The Art Neuro Weblog

Hilarity in New York City
Tha Yankees are having another good year, sitting 9.5 games ahead of the Red Sox and top of the American League in wins. Still, owner george Steinbrenner can find fault with a team loaded with Superstars everywhere except second base and blast his manager Joe Torre. Putting all of this in perspective is this article by Joel Sherman.
Seeing it's so funny, I decided to quote it here Wholus Bolus.

August 11, 2004 -- WE are George Steinbrenner City. We are addicted to a man who by all logical reviews is at least borderline certifiable. We have absorbed all of his worst characteristics, all while making fun of those very traits. Those of us in the media track him down on the off chance he again has diarrhea of the mouth and says something really dumb, like Kenny Lofton should not be in right field for a Monday matinee against the last-place Blue Jays with his club in first place by 101/2 games. The scary thing is just how many Yankee fans had beaten him to the emotion, had betrayed all the same unreasonable complaints over a singular loss in a thriving season.

We have all been Steinbrenner-ized. Every defeat is treated as if it will knock the Yanks from the No. 1 spot in the AP poll. It is bad enough Steinbrenner thinks the Yanks should have a Cooperstown-bound player at every position and win every game from Legends Field to The Canyon of Heroes. The disturbing thing now is we all believe it, as well. Steinbrenner has gotten into our blood.

The Yanks don't get Randy Johnson and that is regarded as something the Homeland Security Department should investigate. Fans beseech me on the street and in e-mails, cringing that the Yanks do not have a situational lefty, equating that someplace between nuclear proliferation and world hunger as global problems. Steinbrenner is cruel, impetuous and irrational, and we are all in lock step with him. Nearly 4 million folks are going to see the Yankees at the Stadium this season, and
since a few actual losses will be mixed on occasion, there will be boos of dissatisfaction.

Again, I criticize the media, as well. Probably more. We should just be ignoring the babbles of a madman. Instead we wait upon them like wisdom from a burning bush. This is a guy who has dubbed more of his players "warriors" than existed in the whole 14th century. Thus, he has passed the test to be ignored. But we are addicted.
On Monday, Joe Torre played one player he and the baseball executives in New York did not want (Lofton) for another (Sheffield), and Steinbrenner, who ordered the signing of both, had problems with it. Of course, he only had problems when Lofton actually kicked a ball.

Believe me, if Lofton had hit a game-winning homer, then Steinbrenner would have, of course, made him a "warrior." Steinbrenner actually said he thought Sheffield might have caught Gabe Gross' laser-beam homer pulled to the right-field corner. One of his clearer-thinking executives said Manute Bol would not have caught the ball. But why don't we say that, even if Sheffield could run like Carl Crawford and jump like Michael Jordan in his prime he would not have caught the ball? Because he can hardly lift his arms, or have you not noticed he is catching balls sidesaddle to compensate for a pained shoulder?

Which is why he was not in the outfield in the first place. If you cannot give a hurting player a break with a double-digit division lead, when exactly can you in Steinbrenner City? You know what would have been negligent on Torre's part? Not seeing what Lofton can do in right. Sheffield just might blow out before October. If he does, Steinbrenner is sure to lambaste his manager for overplaying him and not experimenting to discern options should there be a Sheffield-less postseason.

Steinbrenner should have said "thanks" to Torre for keeping the big picture in mind. Instead, he verbally slapped at him. Perhaps there is a more ungrateful person on the planet, just no names come readily to mind.

The last time Steinbrenner got this annoyed about poor right-field play, Enrique Wilson was stumbling around in a nationally televised Saturday afternoon game at Shea in 2002. Steinbrenner reacted ・against his baseball people's wishes ・by obtaining Raul Mondesi. That ended up costing him roughly $20 million. Most people would take that as a sign to shut up. But Steinbrenner is never going to shut up. He has the forum and the inability to control himself.

Here is the big question ・why are we still listening?

I guess it's because I've been brought up with it. It hardly seems out of place to think like George, even though everybody with half a mind can see 'the Madness of King George'. The man wants to win and so do we - Damn it, why can't all Yankee players be Super-Clutch like Derek Jeter?

Some time ago, I had a conversation with art critic Yumi Yamaguchi who pointed out that business men are always far more ready to talk to elite athletes than successful artists. However, when they do meet them and do talk to them about the moment that defined the elite athlete's playing careers, they never get the sartorial, insightful comment; they only get a flash or reflection. She opined sagely, "they only ever seem to say the same things about the great moments, because they were busy playing through that amazing moment. What new insights in life can be recovered from such a process?"
All to which I agree. I mean, Derek Jeter is a Clutch God, but what could he possibly articulate about the great moments in his career that I couldn't imagine? - So clearly Yumi Yamaguchi is spot on in her observation; but it can't change the fact thatI still like baseball and I'm a Yankee fan.

- Art Neuro