With the door seemingly closed on the George Steinbrenner Era, it seems appropriate for a review of the Tampa shipbuilder’s time at the helm of baseball’s most storied team. George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built The Yankee Empire promises “an exciting and compelling story well told,” and by and large, it delievers. And this is coming from a guy that would have celebrated in the streets had Al-Qaeda decided to crash a couple of planes into Yankee Stadium in April, in a manner of speaking.

Golenbeck’s well-researched book chronicles Steinbrenner’s days as a spoiled little ass growing up in Cleveland, his antics in the Air Force and as an assistant football coach, and ultimately his forays into sports ownership. Steinbrenner’s dickish ways were first on display as owner of the Cleveland Pipers of the old ABL, but would assume a more prominent stage in 1973, when he would lead a group of investors to buy the New York Yankees from CBS for $10 million, a paltry sum when one considers what the landmark franchise is worth today.

The meat of the book begins here, as Golenbeck chronicles Steinbrenner’s relentless tormenting of players, managers, and front office staff alike. The Billy Martin saga, The Dave Winfield contract, and his two suspensions from Major League Baseball are laid out–by the people that were there–in a way that may shatter your image of the guy that was so lovably parodied on “Seinfeld.” Golenbeck’s subject is nowhere near lovable, and the evidence might blow your mind. Read the rest of this entry »

The New York Yankees won their 27th World Series last night after beating the Phillies in Game 6 by a score of 7-3. Hideki Matsui decided to show the world that even one of the ugliest Japanese players to ever put on pinstripes can be a “true Yankee.” Matsui hit .615 for the series with three home runs and eight RBIs, including six last night. Oh, and he only played in three games because he was a DH.

“It’s awesome,” Matsui said through a translator. “Unbelievable. I’m surprised myself.”

“I guess it’s hard to make a comparison. When I was in Japan, that was the ultimate goal. Being here, winning the World Series, becoming world champions, that’s what you strive for here.” –Y! Sports.

Phillies slugger Chase Utley and his five series homers were making a case for the MVP award, but his 0-for-3 night certainly quashed his chance of being the second player ever to win the award while playing for the losing team.

So yeah, SportsCenter will be essentially unwatchable for non-Yankee fans over the next 24 hours. But if you’re not a Yankees fan, don’t fret. Because pitchers and catchers report in about six weeks. And no, “pitchers and catchers” was not meant as a gay euphemism, but if you are gay and that last sentence got you excited, then that’s my bad.

After Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee was held out from pitching on three days’ rest, he found himself behind the 8-ball in a game that his team had to win to continue the series. Lee answered the call, giving up only two runs over seven innings before loading the bases and getting yanked in the eighth as the Phillies won 8-6 and live to play another day as the World Series returns to Yankee Stadium.

Lee went 3-0 with a 0.54 ERA in his first four starts this postseason, which was the lowest ERA of any pitcher in a single postseason with 30 or more innings. He had allowed just two earned runs in 33 1/3 innings. He had allowed just 20 hits and three walks and had struck out 30. Opponents had hit just .171 against him. –MLB.com

Chase Utley also brought his whoopin’ stick, mashing his fourth and fifth homers of the series, which ties the record that Reggie Jackson set in 1977. Game 6 is Thursday, and the Phillies need to win two straight at Yankee Stadium to prevail. So if you had “Yankees in six,” good job.

Johnny Damon’s double-steal in Game 4 helped catalyze a big four-run ninth inning for the Yankees–and a 3-1 World Series lead against the Phillies. But all I can think about is A-Rod’s image of a centaur that supposedly hangs over his bed. It’s just…bizarre. If dude has that in his bedroom and looks at that every day, there really isn’t much that the New York media can do to him…except follow him around while he tries to copulate.

The Yankees slugger is reportedly such an egomaniac that he placed paintings of himself depicted as a centaur — a mythical creature who is half-man, half-horse — over his bed, an ex-girlfriend said.
“He was so vain,” the unidentified A-Rod lover told Us Weekly. “He had not one but two painted portraits of himself as a centaur.”–NY Post.

There are great depictions of the alleged portrait here, here and here, and you should be able to figure out what a centaur is from that. Although if Kate Hudson gets down with that sort of thing, it must work for something…

In a duel of former Cleveland Indians pitchers, it was the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cliff Lee who managed to go deep and pitch a 6-hit complete game against the New York Yankees. Lee’s 10 strikeouts–and two solo homers from Chase Utley–helped power the Phillies to a 6-1 win in Game 1 of the World Series.

“To be honest I really never have been nervous in the big leagues. This is what I wanted to do my whole life,” Lee said. “Game time is the time go out there and have fun and let your skills take over. It’s kind of weird. Boils down to confidence and trusting your teammates.” –Y! Sports.

So Phillies fans are only three games away from becoming the next Red Sox fans. That’s fine, because at least Phillies fans can do something entertaining beside join eating clubs and talk about how much they “deserve” a world championship. Pedro Martinez takes the mound for Philly tonight in Game 2. Look for him to throw a lot of offspeed pitches and the occasional senior citizen. GIF via The Fightins.

It seems like Derek Jeter and “Friday Night Lights” star Minka Kelly have been together for a while, so one can only presume that Kelly–whose beau has dated the likes of Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, and Mariah Carey (in her prime, mind you)–is holding it down. Kelly, who also appeared in State’s Evidence and (500) Days of Summer, is having almost as good a year as Jeter’s: she has two films slated for release next year, and the almost-unhealthy infatuation of Leighton Meester to boot, almost certainly inspired by their upcoming film together, The Roommate, a sort of contemporary take on Single White Female. At least Minka gives us one one reason to cheer for the Yankees, even if there are about 75,000 reasons to hope they get swept by the Phillies. Keep fighting the good fight, Minka. Also.