For Shame Little Steins For Shame!

I'm obviously a little late to the party on this one, but I'd be remiss if I didn't say how disgusted I am by the George Steinbrenner plaque erected this summer at Yankee Stadium. However my irritation is not directed at the late King George but rather his spawn (think the minions from Despicable Me only grosser) Hank and Hal.

What the hell were you guys thinking? The Boss's plaque is bigger than Lindsey Lohan's vagina and almost as repulsive. The plaque itself is 5.8 times the size of any other plaque in Monument Park. Hank and Hal how can you not feel shame at this gaudy display of ostentation? The plaque itself looks more like a testament to George Steinbrenner's ego rather than the man himself and what he did for the Yankee franchise over a 37 year period.

Don't get me wrong George Steinbrenner had a gigantic ego. His constant meddling throughout almost four decades was often times infuriating for Yankees fans. He hired and fired managers at will and disrespected Yogi Berra so bad that he didn't set foot in Yankee Stadium for almost twenty years. The 80s were an epic disaster. At one point 'ole George actually thought it was a good idea to base the entire team around speed. As a result he acquired a ton of speed and very little power in the lineup. The plan backfired worse than Garth Brooks's alternative rock album The Life of Chris Gaines. The man made mistakes. He also won seven world series and 11 pennants.

I shudder to think what he would say about this plaque. Love him or hate him the one thing Steinbrenner never did was consider himself bigger than the Yankees. (I'm looking at you Derek Jeter.) When Reggie Jackson's skills were obviously in decline George passed on re-signing him, when Billy Martin didn't manage the team up to his standard he fired him, and as much as he loved David Wells George, chose to trade him for Roger Clemens without hesitation. The franchise came first even if George's decisions about the franchise weren't always successful.

With time the controversy over the size of the plaque will fade but I will always possess a slight irritation on the subject. Let's hope to God we never have to see a ten foot tall statue of Brian Cashman in Monument Park.