My Fantasy With The Boss, George Steinbrenner
Actor Robert Wuhl shares a story about former Yankees owner
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . George Steinbrenner’s appearances on the television series Seinfeld, even though not truly in person, as Larry David played the famous Yankee owner, have ranked him among the top-five baseball celebrity guest appearances in television history. Interestingly, Steinbrenner had filmed multiple scenes playing himself in the season seven finale, but the scenes were cut when the episode ran long on time.
Leading Off
My fantasy with ‘The Boss’
By Robert Wuhl
Last night George Steinbrenner was in my dream.
Back story: I first met George in 1993 when I was a guest in Gene Autry’s suite in Anaheim back when he owned the Angels. They were playing the Yankees, so I needed to keep my NYY fandom clandestine (I can personally testify that the Seinfeld episode about being asked not to root for the opponent is 100% true.) Even though the Angels took the lead, I was enjoying the game talking baseball with anyone/everyone when suddenly I see standing standing next to me The Boss himself! He had slipped into the suite as a guest of Gene’s.
For the next few innings, the Angels continued to widen their lead as the Yankees continued to fail in scoring situations, something that The Boss didn’t seem too happy about. Emphatically.
But in the top of the ninth, the Yankees put together a rally, scratching together three hits, and clawing back within a single run. Then with two outs, they loaded the bases. The stadium was rocking as the newly acquired slugger Danny Tartabull stepped to the plate.
Tartabull, who had signed a four-year, twenty-one million dollar contract in the offseason, takes ball one. Big roar. Second pitch, ball two. Bigger roar. George, of course, seems a tad intense.
“I make him take a strike.”
Conservative for sure, 2-0 is a good hitter’s count. That became better with ball three. 3-0.
So I turn to George and ask, “Do you give him the green light?”
“Absolutely not!”
Okay, he’s playing it more conservatively. Tartabull, taking all the way, lets a pitch middle-middle go by. Strike one. I’m not sure Tartabull was happy with that decision, but the count is now 3-1, still a hitter’s count. But then….
“I make him take again.”
“WHAT?” I exploded. George stared at me.
“George, you just gave this guy twenty million dollars to be in this exact situation to drive in the big runs to help you win. Now you only want him to get ONE SWING? This is what you pay him for. Don’t restrict him.”
He stared at me. I’m not sure if my candor was welcome, but I could see him thinking about it.
Tartabull lined out to end the game. The Yankees lost, but in that moment, in some way, we bonded. I think he respected the way I presented my case.
Over the next two decades, our relationship continued. We’d often meet at Elaine’s and the Cafe Carlyle, debating anything and everything from Bobby Short to Steve Tyrell, from Otto Graham to Steve Young, from Phantom to Les Mis.
Once, I traveled with a friend to Baltimore during the 1996 ALCS. When George saw me he asked to see my tickets, and then without glancing at them, he handed me four others.
“These are better.”
Uh, they were - the owner’s field seats beside the Yankee dugout. Spotting my fellow fan and Improv stand-up mate Larry David, then in the midst of Seinfeld’s monster success, I proposed a trade. I gave Larry two tickets, and he gave me a seat on the NBC jet back to LA. The Yankees triumphed, which made it a win-win-win.
George not only appeared on my HBO sports satire ARLI$$, but he also gave us carte blanche to film at (old) Yankee Stadium, and even ride in the World Series victory parade down the Canyon of Heroes for our opening credits. His generosity extended to giving an open invitation to his owner’s suite during Yankee post-season games throughout the great run. One of my all-time memories is being in his suite for the Tino Martinez game. (If you have to ask, don’t.)
I miss George. He was truly one-of-a-kind.
I still have the handwritten note card he sent me after falling in the 2002 ALDS.
“Sorry, we let you down.”
Can you believe he’s apologizing to me??? Perhaps the greatest compliment I’ve ever received was when Yankees broadcaster Suzyn Waldman once told me, “He adored you.”
And I believe it all started with Danny Tartabull’s at-bat.
Anyway, in last night’s dream, Elaine’s was still open, and I was enjoying, in the words of Ron Shelton, “the mediocre food and great company,” when the Boss walked in.
Not many people could change the room when they walked in as George could. The energy rises to another level and everybody is smiling. He immediately begins holding court, giving various theories on what needs to be done about today’s current situation. Should he open the vault for Ohtani or Soto? Of course, he eventually zeros in on me.
“Okay, Mister-I’ve-Got-All-the-Answers. What should we do to turn this around?"
“Well, as long as you asked, I believe the single move that would help the club most wouldn’t be to add Ohtani. It wouldn’t be to add Soto. In fact, it wouldn’t be to add any player, and it wouldn’t cost a cent. It would simply be this…”
“RELAX THE FACIAL HAIR POLICY.”
Out came the stare.
“Hear me out. You are a results-oriented guy, possibly the most results-oriented guy in the world. Well, what’s the one thing every World Series Champion for the past fourteen years has had in common? At least one player on their roster had facial hair. Don’t take my word for it. The analytics back me up.”
“With soooo much of the game being psychological, one should want his players to feel as confident as possible. He shouldn’t be confined in any way. Some guys need to see themselves as Samson. Some Vin Diesel. Some Duck Dynasty. It may seem silly, but Rollie Fingers rode his handlebar mustache all the way to Cooperstown.”
“The benefits are overwhelming. Relaxing the facial hair policy would also make Brian’s job much easier. He could finally woo a younger generation of free agents with a ‘Dude, if you think wearing your hair longer makes you better, fine. If you think having a beard gives you a mental edge, fine. Express yourself. Be who you are.’”
"I know you’re having a knee-jerk reaction to changing Yankee tradition, but remember there was a time when Yankee players didn’t have their numbers on their uniforms, and besides, George, you yourself were always fashion-forward, wearing your yellow turtleneck whether it was in-style, then out-of-style, then back in-style, then out-of-style, then…you get my point.”
“I hear you saying, ‘What about the optics?’ George, I sincerely don’t think this would damage the Yankee brand in any way, shape, or form. Quite the contrary. My guess is this will help previously nondescript players develop fan bases. You can hear them now, ‘Hey, check out LeMahieu’s crazy beard. Let’s dub it D.J.s Van Dyke.’ Laugh, but that’s merch!”
“‘Where would it stop??’ Got it covered. To police allowing players to grow ratty manes that reach down to their midriff, we pro-actively add a full-time Stylist Coach to the front office. Not only will this new look play well with the media, but be a huge financial windfall by adding a big cosmetic sponsor, ‘L’Oreal, the official moisturizer for the NY Yankees.’“
Okay, I make my point. Time to conclude.
“George, baseball is about making adjustments. That’s all I’m suggesting with facial hair. Making an adjustment.”
He held up his hand, signaling enough. It was now his turn. Uh-oh, here it comes. He stared at me, took a deep breath, and—
I woke up.
Talk about a bummer. I didn’t want that dream to end, but at least for a while, it was great to be back with him and hear that voice once again. I’m only sorry that I’ll never know how he would’ve responded to my sacrilegious plea for change.
But I could see he was thinking about it…
Robert Wuhl is an actor, comedian, and writer.
Timeless Trivia
Answer to yesterday’s trivia question…
First, a reminder of the question: The most prolific third-sacker born in the Bay Area made seven All-Star teams and won an MVP. He’s on the “Hall of Very Good” list among third basemen, but when he left the organization that he won an MVP for, it was to open the position for one of the all-time great third basemen in the history of the game. Can you name this player, originally born on Nov. 26, 1916, in San Francisco?
Bob Elliott has the highest career WAR of any third baseman born in the Bay Area, with 50.9. His career lasted from 1939-1953 and included seven All-Star selections and the 1947 MVP while with the Boston Braves.
Elliott was traded by the Braves in April 1952 as young third sacker Eddie Mathews was ready to take over the position, one he held in the Braves’ organization in three cities. Elliott passed away at age 49 in 1966, ironically Mathews’ final season as a Brave.