Funny article..Yanks = Arrested Development

[SouthernJet]

The Steinbrenner Family is Arrested Development

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by Stop Mike Lupica on December 2 at 3:56PM

Bill Madden of the NY Daily News had a good interview today, with Hank Steinbrenner, who has really become the New Boss of the jewel of the family business, namely the NY Yankees. Bill Simmons, in his marathon chat earlier this week, tried hard several times to draw the parallels between Hank and his father, George. But those parallels don't really jump out; however, there are some parallels that can be drawn to the story of the Bluth family on Arrested Development:

The main character, played by Jason Bateman, is trying to do the right thing, and keep the family together. Just like Hank Steinbrenner is right now.

His father, George Sr. is, "at times dictatorial". George Sr. goes to considerable lengths to manipulate and control his family and business. His business was building mini-mansions.

Hank's father, George (Steinbrenner), made his money in the shipbuilding business. His dictatorial, manipulative and controlling ways are well documented, and can be summed up in his nickname: The Boss.

George Bluth gets arrested in the first show for misusing the company's money for personal expenses. George Steinbrenner got suspended for two years by baseball for misusing the company's money for personal expenses, like paying a private investigator to dig up dirt on one of his players, Dave Winfield.

Long before George Steinbrenner had been suspended by baseball, Hank had entertained thoughts of being the next Boss. This is somewhat significant, when you consider that, according to Madden, it was 21 years ago that Hank was first "anointed... as heir apparent", and brought into the mix. It was 1985.

"Young Hank would be coming into the front office, traveling with the team on the road and learning the ropes".

Bill Madden goes on to discuss how Hank learned the ropes from the oft fired GMs at the time - first Clyde King, then Woody Woodward. He also worked and learned from managers like Lou Piniella and Billy Martin.

"I had a lot of good teachers whether they knew it or not. All those dinners on the road with Clyde and Woody and Lou - I learned a lot.

Hank decided to give up on baseball 20 years ago, in 1987. According to Madden "he concluded the baseball business wasn't for him - or at least he concluded he would never be allowed to assert himself or have any meaningful position in his father's Yankee domain."

Hank was out of the family business, and had given up on having anything to do with it. Let's look at the rest of the family:

George Steinbrenner has four children - two boys, two girls. The oldest is Hank. The youngest is Hal, and the two daughters, Jennifer and Jessica, are right in the middle. It's important to note that Hal is 38 years old now, and would have been 17 in 1985, the time that Hank came in, and soon gave up, on being the next Boss.

For a long time, Jennifer's husband Steve Swindal was the heir apparent to George's role as The Boss. Neither Hal nor Hank wanted the job, which is how Steve Swindal got the top spot. The Boss was quoted in 2005 as saying "(Swindal) is going to carry on for me." Swindal is the one who negotiated Joe Torre extension in 2005.

However, Steve Swindal and Jennifer Steinbrenner separated in 2006, and soon got divorced.

With the impending divorce, things were thrown into a mess. Some reports initially had Hal as the #2, especially after Hal was the "surprise representative" at a MLB owners meeting in May 2006. Both Hank and Hal had the same title of VP, same as Swindal had before his separation from the family.

If you are wondering why Jennifer herself has never been mentioned as a candidate... in her own words:

"Even if I wanted to move up in the organization, I would've never been allowed. Not in this family." Blame chauvinism.

The same probably applies for Jessica Steinbrenner, the younger daughter. Neither ever "rose" to the title of VP in the organization. Jessica's husband, Felipe Lopez Jr, however, is also a VP and was mentioned early in the conversations as a possibility as George's successor. He has only been around 3 years (Jess divorced her first husband, Joseph Molloy, in 1997), unlike Swindal, who was a part of the family for 23 years. Hence, he's still the new kid on the block.

So, with all that going around, Hank made the most sense as the heir to the title of "Boss", and it appears he is now just that.

How long will he be in the business?

"I don't know. I see myself doing this another 10 years, then my son, George Michael, will be 21. He's already getting ready."

***********

"What was the most important thing you learned?", Madden asked Hank.

"The mistake of trading young pitching."

"It killed me seeing all those young pitchers we traded back then - Jose Rijo, Doug Drabek, Scott McGregor - who went on to have great careers because we just didn't have the patience. If there is one thing that's going to be different between me and my dad it's patience."