April 17, 2005

Cranky Yankee: "Enough is enough. I am bitterly disappointed as I'm sure all Yankee fans are by the lack of performance by our team. It is unbelievable to me that the highest-paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk. They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around or the streets shall run red with the blood of the non-performers." -- George Steinbrenner

posted by rcade to baseball at 06:25 PM - 45 comments

the streets shall run red is a bit of an eye opener (sheesh, it's just a game, one that he's spending $208 million to play admittedly) but I don't see that in the text of the linked article. artistic license rcade?

posted by gspm at 06:30 PM on April 17, 2005

or the streets shall run red with the blood of the non-performers. He made that shit up, gspm ;-) Hey, it's April 17, now that we've got that all out of our system, George...

posted by lil_brown_bat at 06:35 PM on April 17, 2005

I feel bad for Torre on days like this.

posted by jerseygirl at 06:58 PM on April 17, 2005

No you don't. Lies make the Baby Jesus cry, Jerseygirl.

posted by Samsonov14 at 07:38 PM on April 17, 2005

Men are dying in Iraq so you can cry about your sports team, asshole.

posted by robslob at 07:53 PM on April 17, 2005

People are starving in Africa and we're here talking about baseball on the internet?

posted by crank at 08:13 PM on April 17, 2005

We are the most heartless people on the planet. A credit to the human race we spofites are not. There's a freedom in that. One would not be surprised if those exact thoughts were what was going through Der Steinbrenner's mind as he issued his formal statement. And were this, say, 20 years ago, he'd probably have said something very similar and meant it. But today -- ahh, whatever. Torre gets paid, and well, to take exactly this kind of heat on days like this. I'm sure he sees this kind of All-My-Children crap as the "work" part of his job, but the Yankees will go on a winning streak of some kind, sweep a few series, some slumps will end, the Mets will go into their annual funk, and the lamb and the lion shall lie down again, and the 6 train will grow petunias and poinsettias out of the floorboards, and all will be right again. This is the way of the world. Sic transit gloria yanqui.

posted by chicobangs at 08:31 PM on April 17, 2005

Men are dying in Iraq so you can cry about your sports team, asshole. Dawn breaks on Marblehead! And here I thought it was about terrorism, or oil, or weaponsamassstruckshun, or something like that. This kind of reminds me of that bumper sticker that says, "Maybe the hokey pokey really is what it's all about."

posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:42 PM on April 17, 2005

artistic license rcade? Yeah. But is it really out of the realm of possibility for a Steinbrenner tirade to end that way?

posted by rcade at 09:27 PM on April 17, 2005

It's called razzing.

posted by holden at 09:38 PM on April 17, 2005

I think the Yankees are overpayed, run of the mill kind of guys that can just frickin' swing a damn bat.

posted by baseballchick2_2 at 11:19 PM on April 17, 2005

Screw the Yankees, all due respect. Who cares about them? Not me.

posted by ZDYOLDMAN at 11:36 PM on April 17, 2005

How long have the Yankees been using a female broadcaster in the radio booth? I'm listening to the archive of Sunday night's game, and as much as I like the idea, it sounds weird to my ear. I guess I'll just have to learn to adjust, like I did about suffrage.

posted by rcade at 11:44 PM on April 17, 2005

I just answered the question. Around two weeks.

posted by rcade at 11:46 PM on April 17, 2005

April isnt even over yet and George is already complaining. Its going to be a long season!

posted by daddisamm at 11:55 PM on April 17, 2005

It is gonna be a long season! Crap!

posted by baseballchick2_2 at 11:57 PM on April 17, 2005

YANKEE SPANKEES! I HATE THE YANKEES!

posted by baseballchick2_2 at 11:59 PM on April 17, 2005

I think it's more than two weeks: I remember listening to her in the booth back when I was in college and could only get WFAN on AM at work. The one memory that sticks out is her calling Ricky Henderson's swing a thing of beauty. Henderson had a lot of gifts as a ballplayer, but an attractive swing was not one of them: front leg twirling in the air a la Ruben Sierra, head moving, etc.

posted by yerfatma at 05:11 AM on April 18, 2005

I can finally respect Charley Steiner again (now that he's out of the Yankee booth).

posted by YukonGold at 07:25 AM on April 18, 2005

YANKEE SPANKEES! I HATE THE YANKEES! All-caps-UR TEAM SUX posting newbies are encouraged to take the minute necessary to reread the link guidelines and new user message (you did read it when you first joined, right?). Others not answering the above description may wish to visit the Locker Room where a relevant discussion is taking place.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:30 AM on April 18, 2005

YANKEE SPANKEES! I HATE THE YANKEES! It cracks me up how many people are always saying how much they hate the Yankees on all kinds of posting boards, but they continue to read on and on about the Yankees and post comment after comment about the Yankees. If you hate the Yankees so much, why are you spending so much time thinking about them and responding to items about them. The fact is, you DO need the Yankees in your life, because it's that hatred that motivates you to follow the sport. And on the subject of Steinbrenner, he pays a lot and he expects a lot. He wants to win, period. Joe Torre's a man, and if George should fire him (I doubt it will happen), he'll walk away with class.

posted by dyams at 07:52 AM on April 18, 2005

The fact is, you DO need the Yankees in your life, because it's that hatred that motivates you to follow the sport. I need the Yankees? My hatred of them motivates me to follow baseball???? Oh PLease. Why do Yankees fans think that the baseball world revolves around them???? That is what I would like to know. I really this its way too early to be talking about a Yankee break down...

posted by daddisamm at 08:11 AM on April 18, 2005

Why do Yankees fans think that the baseball world revolves around them???? That is what I would like to know. Why do y'all keep posting about 'em? That is what I would like to know. I think dyams overstates the case but he/she has a point: you don't see Yankee fans instigating these, ahem, discussions with a lot of YANKEES ROOL posts; it's always one of the haters who with a lot of foot-stamping, hissy-fit-sounding, "Why do they get all the attention all the time, who cares about them anyway!!!" nonsense. Just look above, about 11 posts, and you'll see what I mean. If you don't care about them, if your world doesn't revolve around them, then why do y'all start the discussions about them? Sheesh. I mean, really, do not complain about discussions that you start.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:40 AM on April 18, 2005

Why do y'all keep posting about 'em? Because George Steinbrenner makes us laugh. And who doesn't like a good laugh?

posted by rocketman at 09:04 AM on April 18, 2005

daddisam, why do you spend so much of your time (here) bitching about the Yankees (and the Red Sox)? You come into every Yankee or Sox thread and complain and whine and say the exact same thing. Come on, man, relax. Baseball's here. The weather is getting warmer. Summer's on the way. Enjoy the season, and enjoy your favorite team.

posted by jerseygirl at 09:09 AM on April 18, 2005

It's been warm since March, jerseygirl. /Californian

posted by dusted at 09:50 AM on April 18, 2005

I figured the addendum to the quote was a put on. but placed as it is within quotation marks and with the quotee fully attributed at the end it runs into a grey area. satire or irony dressed up like fact can be tough to read as such without addtional context. I am sure the Yankees will surge once I drop Kevin Brown from my fantasy team.

posted by gspm at 10:10 AM on April 18, 2005

Yankee Spankee? C'mon after 26 titles can we not do better than that? It's like Dr. Suess' younger, slightly retarded brother got a computer. Besides - who doesn't hate the Yankees? And really - what's worse; people bitching about the Yankees, or people bitching about the bitching.... And yes I am aware that bitching about the double-bitching puts me into a whole other realm of bitchatude that currently lacks a name. Ah, Mistress Irony - your spear is sharp and accurate.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:17 AM on April 18, 2005

Because George Steinbrenner makes us laugh. And who doesn't like a good laugh? My thoughts exactly.

posted by chris2sy at 10:26 AM on April 18, 2005

satire or irony dressed up like fact can be tough to read as such without addtional context. True, but I knew that very quickly someone would come along to correct the misquote. I did what I did in the name of art. You won't appreciate it fully until after I'm dead.

posted by rcade at 10:47 AM on April 18, 2005

I always think of Steinbrenner as he was in his Napoleon costume (upper left of linked page of images) so the addendum to what Steinbrenner actually said fits well with that image...

posted by chris2sy at 11:43 AM on April 18, 2005

It's funny, it looks like the Red Sox, and a few other teams have finally broken the Yankee code. Oh well, I'm roooting for whomever is in first place in the NL East from now on, I'm buying hats for all five teams and checking the standings each morning and I'm wearing the hat of the first place team. I suffer enough working for the Democrats so in the shallow world of sports I just want to feel good, is that too much to ask? Of course if the Yankees are in first place I reserve the right to be their fan again too. That's right I'm a flip flopper.

posted by jbou at 12:13 PM on April 18, 2005

Checked the NL East standings, Go! Nationals?

posted by jbou at 12:14 PM on April 18, 2005

Apparrently the Yankee's have gone into conclave. We are awaiting the smoke signal to indicate a new owner has been chosen. Wait, shouldn't it be the Cardinals?

posted by mayerkyl at 12:21 PM on April 18, 2005

I would totally convert if Larry Walker was the next pope.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:59 PM on April 18, 2005

And then there's Chipper Jones. Although Pope Chipper doesn't quite make it.

posted by roberts at 04:31 PM on April 18, 2005

Yes we the sports nuts sit here and discuss this issue after the Yankees have only played 12 games, not including tonights v. Tampa. Men and Women have died and people in Africa are suffering but don't attack us sports nuts we ain't the ones with 200 million to spend, have a chat to the Boss.

posted by bballcoachreid at 07:48 PM on April 18, 2005

sorry about the YANKEE SPANKEE thing I was bored was all

posted by baseballchick2_2 at 09:16 PM on April 18, 2005

I LIKE BOYS IN BASEBALL PANTS!!!

posted by POOP at 09:26 PM on April 18, 2005

Don't take this the wrong way, but you are a palindrome...

posted by chris2sy at 10:11 PM on April 18, 2005

The Yankees responded to the Boss's tirade with their highest scoring inning since 1945. Now let's see if they can do that playing against Major League competition.

posted by rcade at 11:25 PM on April 18, 2005

And they still gave up eight runs to the Devil Rays.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:19 AM on April 19, 2005

But the slump is over, right? One big inning (doing the math, that's about 1/1458th of a season), and all is well again in Spankeeland.

posted by chicobangs at 12:29 AM on April 19, 2005

But the slump is over, right? One big inning (doing the math, that's about 1/1458th of a season), and all is well again in Spankeeland. The fatal error in your assesment is that your extrapolating from the first 12 games to the rest of the season. Every team will go through a collective slump this season. Better to get it out of the way early, no?

posted by crank at 09:05 AM on April 19, 2005

Thanks, George for Saving the Season!!!! ;-)

posted by daddisamm at 10:13 AM on April 19, 2005

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