O/T - Steinbrenner Monument

[Mr. Mitt]

Anyone else appalled by the size of the Steinbrenner monument? Don’t get me wrong, I’m a lifelong Yankee fan who’s been a backer of him and his antics for his entire tenure. He deserves a monument as well as enshrinement in Cooperstown, in my opinion. But to have a monument that dwarfs those of the other Yankee greats is beyond scandalous. I, for one, have lost a lot of respect for the entire organization today. Mantle always insisted that DiMaggio’s plaque (and subsequent monument) be slightly taller than his. What does this monstrosity signify? That Steinbrenner was more important to the team, their history and legacy than Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle combined? A sad day, the powers that be clearly do not get it.

[HRBAKER]

Maybe they get it and don't care. Essentially he is erecting a monument to himself. That tells you all you need to know.

[Peter_Spaeth]

very classy
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/m...ory?id=5597711

[chris6net]

I would say classless based on the way he treated many of his employees and personal contacts over the years. This is a typical Steinbrenner move. No way does he deserve a monument. CN

[mcap100176]

When I saw it I thought it was too large. But then looking at a the video, it appears that there isn't any room left in monument park. I haven't been to the new one yet, but everything that I have seen is that it is small and tight. It appears that the only place for the thing was the wall.

Anyone been to the new monument park?

[egbeachley]

I thought the Yankees World Series victories were a direct result of the GM and other Yankee executives drafting a core group of players during the times George was suspended from Yankee operations. Not sure why he would be considered for the Hall of Fame.

[Republicaninmass]

I didnt see it, but was it a statue of him writing out a giant check? That would have been fitting

[Chris Counts]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

I didnt see it, but was it a statue of him writing out a giant check? That would have been fitting

The statue matches the size of Steinbrenner's ego. As for the Hall of Fame, I find it appalling and offensive that guys like him could be inducted into Cooperstown while worthy players like Minnie Minoso and Ron Santo are on the outside looking in. It's like the Roman emperors who a spent vast sums to erect statues that deified themselves. More than anything, though, I cringe at the thought of Bud Selig being inducted ...

[yanksfan09]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

I didnt see it, but was it a statue of him writing out a giant check? That would have been fitting

I gotta say: At least he was an owner that wrote big checks to help his team win instead of pocketing the cash. Isn't that what any good owner should do for it's fan base if their intentions are good?

Steinbrenner gets a lot of crap, and certainly some if it is justified. But, the man's passed. He spent money because he wanted to win; which all fans should want from their owners. Also, he's dead. He didn't have a say in the size of plaque. Let the man be for once....

Go YANKEES 2010!

[mets41]

I don't give a rat's ass about that rat's ass

[Peter_Spaeth]

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

[HRBAKER]

The size of the man's monument is largely irrelevant, especially when self-bestowed.

[Al C.risafulli]

Jeff, just to point out: he's dead. It's not self-bestowed.

I think if he was going to build a monument to himself, he could have done it when he was alive. He's got a whole stadium in Tampa named after himself.

I visited Monument Park for the first time this past summer. I found it sterile in comparison with the old one, perhaps because it's missing the foliage the old one had, and maybe some of the history.

That said, I took some time to stop and look at the Jacob Ruppert plaque, and explain to my kids who Ruppert was and why he was important. It was good to have his plaque there, even if Ruppert never played.

Similarly it was good to have the plaque for the Papal visit and the memorial to 9/11 victims, even though neither one was baseball related.

As such, I think a Steinbrenner plaque is justified, and as I stated earlier, I can even stomach a monument. Whether or not he was the guy who assembled the championship teams (honors I'm more likely to bestow upon Gabe Paul, Gene Michael, Buck Showalter, and Brian Cashman), it was his bankroll and his attitude toward winning that enabled it. He turned a failing business into a successful one, and that business should recognize him for it.

That said, he never hit 60 home runs, he never won a triple crown, he never managed a team to a World Series, he never played in 2000 consecutive games, and he never gracefully patrolled center field like Ruth, Mantle, Huggins, Gehrig and DiMaggio did.

Those guys are the Yankee icons (and I'll add Casey Stengel to the list and wonder why he doesn't have a monument like Miller Huggins). Those are the guys who deserve the huge monuments.

When this group of ownership speaks of nebulous concepts like "pride" and "tradition," they need to understand that their enormous monument flies in the face of those concepts.

-Al

[HRBAKER]

Al,
Just to point out that his family did it, to me that's self-bestowed.
Little S, little B.

Jeff