After the sudden passing of legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner -- he died early Tuesday morning after succumbing to a heart attack suffered late Monday night -- several of the writers at SB Nation's Yankees blog, Pinstripe Alley, have put together a "collective" look back at The Boss, each with their own way of remembering Steinbrenner.
Travis Goldman, Co-Manager:
Yankee fans and haters alike will realize that 'King' George III was one of the most influential owners in the history of American sports. Whether you loved or hated him, you could not deny his impact. He brought the once-historic Yankees, at their lowest point, back to prominence and helped transform a sporting franchise into a world-famous brand.
Ed Valentine, Co-Manager:
Bombastic bully. Buffoon. Ego-maniacal tyrant. Good for baseball. A blight on baseball. In his later years, a weak old man. Think what you will of George Steinbrenner, and all of those descriptions fit in one way or another.
Steinbrenner changed baseball. And he changed the New York Yankee franchise. It was his will, his money, his unmatched desire to win no mattter what it took that turned the Yankees back into the YANKEES. From a moribund laughingstock back into what they are today, a World Championship-caliber team that everyone loves to hate, a team for which winning is the only acceptable outcome and a franchise that does not apologize for doing whatever it takes to accomplish that. [...]
Thank you, Boss. RIP.
For even more reactions to the passing of George Steinbrenner, head over to Pinstripe Alley and SB Nation New York.