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Latest Yankees' title was Steinbrenner-esque

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Mark Kriegel

Mark Kriegel is the national columnist for FOXSports.com. He is the author of two New York Times best sellers, Namath: A Biography and Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich, which Sports Illustrated called "the best sports biography of the year."

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Updated Nov 5, 2009 5:38 PM ET
     
 

NEW YORK

In the moments after Game 2, our hurried assault on the locker rooms came to an abrupt halt in an interior stairwell. No reason was given. But it soon became apparent that a portion of Yankee Stadium was in a state of lockdown.
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In keeping with standard journalistic process, confirmation eventually came in whispers: George was in the house. The stairwell had been turned into a makeshift holding pen to enable Steinbrenner the Elder to make a clean getaway. After all these years being front and center, the once-ubiquitous owner — or was it his handlers? — wanted to remain unseen. By the time we were granted access to the field-level rotunda, all you could see were a lot of cop-types with walkie-talkies, clearing a path for a Chrysler mini-van. As its windows were blackened, Steinbrenner — or, the figure presumed to be him — was a faint silhouette. So there you have it: with his team on the precipice of a 27th championship, the most famous owner in American sports — the quintessential owner — had been reduced to a spectral presence. In ways both factual and figurative, the new Yankee Stadium belongs to George Steinbrenner. A monument to victory and commerce, it will be forever identified with him the way the original was identified with Babe Ruth. Little wonder, then, that Stadium workers — the kind of people he routinely terrorized, if occasionally saved with fits of largesse — were outfitted with World Series tee-shirts that read: "Win it for the Boss." After attending the first two games, Steinbrenner remained home in Tampa for Game 6. On the podium Wednesday night, his son Hal was heard to say: "Dad, I know you're home watching with mom. This one's for you." I understand the sentiment. The aptly named Hal, who shares a moniker with the protagonist-prince in "King Henry IV, part I", is raising the standard for his fallen father. I get it. I sympathize. There are few more thankless tasks than being the son of a Steinbrenner. Just the same, I'll say this again: the Yankees didn't win it for George Steinbrenner any more than the Angels didn't win it for Nick Adenhart, their gifted rookie pitcher who was killed by a drunk driver. Rather, I'd argue that they won it, in large measure, because of George Steinbrenner. The 2009 Yankees were an exceedingly faithful expression of Steinbrenner's vision. A $200 million team that opened a $1.5 billion stadium amidst the worst economic times since in The Great Depression, were products of his ambition, his audacity, his grandiosity, his need to win. "He's the reason we're here," Jeter said. "First of all, we wouldn't be in this stadium if it wasn't for him. We wouldn't have this group together if it wasn't for him. This is a special moment. ... He deserves it." "He put this team together," said Andy Pettitte, who, on just three days' rest, earned his 18th postseason victory. "He set a standard for us to uphold. These guys embraced it and that makes it even sweeter to accomplish what we did." "He's happy now," said George's elder son, Hank, who had apparently spoken with their father after the victory, the seventh championship in 35 years for the House of Streinbrenner. "He was just, I say, teary-eyed, emotional, very emotional." Whatever is left of George Steinbrenner, however long he has left, you hope he can enjoy this, as it's a promised land of his own making.
Tagged: Angels, Yankees

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