R.I.P. George

Stunned. That was my first reaction I had upon learning that George Steinbrenner passing away this morning at the age of 80 from a massive heart attack suffered last evening.
As a Yankees fan, I loved and hated Steinbrenner at the same time. I loved the fact that he wanted to win. Period. He didn't always go about it the right way but I'll take an owner who wants to win as opposed to the owners who only want to turn a profit. Winning ballclubs cost money and Steinbrenner was willing to pay the price unlike many other owners.
I didn't like how he jerked around his managers, particularly the way he fired Dick Howser and Yogi Berra. He could be a blowhard but through it all he wanted what was best for the Yankees.
He bought the Yankees from CBS in 1973 for 10-million dollars. How much are the Yankees worth now? Shoot, they just build a new ballpark that cost 1.5-billion.
So many memories of George are flying through my head right now. I remember when he talked about being a hands-off owner. That lasted about 2-days. He always wanted to grab the front and back page headlines and he usually did. His trademark white turtleneck and navy blue blazer.
While he could be impetuous as an owner, he was very benevolent in his private life. He put a lot of kids through college and he never wanted his charitable endeavors publicized.
I'm not sure I would have said this back when he was suspended from baseball in the early 90's, but I'm glad George was the Yankees owner the past 37-years, although his sons Hal and Hank took over club 3-years ago. Here's a thought for you. Steinbrenner tried to buy the Indians in 1971. How different would things have been for the Indians and Yankees if that sale went through?
I have two personal memories of George Steinbrenner.
When I was in high school I met him at a luncheon (along with Lou Piniella) and he signed a baseball to me that said, "To Bill, A future Yankee, George Steinbrenner."
The other memory was at West Point before an Akron-Army football game. Steinbrenner, who coached football at Purdue and Northwestern, was a friend of then Akron coach Gerry Faust, was strolling the sidelines. I was wandering around on the field before the game and saw him and approach him for an interview. He was very gracious and we used the interview on our Army football pregame show.
These are sad times for the Yankees. The greatest public address announcer ever, Bob Sheppard died Sunday at the age of 99. Now the one of the most iconic, influential and successful owners in professional sports passes two days later.