The Good
He rescued the Yankees and restored a once proud franchise to greatness. Not afraid to spend money to make money, he changed forever how baseball did business.
The average salary in the major leagues was just $36,566 when Steinbrenner parlayed a $186,000 investment into control of the Yankees in 1973. Ten years later it had risen to $289,194 and a decade after that, players were averaging more than $1 million a season.
The team he and his partners bought for an $8.7 million net price would become a franchise valued by Forbes at $1.6 billion today. The team's new home is a towering $1.5 billion monument to Steinbrenner, and the Yankee brand is stronger than ever.
On the day he died, his beloved Yankees were in first place and eight Yankees were on the roster of the All-Star team.
The Bad
This was a man who belittled players, infuriated fellow owners and drove managers to the depths of despair. Twice he received lengthy bans from baseball, and many in the game would have been happy had it been for good.
Steinbrenner was well known for public humiliation of players and managers. During his 34 years in baseball, he fired managers a whopping 21 times, including the 5 times he fired Mgr. Billy Martin.
The Ugly
Newsweek featured him on its Aug. 6, 1990, cover when he was suspended from baseball for more than two years as "The Most Hated Man in Baseball." When his suspension from baseball was announced at Yankee Stadium, fans erupted in a standing ovation.
Sports Illustrated put him on its March 1, 1993, cover in his return, dressed as Napoleon and posing on a white horse.
As with each of us, no one will ever know the full measure of the man. May he rest in peace.
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