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A unique take on sports news, updated several times throughout the day.
George Steinbrenner stands out in a crowdThe Fortune account also reported that George Steinbrenner's youngest son, Hal, has "stepped in as his father's chief lieutenant." I find that especially intriguing because Hal was a classmate of mine at Williams College, also his dad's alma mater. Hal and I weren't close friends, but we were friendly and had some good friends in common. (It's a small school.) Two nights before my graduation, one of my roommates hosted a party for our families. Since this friend was also good buddies with Hal, I knew that Mr. Steinbrenner would be there. Thus I tried to caution my parents, Mets fans both, from saying anything impolitic. "What do you think we're going to say?" my mom asked, acting insulted. "Don't worry, we won't embarrass you." We’ll see about that, I thought. So we entered the party, which was held at a local hotel. As the door opened, we all saw Big Stein standing about 15 feet from the entrance, engrossed in a conversation. Instantly, my mom literally pointed his way and blurted out, "Oh, look! The Boss!" Naturally, I was aghast with the perfect mortification of a 21-year-old. I ushered her away, explaining that that was just the sort of thing I was worried about. "Well," she explained, "I didn't expect him to jump right out at me like that." The thing was, she had a point. Big Stein was decked out in his iconic blue-blazer-and-white-turtleneck uniform and looked exactly like one expected. Every New Yorker had been bombarded for years with images of Steinbrenner, and then when you suddenly see him in person exactly as you had pictured him, it did throw you for a loop. Of course, that doesn't mean you have to yell. And for the record, Big Stein was perfectly cordial and quite charming. Quote of the day, from Titans defensive back Donnie Nickey after his training-camp scrap with Vince Young: "Someone comes at me, I'm not going to back down. I don't care if it's Vince (or) President Bush." In that case, Donnie, just keep your eye out for the Secret Service since it's perfectly legal for them to hold. Gee, I hope our selection last week of Buddy Bell as sports' Angel of Death (i.e. he shows up and all hope dies for your team) didn't have anything to do with him officially becoming a lame duck.
posted by SI.com | View comments |
Comments:At least your mom didn't yell "What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for!"
I don't think I yelled "there's the boss" but I do admit that I talk loudly (I am a New Yorker). And get over being embarrassed by me. Mom
I love that your mom weighs in! Hey Mrs. E, your son is doing OK, dontcha think?
I was sitting in the bleachers at a Yankees game back in the early 80's and a guy in front of us was doing the beer-an-inning drill. Thing is, the game went 17 innings and this was before stadiums started cutting off the brew in the late innings. Each inning, this guy would turn to the rest of the bleachers and yell, "have I had enough?" The crowd would yell, "NO!", and he'd stagger off for another. My pal flipped him some good-natured grief in the 14th inning and he announced to the crowd-- "Hey there, this is George Steinbrenner's nephew!" He wasn't, of course, and the crowd knew it, but we were showered with cups, popcorn and hot dog wrappers all the same-- all in good fun. I will miss Yankee Stadium. Isn't Williams college a girl's school?
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