Today in the Journal News
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 29, 2007 
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Who takes over for George Steinbrenner is unclear now that Steve Swindal will no longer be a part of his family.
Andy Pettitte is over his back troubles and ready to pitch. Meanwhile Roger Clemens sounds ready to pitch, too.
Another night game tonight as the Yanks play Toronto on the road. Back later with the lineups.
Glad there’s no nepotism in the yankee front office!! Holy moly, the whole executive team has Steinbrenner as their last name.
Pete,
I hate to get all feminist, but you mention the status of George’s sons and sons in law. Apparently, with two sons in law, he also has two daughters. Do either of them have a role in the organization?
Considering the large number of high level execs within the Yankees front office, are there any non-relatives who would be considered possible? If neither of his sons are especially active when it comes to running the thing, wouldn’t an arrangement where they own it and leave the work to someone else be a strong possibility?
Jess
I’m sorry Jess, but to run the yankees, you need a pair of danglies.
According to NJ.com, Phelps made the roster and Phillips was waived…
“Josh Phelps has apparently won a spot on the Yankees roster.
Andy Phillips, who had been competing with Phelps to platoon at first base with Doug Mientkiewicz, yesterday was placed on outright waivers. The move (which was revealed by a major-league official who asked not to be identified because waivers are confidential) means that by tomorrow Phillips will be claimed by another team or sent to the minors by the Yankees.”
Any truth to this Pete?
Jess, I can’t speak for his daughters, but it seem slike unless one of his son’s steps up and wants to be more involved than they have been (wants to take over), I see the more likely scenario being as you indicated – ownership while letting someone else, Brian Cashman, run the team. He basically does now, but has to get the stamp of approval from the Boss. The thing that I’d guess would change when the Boss retires is just the stamp going away.
Why shouldnt there be nepotism? Steinbrenners pours a ton of dough into the team. He should run it and have a staff that he trusts. More family, the better. I dont see stockholders and a publicly traded company here.
Somenoe in the other thread mentioned maybe Trump buying the Yankees…. No way. He’d brand his big a$$ name all over everything even though the Yankees brand is the most well known in sports. He’d have marketing crap all over the stadium worse than anywhere already is and I have no interest in watching games at “Trump National Baseball Park.”
The Boss will live till he’s 200 and Mo’ will still be the closer when he dies.
Jake, actually I kind of agree, I was just joking with the Nepotism comment.
Has anyone seen the Godfather? That’s the life story of George Steinbrenner.
Does that mean Swindal is going to get whacked like Fredo?
Trump couldn’t afford to buy the yankees.
He’s a billionaire and the team’s worth a billion. Steinbrenner doesn’t own 100% of the team, so do the math…. of course he can afford the team and of course he could spearhead a group of investors if he wanted to.
I still don’t want that to happen, but it is possible.
Jay-Z should buy them!
Jay Z would make Nas the opening day starter while having Kanye West hit clean up.
Pete! Here’s your chance! Being single and the darling of the Yankees blogosphere should get you at least a date with one of the Steinbrenner daughters. I’d rather think it would be altogether appropriate for our beloved Pete to be the next GPOTNYY (General Partner Of The NY Yankees). Go for it Mr. Abraham, Yankees Nation casts their hopeful eyes to you…
woo woo woo.
It wouldn’t be the Yankees if they didn’t have some kind of drama happening.
Jeter has said he wants to own a baseball team someday and he has the “anything short of a World Series victory is a wasted season” speech down cold. Not sure if he could pull off the turtleneck and blue blazer look but other than that it would be just like George is still here.
Phelps wins spot on Yankees
http://www.rotoworld.com/conte.....038;spln=1
Josh Phelps – 1B – NYY – Mar. 29 – 9:27 am et
Nothing official has been announced, but the New York Times reports that Josh Phelps has won a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Phelps has hit .424 this spring, while Andy Phillips missed quite a bit of time with an off-field issue and has hit just .190. Phelps is likely to see playing time against left-handed pitching in place of Doug Mientkiewicz. Mar. 29 – 9:27 am et
Source: New York Times
Will, Peter’s a Sox fan (or at least from their neighborhood, don’t know if he’s ever admitted to being a fan…), he does a great job covering the Yankees, but we wouldn’t want him owning the team.
Pat, you might be onto something. Jeter’s got enough friends (with $$$) to pull that off too… I wonder if there has ever been an Player/Manager/Owner before?
Chris NY: That would be my preference if neither of his sons are really active and involved, I just wonder if they can manage to pull it off. If you see quotes from The Boss himself when he first bought the team in the ’70′s, he said something to the effect of “I’m a shipbuilder, I’m going to let the people who are experts make the real decisions here.” It’s a hilarious little snippet to see now, considering who it comes from. If his sons aren’t truly interested in the ins and outs of running a team, I’d prefer to see them actually stick to that kind of idea.
Scott: *Snicker* Yup, that’s where one stores one’s sports knowledge, leadership skills, and ability to kill large bugs.
Right, I lived in Massachusetts 21 years ago so clearly I’m with the Red Sox.
As for Phillips or Phelps, that is likely true considering Phillips did not play last night. But I’m not going the anonymous source route on the backup first baseman. My paper would not allow that for that minor a story,
Jess: George has two daughters but they have no official role.
It’s been almost 30 years since I lived in NY and I’m still a Yankees fan
Scott,
…”to run the yankees, you need a pair of danglies”…
How very classy of you. As far as I’m concerned, if either or both of George’s daughters wants to run the Yankees, more power to her!
Will – please don’t refer to us as “Yankees Nation.” We are fans of the best franchise in baseball. Let other fanbases with delusions and awful accents refer to themselves as a “nation.” It’s dumb.
Sorry to make that my first comment here – it’s just always annoyed me, the “nation” conceit. Great blog, Peter – I’ve been reading several times a day for months. Pat – the image of Jeter in the turtleneck and blazer is awesome. Especially if he takes the blazer off right before the game and runs out to play short.
I don’t think the Swindal situation surprised the Yanks. Hank and Hal have been back with the Yanks for awhile, and I think one of them will emerge as the successor over the next little while.
Sorry Peter, wasn’t trying to make that assumption, have just noticed others implying that you were a Sox fan since you were “from there” and don’t know if I’ve seen you say otherwise, so I was asking as much as possibly (incorrectly) assuming. That’s why I said I didn’t know if you ever admitted/confirmed those comments before.
As far as the 21 years, if I moved to California for the rest of my life, I’d still be a Yankee fan……..
Robert, that’s why those Sloan Kettering fund raising T-Shirts appropriately say “Yankee Universe” instead of “Nation” like those nerds to the north.
what do you think Pete? think she’ll date younger men? Sunny – owner of the yankees… nice ring to it – don’t you think?
That must have been the 34938578934708th time on this blog that Peter has had to explain that just because he’s from MA doesn’t mean he’s a Red Sox fan.
You might need an FAQ or FAA (frequently assumed assumptions) section on the page, Pete.
Well, some of us haven’t read the blog 34938578934708 times before. I’ve never seen him correct those assumptions before, thus I was ASKING.
Peter has said that he’s neither a Red Sox fan nor a Yankee fan. He just happens to be a beat writer for the New York Yankees. I sense from his writing, though, that he wants the team to do well. So he must be somewhat of a Yankee fan, but he’s not a total homer like many of us are!
No need to take it personally – it wasn’t. Just an observation on how its almost a running joke around here it happens so frequently.
I know he’s always said he’s “not a fan, I cover the team…,” about the Yankees. I just hadn’t yet heard him say the same about the Red Sux. Obviously he’d probably maintain the same professionalism and say he’s not a “fan” of any team, but if any of us got a job covering baseball, it wouldn’t mean we would stop being Yankee fans.
I do also get the feeling he wants the Yankees to do well and might be at least somewhat of a fan, it’s only natural when your job revolves around the team, and let’s face it, when that team is the greatest in the game.
I hear someone name A-Rod has a lot of $$ if he has invested well maybe he can buy the team
Now that would be some irony…. “I’ve decided to opt out of my contract and buy the team.” I’ll be giving myself a new contract and playing short from now on and anyone who boos me will be ejected from the stands.
Side note – Foxsports has released it’s power rankings and guess where the Yankees are…
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/p.....8;GT1=9232
Chris,
The Yankees seem to be one of those polarizing teams, huh? You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I think if Peter were truly repulsed by the Yankees, he would have moved on to another gig. His body of work and experience in the shark infested waters of New York, love of football, and experience covering college basketball would certainly open doors.
But why would he leave this job? We seem to obsess about him as much as the team and the players. Just look at the venom that’s spewed at him sometimes. Pete’s also world famous, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Peter Abraham fan club in Taiwan. He certainly gets a lot of press there and he’s probably on the bestsellers list there, too. lol.
Glad to see that Fox isn’t as misguided about baseball as they are about politics.
I’ve never seen it explained fully, but I believe that the inheritance tax implications of Steinbrenner’s passing would be pretty heavy for the family. It may just end up being in the family interest’s to sell the team once the Boss shuffles off this mortal coil. I’m praying that doesn’t lead to corporate ownership of the Yankees. It didn’t work too well during the CBS era and it hasn’t worked for other teams (the Dodgers and Cubs come to mind).
Just because Jen is divorcing Steve doesn’t necessarily mean that George is axing him from the team. Steve may no longer have an ownership share, but there isn’t any indication that he won’t stay on as head decision maker. I have to take a wait and see approach here.
“Has anyone seen the Godfather? That’s the life story of George Steinbrenner.”
(pimp-slapping Carl Pavano) BE A MAN!!!
I think I personally would find it hard covering the Yankees and being a fan. I know I couldn’t be objective 100% of the time being the kind of fan I am. I think not being a fan of the team makes it easier to cover them.
Peter has said in the past that he roots for “quick games and good stories” and several players from different teams that he’s met along the way. I think thats the easiest way to look at things when you have to write objectively. He’s also said previously that he loves his job, and likes covering the Yankees. He used to cover the Mets before this, I think.
Does anyone else think this whole who’s the next successor/son-in-law would make a great YES reality show?
The new topic on the Apprentice.
Pete
You are a total Patriots homer (even after 21 years out of the Hub), so it does make some sense to assume you are a Sox fan.
On the other hand, I think it would be very hard for a Sox fan to cover the Yankees day in and day out. Additionally, would the Yankees let a die hard Sox fan cover the team well as a beat writer (ie, would they give you as much inside stuff)?
In terms of this topic, my guess is that the Steinbrenners maintain control and Big George has already done estate planning for the asset transfer (the Yankees are a corporation, correct?) so the estate issues won’t be a problem on his death. The family will let Cashman run the team as he sees fit for as long as he wants (and wins). I don’t really see big problems here.
I heard Steinbrenner was planning to buy Immobiliare from the Vatican. I think his family will be fine.
I’m sure that the Steinbrenner family can manage just fine without Mr. Swindal – make no mistake, his life with the Yankees is over and don’t be surprised if Mrs. Swindal begins to take a more active role in the family business. “Never underestimate the power of a woman”
Both of the sons have more interest in Kinsman Stud in Ocala, the family’s thoroughbred racing and breeding operation.
pete, all you need to know is that the red sox suck balls. major balls…
Which is more stupid…
Being Darryl Strawberry snorting a line of coke knowing you are going to be drug tested tomorrow therefore forfiting a multi-million dollar contract
-or-
Being Steve Swindel and doing whatever you have to do to piss off Missy Stienbrenner enough to kick your drunk ass off River street…
PA’s a recovering Red Sox fan. it’s ok, we all have thing in our past we regret:
“Mets Forever: When did you become a baseball fan? What was your favorite team growing up and who were your favorite players?
Peter Abraham: I’ve been a baseball fan all my life. My grandfather managed a team in the local industrial league, my dad played, I played in high school, etc. I grew up in Massachusetts and my favorite team was the Sox My favorite players as a kid were Yaz, Fred Lynn, Rooster Burleson and Butch Hobson. I can give you a pretty good breakdown on every Red Sox team since 1974 or so. “