The new King? Hal Steinbrenner takes
over as the Principle Owner of the New
York Yankees today. |
The end of one of the most successful and tumultuous ownership eras in Major League Baseball history ended today when the George Steinbrenner passed control of the New York Yankees to his son, Hal Steinbrenner. The soon to be 40 year-old Hal was named co-chair of the Yankees with his brother Hank in April, and there had been speculation that he would eventually be named the new controlling interest in the Yankees given George Steinbrenner’s failing health. As reported by The AP, Hal has large shoes to fill. "I realize it's a great responsibility," said Hal Steinbrenner, who turns 40 on Dec. 3. "My dad is, needless to say, a tough act to follow." […] Baseball owners unanimously approved the change in control during a meeting Thursday. "[George has] been slowing down the last couple years," Hal Steinbrenner said. "Really, for the last two years I have been intimately involved with all aspects and all departments of the company. It's what I've been doing day-to-day. My duties aren't really going to change and my workload isn't going to change much. So, I mean, it's as much a procedural thing within the family, I think, as anything at this point."
George Steinbrenner, a Cleveland area shipping magnate, purchased the Yankees in January of 1973 from CBS for $10 million and almost immediately changed the face of the Yankees, and certainly major league baseball, as we know it. He famously claimed that he would be a hands-off owner, and became anything but. Known for lavishing huge sums on player payroll in the post-free agency era, dubbing the club from the Bronx, the Evil Empire, for out spending nearly all comers for star free agents, Steinbrenner grew the Yankees into one of the most recognizable brands in all of sports. The question now is, will Hal be able to push MLB’s premier franchise forward as the bellwether for the league? As a new stadium opens its doors in 2009 (The House That King George Built), it will most likely be the final mark that George Steinbrenner makes on the world of baseball. Love him or hate him, he was – and still is – King George.
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