Current Yankees remember Steinbrenner

Baseball Betting Lines

07/13/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yankees manager Joe Girardi spoke about a time in spring training when he and his wife were walking their dog, a white bichon, on the manicured grass when he encountered owner George Steinbrenner.

He expected Steinbrenner to yell, but said Steinbrenner instead sat and talked to them, asking about the dog.

"Totally different expectation than what I had," Girardi said. "It was the first time I realized he wasn't everything he was painted to be...I gotta tell you, one of his athletes walking a little white dog, I was expecting something different."

Steinbrenner was tough and had high expectations, but was fair and revealed a softer side in personal moments. That was the consistent theme when Girardi, along with Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, third baseman Alex Rodriguez and shortstop Derek Jeter -- who are in Anaheim for the All-Star Game -- spoke about the Yankees owner, who died Tuesday morning.

Steinbrenner could be demanding and had high expectations for his team, which became clear in some anecdotes they told.

Rodriguez, who joined the Yankees in 2004, said within the first two minutes of meeting Steinbrenner, the owner told him multiple times that the Yankees have to win a World Series. Girardi said winning the World Series meant a lot to Steinbrenner, but Steinbrenner didn't take too long to enjoy the accomplishment.

"He was like, 'Okay, how are we going to win next year,'" said Girardi, who won three World Series titles with the Yankees as a player and last year as the manager.

Jeter recalled being yelled at by Steinbrenner for getting doubled off third base early in his career, despite the fact that the Yankees won.

"He was an old football coach," Jeter said. "His way, he'd sort of look at the baseball season like we played 12 games and we have to win every single day. He really expected to win, every night, every day."

But Jeter also remembered getting a call in 2003, saying The Boss wanted to talk to him. Jeter figured he was in trouble again and called Steinbrenner.

"He said how much respect he had for me and he wanted to name me captain and would I accept that role," Jeter said. "I was in Cincinnati, and it's a memory I'll always cherish not only because I thought I was getting in trouble, but because I realized how much that title meant to him and to the organization."

That was the way all four recounted how Steinbrenner revealed his true self to them, through surprising moments that told them he was more than a caricature.

Rodriguez remembered a letter delivered to him in 2004 from Steinbrenner, hand-written. At the end it said "I'm counting on you" in capital letters and with an exclamation point.

"To this day I hold this dear and still feel we're playing for him," Rodriguez said.

Pettitte said Steinbrenner would hand him bible verses before some playoff starts.

"He was tough, but he was always there to support you also," Pettitte said. "I don't think enough is said about the support he'd give you."

In addition to the dog-walking story, Girardi also remembered how Steinbrenner teased him about football. Girardi went to Northwestern, while Steinbrenner was an assistant football coach there in the 1950s.

"He would needle me about Northwestern football, and had a way of making some light moments in some tough times," Girardi said. "I enjoyed it. I never really felt that his expectations were overbearing. I just felt he wanted what we all wanted; to win."

Jeter, who knew Steinbrenner since he was 18, said Steinbrenner was a father figure to anyone in the organization, saying "he really went out of his way to take care of his players."

"He's more than just an owner to me, he's a friend of mine," Jeter said. "He'll be deeply missed."