dead. He didn't have a say in the size of plaque. Let the man be for once....

Go YANKEES 2010!

[celoknob]

In this context (a monument within a ballpark celebrating athletes), there is NO non-player who ever lived that deserves such a large plaque relative to such greats of the past, but especially not this man.

[M's_Fan]

The monument is 7 feet wide by 5 feet tall, not including the base, and weighs a whopping 760 pounds! Its totally embarassing!

Look I'm not a George-hater, he was a colorful guy who certainly made baseball interesting during his era. There is no doubt he had deep pockets and wanted to win. But honestly, if Steinbrenner would have had his way, he would have traded away Jeter and many Yankee greats that came through the Yankee farm system. George wanted to win all right, and he had all the the patience of a two-year old. In fact its scary to think how many championships the Yankees could have won if he would have let his baseball people make the player decisions... He was a great businessman in terms of marketing the Yankees and setting up their cable network, but he didn't know anything about evaluating baseball talent. And how could he? He had ZERO baseball experience before he bought the Yankees, his only sports experience was being an assistant football coach at Northwestern and Purdue. The bottom line is George always wanted to trade away top talent if they had as much as a 5 at-bat slump, and he continuously signed over the hill has-beens for overpriced sums.

Anyways this monument is an embarrassing spectacle. How can you give a guy who wrote checks a monument bigger than the Babes?

He was the owner of the richest team in a sport with no salary cap for 27 years, and he delivered 5 championships (even counting 2009 even though he wasn't even involved really in running the team). This is respectable at best, but certainly not worthy of a memorial bigger than all the other Yankees combined.

[David Atkatz]

It's a travesty. But, hey, if there ever was an organization with no class whatsoever, it's the Steinbrenner family Yankees.

We are life long Yankee fans; have attended games for the past 52 years.
We are honored to have great box seat at the world's most important sports venue. The new Stadium, far and away, the most impressive in baseball is truly The House That George built.

George took a team that had gone from a hallowed tradition of winning (1923-1964) out of the basement, and into the champagne suite. George understood what all truly great entrepreneurs (and politicians) know- Winning is all that matters. No matter how high the price, it is far less costly than losing.

Some fans may dislike George, the way he treated certain Yankee legends; or even his elitist attitude. Our very close friend was in hundreds of negotiations with George. He called him a brilliant poker player who knew how to out-smart the other owners, the league, and often, the media.

George returned the Yankees to greatness. They are always among the top two or three teams in attendance, and the best seats in George's house command sky high prices. George recognized the advantage of creating a TV network. He delivered for all of us, not all the time, but most of time.

The road to the top is not without its fair share of mistakes...but in the end,
the new Stadium, the plaque, and the 5 World Series are a tribute to the most colorful and important of the most important team in American Sports history.

Hey, nobody complains about Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall,The Morgan Library or for that matter... the Trump everything.

One of the great benefits of being super successful and extremely wealthy is you can build a monument to yourself. Some call it ego- we call it the American Dream!


Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com

[David Atkatz]

Like I said.

[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

Like I said.

Out of curiousity, are you a Yankees fan?

[tbob]

Originally Posted by Yankeefan51

We are life long Yankee fans; have attended games for the past 52 years.
We are honored to have great box seat at the world's most important sports venue. The new Stadium, far and away, the most impressive in baseball is truly The House That George built.

Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com

Bruce- the stadium may be the most ostentatious and glitzy but most people I know (and many sportswriters and baseball people agree) feel that the most beautiful baseball stadium in America is now located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you watch the playoffs, you may get a feel for how great and picturesque a stadium it is.

[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by tbob

Bruce- the stadium may be the most ostentatious and glitzy but most people I know (and many sportswriters and baseball people agree) feel that the most beautiful baseball stadium in America is now located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you watch the playoffs, you may get a feel for how great and picturesque a stadium it is.

Incorrect. That distinction is still held by Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Besides, who wants to go to a stadium where it's -30 three months out of the year

[tbob]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

Incorrect. That distinction is still held by Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Besides, who wants to go to a stadium where it's -30 three months out of the year

James- So far not one game rained out and beautiful weather. So far. If the boys make it to the World Series and are playing in late October/early November all bets are off
Actually Target Field was based a great deal on Camden Yards but the location and improvements make it better. And yes I am prejudiced but so many AL players have expressed their opinion that it is the best looking stadium in MLB.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

Out of curiousity, are you a Yankees fan?

I was born and bred in the Bronx, within shouting distance of the Stadium. Attended my first game--with my dad, of course--in June, 1959. (On Lou Gehrig's birthday, coincidentally.) Spent a good portion of my youth at the Stadium--watching BP before the game, running out on the field as it ended, and hanging outside the player's entrance afterwards collecting autographs. Started collecting Yankee autographs and memorabilia in 1961, and, if I do say so myself, have one of the finest collections of Yankee autographs and artifacts dating from the teams inception in 1903, through 1927.

But to answer your question, no. I no longer root for the Yankees, and never will as long as they are owned by the Steinbrenner family. Their unmitigated greed, culminating in the demolition of the greatest venue in baseball history, is unforgivable.

[oldjudge]

I visited Camden Yards for the first time at this years national. It is certainly a nice stadium, but not the best I have seen. The new Yankee Stadium is OK but far from the nicest stadium I have ever seen and a total ripoff on seat prices. The nicest stadium I have seen is Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. I also really like the White Sox stadium. Both are well laid out, have an open comfortable feeling. Unfortunately, I have yet to visit the Twins new park.

BTW, David where were you from in the Bronx. I also grew up very close to Yankee Stadium (on Walton Ave) and went to my first game, with my dad, some time around 1959.

[PhilNap]

Originally Posted by M's_Fan

. . . He was the owner of the richest team in a sport with no salary cap for 27 years, and he delivered 5 championships . . .

Originally Posted by Yankeefan51

. . . The road to the top is not without its fair share of mistakes...but in the end,
the new Stadium, the plaque, and the 5 World Series are a tribute to the most colorful and important of the most important team in American Sports history. . . .

Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com

It 7 championships he delivered not 5.

Thanks for the correction. We mistakingly picked up on earlier thread that mentioned 5 World Series. We were there in 77, 78, 96, 98. 99, 00 and 09
In fact, we attended a total of 12 games during those series.

With regard to the socialist view about the Yankees and fan greed. The Yankees represent all that is great about this country. Winners pay the price; destroy the competition and never settle.

Losers vote for a tax and spend administrations that wants to tax the rich; to take care of the poor slobs who want to enjoy the fruits of a welfare state, and allow open boarders so our society is infected with drug using illegal aliens.

It is a shame that Dr. A teaches physics rather than Marxism. He is certainly an expert on the later. He does have a great collection of Yankee memorabilia even if he is socialist.

Dr. A.. its time to serve a little Tea in your classroom- perhaps you can become a Paleontologist!


Bruce Dorskind
Do What's Right For America
America's Toughest Want List
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com

[rholmes]

Wow. That sure is a lot of crap to spew on a baseball card board.

[mets41]

I don't give a rat's ass about that rat's ass

[Peter_Spaeth]

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

[HRBAKER]

The size of the man's monument is largely irrelevant, especially when self-bestowed.

[Al C.risafulli]

Jeff, just to point out: he's dead. It's not self-bestowed.

I think if he was going to build a monument to himself, he could have done it when he was alive. He's got a whole stadium in Tampa named after himself.

I visited Monument Park for the first time this past summer. I found it sterile in comparison with the old one, perhaps because it's missing the foliage the old one had, and maybe some of the history.

That said, I took some time to stop and look at the Jacob Ruppert plaque, and explain to my kids who Ruppert was and why he was important. It was good to have his plaque there, even if Ruppert never played.

Similarly it was good to have the plaque for the Papal visit and the memorial to 9/11 victims, even though neither one was baseball related.

As such, I think a Steinbrenner plaque is justified, and as I stated earlier, I can even stomach a monument. Whether or not he was the guy who assembled the championship teams (honors I'm more likely to bestow upon Gabe Paul, Gene Michael, Buck Showalter, and Brian Cashman), it was his bankroll and his attitude toward winning that enabled it. He turned a failing business into a successful one, and that business should recognize him for it.

That said, he never hit 60 home runs, he never won a triple crown, he never managed a team to a World Series, he never played in 2000 consecutive games, and he never gracefully patrolled center field like Ruth, Mantle, Huggins, Gehrig and DiMaggio did.

Those guys are the Yankee icons (and I'll add Casey Stengel to the list and wonder why he doesn't have a monument like Miller Huggins). Those are the guys who deserve the huge monuments.

When this group of ownership speaks of nebulous concepts like "pride" and "tradition," they need to understand that their enormous monument flies in the face of those concepts.

-Al

[HRBAKER]

Al,
Just to point out that his family did it, to me that's self-bestowed.
Little S, little B.

Jeff

[D. Bergin]

Apparently, size DOES matter.