Boss Man

Since he passed away yesterday morning, there have been myriad articles, blog posts, photo galleries, obituaries, numerical synopses, quote collections, timelines, video compilations, fan reaction pieces, rapper's reflections, and other various attempts at capturing the legacy of George Steinbrenner written by everyone from Fay Vincent to TMZ to Megan McArdle to Deadspin to Joe Posnanski to Maureen Dowd.

There was a moment of silence at the All-Star game last night, impromptu tributes at Yankee Stadium and there will many more attempts at remembrance when the MLB regular season resumes, from some sort of public memorial service that Yankee fans can attend to a moment of silence at Fenway Park to the patches the Yanks will wear on their uniform in honor of him (and Bob Sheppard) for the rest of the season.

As was the case with Sheppard, we knew the passing of Mr. Steinbrenner was on the horizon. He had been shielded from the public eye for quite some time and when he did make appearances, it was only for a moment, behind dark sunglasses and without any communication beyond perhaps a wave to the crowd. Even behind his shades, he looked alternatively sad, confused and lost. The man who seemed to do everything purposefully and with great vigor was now vacant and adrift.

Control over the team had officially been transferred to his sons in 2007. Howard Rubenstein would release statements on his behalf, but they lacked any of the customary bite that had been the trademark of his heyday. In a lot of ways he was already gone.

It's not uncommon for someone in their late-70's to lose their mental faculties, but for Steinbrenner, who enjoyed the spotlight and demanded attention so forcefully, his fade into oblivion was hardly inconspicuous. Because of who The Boss was in his prime it was impossible not to notice his absence in recent years.

We've all had an employer at some point in our lives that was capable of being so overbearing, so demanding, so demeaning and such a mega-alpha male that they inspired incredibly fierce emotions in you and your co-workers on a daily, if not hourly basis. You probably talked about them and their tyrannical ways endlessly with your fellow corporate captives when they weren't around. You likely rejoiced when they left the office early or took a Friday off so you could breathe easy and do your work without them stopping by to meddle and micromanage.

But every so often, perhaps during a one-on-one meeting or during some downtime on a business trip, the conversation would slip into something beyond the daily grind of business and you'd crack the surface. Usually, a person that maniacally-driven and focused at their given profession also contains something intensely likable and endearing about them, if you ever get close enough to catch a glimpse of it.

Of course, without fail, the following week, they'd make a decision or a comment or send an email that would make you want to leap over their desk or through the computer and fucking strangle them to death with the cord of their office phone. And then you'd forget all about those fleeting moments when they seemed somewhat compassionate and human and go back to thanking your lucky stars you were just their employee and not their child.

Yes, I'm shrouding my personal experiences with a previous boss in a flurry of impersonal pronouns, but I'm guessing most of you can relate on some level. I'm quite sure plenty of people who worked for the Yankees over the years can. In a lot of ways, what made Steinbrenner such an unbearable asshole also made him a good boss. As employees, we point to those that we like as people as our best bosses, but in reality, it might be those who can inspire fear in us who get their workers to perform at the highest level possible.

He was alternatively responsible for some of the Yankees' best and worst years but in the end, George was driven by his uncontrollable selfish desires, most notably a World Champion baseball team as soon as possible, always. Sometimes it backfired, but certainly not for a lack of trying.

As evidenced by his abundant charitable work and the frequent good deeds he did for his employees, there was obviously a sensitive part of him that cared deeply about the people who helped him get what he desperately wanted, but it wasn't big enough to keep him from treating them with disrespect whenever he pleased. That will be forever part of his legacy, but will always be mentioned as a side note to his numerous personal accomplishments and considerable impact not just on Major League Baseball but on American sports and popular culture. And because of the amount of success he attained, I suspect he'd probably be alright with that.

All-Star Game 2010: California Stars

We've done plenty of whining about things related to the All-Star game as of late and I'm sure you can tell that the game (or exhibition or whatever you'd like to call it) isn't all that captivating to us. The level of play is noticeably lower than in a typical game, the process by which the players are selected is terrible, the broadcast is always painfully cluttered with former players, special guests and other unnecessary voices, the first few innings are going to be played through the shadows, etc., etc., etc.

That said, it's a chance to see a lot of great players in the same place at one time, there have been some fairly interesting games in the last few years, the outcome does actually mean something and last but not least, it's pretty much the only thing we have to watch on TV tonight. Oh yeah, and it's definitely better than the NFL Pro Bowl!

Although the circumstances that made this possible are extremely unfortunate, there is another reason for Yankee fans to watch as much of the game as we can stand. The death of George Steinbrenner will take center stage and give Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and whoever else wanders into the booth a chance to capture the immensity of his legacy to the game to a National Audience, something I don't think The Boss wouldn't have minded too much at all.

Yes I'd give my life,
To lay my head tonight on a bed,
Of California stars.

I'd like to dream,
My troubles all away,
On a bed, of California stars.

Jump up from my starbed,
Make another day,
Underneath my California stars.

-Lineups-

American League:

Ichiro Suzuki RF
Derek Jeter SS
Miguel Cabrera 1B

Josh Hamilton CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Evan Longoria 3B
Joe Mauer C
Robinson Cano 2B

Carl Crawford LF

David Price LHP

National League:

Hanley Ramirez SS
Martin Prado 2B
Albert Pujols 1B
Ryan Howard DH
David Wright 3B
Ryan Braun LF
Andre Ethier CF
Corey Hart RF
Yadier Molina C

Ubaldo Jimenez RHP

"Send Swish" Succeeds... At Annoying The Sh*t Out Of Everyone

Hey Yankee fans! Check out the team's website this morning and tell me what the first thing you see is.

Is it a recap of last night's game, which most people who are up early on East Coast time would probably be interested in seeing? Why, no, it's yet another message from the Yankees telling you to vote Nick Swisher into the All-Star game to go along with the - not kidding - THIRTEEN other mentions of the Final Vote and TEN pictures of his face on the front page before you even have to scroll down.

We have:

1. A gaudy background design telling you to "Send Swish" and visit Yankees.com, even though you are already there.
   
   
2. A banner ad on top of the site.
   
   
3. Underneath the main picture, there is a link to this page created for the "Send Swish" campaign.
   
   
4. And a link to an article Bryan Hoch wrote about all the support Swisher is getting (with a video interview).
   
   
5. And a link to an article about Brian Cashman coercing children into stuffing the ballot box under the guise of charity work.
   
   
6. Another link to an article by Hoch on the status of the vote (Swish is in the lead!!1!). I'm sure Bryan is having a fucking blast writing all of these!
   
   
7. And a link to where you can vote under that.
   
   
8. And a contest (for two regular season tickets and an autographed ball! (/makes wanking motion)) that you could potentially have a 1:10,000,000 chance of winning if you vote for Swisher.
   
   
9. Another link to Swish's campaign headquarters.
   
   
10. On the right, there is the video with him and his surfboard that you would have to have been living in a hole not to to have seen ten times already.
    
    
11. Under that, there is a second link to the support article.
    
    
12. And a second link to the status article.
    
    
13. And yet another link to where you can vote.

This is in addition to the four or five emails the Yankees have blasted out, the shameless plug in the recap, the innumerable on-air mentions, more articles that Hoch has probably been forced to write at gunpoint, and pretty much every Yankee blog happily joining in this massive, elaborate PR circle jerk to maybe see Swisher play a couple of innings in an exhibition game over someone who is more deserving.

To be clear, it's not really the Yankees who are at fault here. They are just doing what they do best: flexing their considerable resources to gain an advantage over the competition. I'm sure the Red Sox campaign for Youk is equally exasperating. The true culprit here is the concept of the "Final Vote", which is baseball's equivalent of having a play-in game for the 64th spot in the NCAA Tournament - a stupid attention grab that means next to nothing.

Sure, all of the All-star voting is essentially a popularity contest and teams are all too happy to promote their own guys ad nauseam as soon as they have the chance, but the Final Vote takes everything that is wrong and irksome with the process and shoves it down your throat constantly for four days straight.

I get it, "Let's rally around our guy". Swisher is having an excellent year. In terms of WAR and wOBA, he trails only Robinson Cano on the team. He's never been an All-Star and since he's a corner outfielder, he's not going to get all that many chances to be one. From his perspective, the opportunity to rally the Yankees' massive fanbase around his candidacy is probably his best shot of ever being able to add the feather of playing in the Mid-Summer Classic to his cap. He seems to sincerely want it, too. But I don't care.

I'm not voting, and if I was - and I know this is tough to believe - I would vote for Kevin Youkilis (you know, the guy who is the best player among those available). He's been worth nearly a full win more than Swisher this year (with Paul Konerko, Michael and Delmon Young trailing well behind) and, as much as we hate him, deserves his third straight All-Star selection more than Swisher deserves his first. Furthermore, when push comes to shove, if the AL needs a pinch hitter in extra innings of the ASG to win homefield advantage in the World Series, I'd much rather see Youk at the plate than Swish. Wouldn't you?

All-Star Game: Night of 1,000 Stars

Or, since the league rosters are capped at 33, maybe it's Night of 66 Stars. But that's only if you believe that the likes of Zach Duke, Andrew Bailey, or Brad Hawpe are actually All-Stars. That isn't to say that those guys aren't having good seasons, just that they aren't the names that first come to mind when thinking of the Mid-Summer Classic.

I've kind of lost interest in the All-Star Game in recent years. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the MLBN air ASGs from my youth the past several days. Perhaps not coincidentally, my interest has waned as Bud Selig has attempted to force meaning into what was never intended to be anything more than an exhibition game. Our pal Jason at IIATMS has detailed this quite well in recent weeks, pointing out the absurdity of the whole affair. I'll say this much: it was somewhat disappointing to see the 2002 game end in tie, but it didn't ruin my summer. It's a damn exhibition. I'd rather it end tied than have a pitcher from a pennant contending team throw 100 pitches in a meaningless game.

The pitching match-up tonight is a great one, as it usually is for the All-Star Game. On-the-block Roy Halladay will oppose emo-kid-extraordinaire Tim Lincecum. And because the All-Star Game is stupid, the pitchers will bat since the game is being held in an NL park. So Halladay may get some more practice at the plate before he winds up with the Phillies at the end of the month. I've gone back about 30 years and can't find the last time a pitcher that started the All-Star Game was traded mid-season. Halladay would be the first in a long time, if not the first overall.

In another line-up note, Mrs. Tony Parker is a late scratch from the AL line-up, with an infected ring finger. Michael Young replaces him at 3B in the AL line-up, Chone Figgins replaces him on the AL roster. I'm surprised the NL is allowing such a late substitution, because, as you know, this one counts!

For the Yankees, both Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira start, batting second and fourth respectively. Mo is out in the pen to close it out, and if recent history holds, he will. There was a time when the NL absolutley dominated All-Star play, winning all but one ASG from 1963-1982. In reent years however, it's been all AL. Since I began following the game in 1988, the AL has gone 17-3-1. They had a six game winning streak from 1988-93, and have won every ASG since 1997, save for the tie in 2002.

For his career, Jeter is .474/.474/.684 in 19 PA over 9 ASGs, including five starts. He was the 2000 ASG MVP.

Teix has made just one previous ASG appearance, starting at 1B in 2005, going 1 for 3 with a HR.

Mo has made 9 previous All-Star teams, appearing in seven games. He's gone seven innings, giving up just one unearned run and allowing only five hits and no walks. He's fanned four and finished five of those games, picking up saves in '97, '05, and '06.

Tonight's video comes from the Upper West Side's own Beacon Theater and features Phil Lesh and Friends. The video is nearly as long as last night's Home Run Derby, but it comes from a fairly historic performance, as this was filmed at the second to last concert given by the "classic" Phil Lesh and Friends line-up of Lesh, John Molo, Rob Baracco, Jimmy Herring, and Warren Haynes.

Victory!

Good morning Fackers. It was a nice, long holiday weekend that saw the Yanks go 3-0 (we won't count Thursday night as part of the weekend). Now you're back at work; ain't that a kick in the junk?

Well let's start the week off with some good news. Give yourselves a pat on the back. The All-Star rosters were announced yesterday, and our call to action last week was successful. Mark Teixeira overcame a last day deficit to overtake our friend Youk as the starting first baseman. Youkilis still made the team as a reserve, and deservedly so.

Congratulations are also in order for Derek Jeter, who was the leading AL vote getter for the first time in his career. It will be the tenth All-Star appearance for the Captain, as it will be for the wonder that is Mo.

It's Getaway Day Matinee Monday. Back with the preview shortly.

All-Star Game Voting Ends Today

One of the spoils of living in a Democratic Republic such as ours is suffrage: the right to vote. Today my fellow Yankee fans, I urge you to exercise that right, up to twentyfive times, as All-Star Game voting ends at midnight Eastern Daylight Time.

Derek Jeter is comfortably ahead at shortstop. But as of Tuesday's update from MLB, our namesake and archnemesis led Mark Teixeira by just over 40,000 votes.

Come on Fackers; we can't allow that to happen. So head on over to mlb.com and rock the vote. Vote Teix. Vote early. Vote often. And if you're so inclined, throw a little support towards Ian Kinsler to try to keep the Sawx off the right side of the infield.

Maahhk Passes Yoouuk

There's really no point in gloating about All-Star balloting since who is leading really depends more on the size of a team's fan base or the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns than who the most deserving candidate is. FOTB Jason did an excellent job of laying out exactly why the voting for the ASG is a joke, just this morning. However, if we are going to maintain this niche of Kevin Youkilis hatred we have going here, we are sort of obligated to point this out:

Mark Teixeira shook off a slow start in pinstripes to begin playing like an All-Star, and the fans have taken notice. A blistering May propelled him past rival Kevin Youkilis in the most recent updates for the July 14 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium, but it's still a very tight race. Teixeira's lead over Youkilis stands at just over 1,000 votes.

After spending the beginning of his career in Texas and splitting time between the AL & NL last year, it will be only the second time in his career Teix has been voted in. I guess it's not that surprising when you consider that Teix is a consistently slow starter and first base tends to house a lot of powerhouse offensive players.

Youk's contract runs through 2012 with an club option for 2013 while Teix is signed through 2016. These guys are going to be in duking it out for that 1B spot on the AL All-Star team for a long time to come.