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March 09, 2006
It's Not Just About Protecting Your Investments?
From a PR Web Release:
New York Yankees Blogger Unravels Real Reason Why George Steinbrenner Sees WBC as a Threat
How does New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner really feel about the World Baseball Classic (WBC)?
His opposition to his players participating in the WBC is no secret. But what many pundits have missed is the real reason behind Steinbrenner's reluctance to support the WBC:
"It's about rejecting a system that would threaten the Yankees' storybook success in the major leagues," says Blogger Mark Gallagher, of Inside the New York Yankees.com.
"The truth is even the Red Sox can't do to the Yankees what a successful WBC has the power to do: Make the Yankees less relevant," says Gallagher. "And Steinbrenner knows it."
Onwer of a team with 104 seasons of storybook history and 26 World Series titles, Steinbrenner simply doesn't want any kind of system, global or not, to change what the Yankees represent to baseball, here and throughout the world, Gallagher says.
"In his worst nightmare, I'm sure he has considered a world that counts the days to the WBC championship every few years and, in between, makes do with various 'World Series'-type national championships, played in the USA, Japan, Latin America, and other places," explains Gallagher. "If the focus on what is really important in baseball changes, the Yankees stand to be the biggest losers. And, that, I believe, is why George Steinbrenner really dislikes the WBC."
The last time I saw a reach this big was when someone told Manute Bol: "Throw your hands in the air, if youse a true playa!"
Posted by Steve Lombardi at March 9, 2006 01:55 PM
Comments
Um, yeah, sure. Whatever. Three weeks every four years is going to threaten the Yankees? I view the WBC as a pleasant diversion, not The Most Important Thing Ever.
Posted by: rbj ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 9, 2006 02:29 PM
A reach worthy of plastic-man...
Well, if it makes George feel any better, he may have his players back pretty soon, sooner than they'd like.
Posted by: Raf at March 9, 2006 02:41 PM
It's interesting that a supposed Yankees blogger/fan would attribute to Steinbrenner the motivation that more likely resides at the heart of Bud Selig's megalomania. Steinbrenner simply didn't want his star players to risk season-threatening injury (since he's paying luxury taxes for his bloated payroll and revenue sharing, you'd think Selig would be mindful of that as well). Selig, on the other hand, wants baseball to be re-made in his image. Many media-types consider this evidence of his "love" of the game. Well, it's his baseball and he's taking it home with him if we don't play by his rules.
Posted by: JohnnyC at March 9, 2006 02:49 PM