As you have no doubt heard, George Steinbrenner died this morning of an apparent heart attack at age 80. He had been in poor health for some time, so this isn't exactly an unexpected development.
I grew up in the Midwest during the 1970s and 1980s, as a fan of the (then) small-revenue Minnesota Twins. For me, Steinbrenner was a manifestation of all that was wrong with baseball (and indeed, American society as a whole), the ultimate domination of the rich, powerful, and ruthless over the poor and weak. As I grew older, I started to dislike the guy less...he was still a jackass, but he wanted to WIN, and he used all the resources at his disposal to do so. He seemed to mellow a bit over time as well. Even if his strategies didn't always work, I did develop some grudging respect for the man.
I wish his family the best in their time of grief and mourning.
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