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R.I.P. George
 Posted
7/14/2010 8:47:00 AM
I have been asked 1000 times how I became a Yankee fan growing up in Florida. It was simple -- Yankees spring training was in Fort Lauderdale, Don Mattingly was my favorite player and George Steinbrenner was such a bad ass that I had to cheer for them. Now before you call me a front runner, remember that the Yankees sucked for most of the 80's.
There were a ton of bad moves. Trading top prospects for older washed up veterans. Overpaying for guys who couldn't produce in the spotlight of New York. For every Dave Winfield, there were 4 Andy Hawkins, for every good Dave Righetti night there was some bum middle reliever who would get trounced. Jack Clark? Jessie Barfield? These were some of the "moves" supposed to put them over the top. Of course, none of them did.
Finally, in 1995, the team started to come around, and in '96, Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera arrived, Bernie Williams hit his stride, and veterans like David Cone, Tino Martinez, Wade Boggs and Charlie Hayes gelled like a well-oiled machine. Jeffrey Maier aided a HR in the opening round, and Jim Leyritz became a king in NYC with a 3-run homer to break Atlanta's heart. The rest, shall we say, is history.
I say thank you George, you may not have always been right, but you were always entertaining, and no one can ever say you didn't care about YOUR team. Thank you for making the Yankees who they are today ... you will truly be missed.
Follow me on twitter @TheSoon2BFamous
John Michaels
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John Michaels
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