Dec
16

Hal — not Hank — on SBJ’s most influential list

By Benjamin Kabak

The sports industry’s trade publication Sports Business Journal has unveiled their list of the top 50 most influential people in sports business. As is only appropriate, a Steinbrenner occupies a prime spot on that list, but it’s not the one people might expect.

Hal, the younger of the Steinbrenner children and the team’s current head, earned himself the 28th spot on the list. SBJ writes rather glowingly of Hal, who is making his debut on this list:

Several years of gradual but historic change within the Yankees camp were codified last month when Hal Steinbrenner received official designation as the team’s controlling executive, trumping his older and louder brother, Hank, who will remain overall head of baseball operations.

Much more calm and measured when compared with Hank or their father, George, but still a firm negotiator, Hal provides a rather different face to the Yankees as they prepare to move into their new stadium in the spring. That ballpark, a $1.3 billion edifice packed with revenue-generating opportunities, gives Hal ample room to put his own stamp on the franchise.

We have covered this territory as well, but it’s clear that people inside the industry regard Hal as the real executive holding the reins of power inside the Yankee organization now. Hank may garner the back pages, but all he seems good for right now is a quote. He can talk and talk and talk, but when push comes to shove, the ultimate decision will be Hal’s. That should be very good for the Yanks indeed.

Posted on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm in Front Office.

RSS feed | Trackback URI

71 Comments »

TheLastClown says:

Theres that old axiom: “Those who don’t know, speak. Those who don’t speak, know.”

Mike A. says:
steve (different one) says:
Mike Pop says:

I still dont quite understand what it means

I believe it’s called “jogging”, or possibly “yogging”. It might be a soft “J”. I’m not sure but apparently you just run for an extended period of time! It’s supposed to be wild.

TheLastClown says:

Best. Game of Telephone. Ever.

Officially the 6th degree of separation.

Best. Game of Telephone. Ever.

Brian Fantana: Ron, where are you?
Ron Burgundy: AAAAAAAAIIIIIII’M IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION!!!!!

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
 
 
 
 
headstand says:

IIIII DONT KNOWWWW WHAT WEERRRE YEEELLLLLLINGGGG AAABBBOOOOUUUUUTTTT!!!

I would like to invite you to the pants party.

 
 
 
 
jsbrendog says:

tread lightly and carry a big stick

TheLastClown says:

Speak softly & carry a big stick.

The big stick equates to rather heavier treading :)

jsbrendog says:

haha i knew id mess it up but was too lazy to look it up. even with the itnernet at my fingertips…..oh well derrrrrr

 
 
 
Jay CT says:

George Bodenheimer is a neighbor of mine. Nice to see him getting his due respect!

 
D.B.H.O.F. the word conservationist says:

From what I know both Hank and Hal have a equal ownership piece of the team. Hal has more to do with the financial goings on, as Hank does on the baseball side.

Hank does seem to be full of hot air, but just because of that does not make him more or less powerful.

Last year around this time it was in vogue to talk about how Hank was the head dude in charge. Fast forward to this year and now it is Hal. I would be willing to bet it is somewhere in the middle of that.

I know Hal comes across as the smarter guy because he does lay low and keep his yap closed, but i do not know or feel that we are going to be run well because of that. I will take a wait and see feeling going forward, not a YIPPEE HAL IS GREAT one.

Thats just my take.

jsbrendog says:

last yr ppl talked about how hank was in charge even tho hal handled the books. these peopl didnt have all the facts. From the beginning i said to all these ppl hal controls the checks he control sthe power. Basically hank has to go to hal and say i want a new toy and hal either cuts him a check or tells him no and htis him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. Hal is most definitely the one in charge and has been since day one. I don’t know where the literature on this is, and im lazy but I know someone on here knows where to find it. esp since hal was recently named officially in charge or something like that.

jsbrendog says:
jsbrendog says:

and if you don’t have video on the commodore 64 here’s the story

jsbrendog says:
 
 
 
 
colin says:

Hal has been designated as the successor to George so he is, in fact, in charge. There’s no guessing here

 
 
Jake D. says:

George = Vito
Hank = Sonny
Hal = Michael

?

I’ve been searching for Fredo… there isn’t one.

(that’s a good thing, btw).

Ryan S. says:

Steve Swindal, maybe? Both are eventually “removed” from the family.

Jennifer Steinbrenner-Swindal is Connie, and Steve Swindal is Carlo, her husband (who betrays the family in an takeover attempt.

It fits so nicely, it’s practically scripted.

 
Clayton says:

Agree. He was going to take over the team until the DUI

DUI = fumbling for a gun

 
Thomas says:

I think Swindal is more like Carlo. They marry into the family, only to removed. However, Swindal was much more well liked by George, than Carlo by Vito.

 
 
Ryan S. says:

This year’s offseason is our version of going to the mattresses

 
 
Andrew from the perpetually sunny city by the name of Daytona Beach in the beautiful State of Florida says:

Jennifer = Connie
Cash = Tom
Bob Watson = Clemenza (just disappeared)

Yup. That’s all where I went.

Hold on, I’l find my old post…

Here you go:

http://riveraveblues.com/2008/.....ent-218528

George Steinbrenner= Don Vito Corleone
Hank Steinbrenner = Santino Corleone
Hal Steinbrenner = Don Michael Corleone
Jennifer Swindal = Connie Corleone
Steve Swindal = Carlo Rizzi
Randy Levine = Fredo Corleone (that one was Joe’s suggestion)
Joe Torre = Frank Pentangeli
John Henry = Hyman Roth
Theo Epstein = Johnny Ola
Stick Michael = Clemenza
Michael Kay = Johnny Fontaine
Brian Cashman = Tom Hagen
Joe Girardi = Al Neri
Luca Brasi = Howie Spira

Maybe Bob Watson is Tessio… but he didn’t really “betray” the family.

I like Stick better as Clemenza, especially since he’s like a mentor to all the young kids in the organization.

Maybe Damon Oppenheimer can be Rocco.

 
dan says:

Where’s Enzo the baker on that list? Dave Eiland? lol

Enzo the Baker = Don Zimmer

dan says:

Zim’s more important than that. I was just going for some random dude caught in the middle of everything.

(Comments wont nest below this level)

Hey, Enzo helped save the Don’s life…

 
 
 
 
Ryan S. says:
 
dan says:

Bud Selig= Jack Woltz

Why do you think there’s no salary cap, huh?

And I want to say I said somewhere that Bart Giamatti was Senator Pat Geary.

 
 
Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

I almost had Stick as Clemenza, but I figured since he just disappeared from the family I thought Bob Watson was more appropriate.

 
Thomas says:

I think a good Fredo would be one of the guys from George’s Tampa crew that made a ton of bad choices before finally being canned. I specifically go with the guy that said, he’d bring in Leo Mazzone for pitching coach and then failed to do so (unfortunately I can’t remember his name, Lou something I think).

Hmm, interesting.

The tampa crew is Billy Connors, Bill Emslie, Mark Newman and Gordon Blakely (along with Damon Oppenheimer, to a lesser degree).

But I like Joe’s pick of Randy Levine, because none of those Tampa advisers were really in line for any true “head of the family” status like Levine was.

Thomas says:

Billy Connors that who I was thinking of. Don’t know why I thought he was named Lou.

Levine probably would have been my initial thought for Fredo. However, his only problem is that he never really betrayed the family, just Torre and that was a family decision in which Levine took the blame for.

(Comments wont nest below this level)

Yeah, there’s just not a good, natural fit for Fredo.

 
nmc says:

Just because he hasn’t betrayed the family doesn’t mean he won’t.

 

Maybe we should take him out on the lake and whack him preemptively.

 
 
 
 
Jake D. says:

Scott Boras = Virgil Solozzo

 
 
headstand says:

Joe Torre = Frank Pentangeli
John Henry = Hyman Roth
Theo Epstein = Johnny Ola
Brian Cashman = Tom Hagen

Hahah, you nailed it.

 
Lanny says:

Why would Randy Levine be Fredo? He is the point man for getting the stadium done and getting the network off the ground.

Not like banging cocktail waitresses two at a time.

He’s more like Tommy Hagen.

 
 
Steve H says:

Where’s Costanza on the list?

 
 
 
 
 
Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

Kei Igawa = Vincent (The bastard child)

I’ll have to take your word for that. I refuse to watch Godfather III, that travesty of a movie.

Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

Its a good waste of 3 hours. Al Pacino had already crossed into his over-acting phase of his career.

Andy In Sunny Daytona says:

I mean just a waste of 3 hours

 
 
dan says:

I just noticed…. why did you get rid of the rest of your name? Now DonnieBaseball as the longest name, ugh.

 
 
 
 
dan says:

Well this thread got way off track. lol

headstand says:

I dont wannna hear about! I dont wanna hear about it!…… OVAHH!

 
 
dan says:

Carl Pavano = Michael’s wife in Italy when she’s learning to drive.

 
 
A.D. says:

Chase Cary has an awesome stache

 
A.D. says:

Gotta say i disagree that random VPs in MLB should be considered some of the most influential people in sports.

And seriously how is Boras 42
Fehr is only 41?
No Drew Rosenhaus?? Really

 
D.B.H.O.F. the word conservationist says:

Man i was reading this and thinking Randy Levine = Fredo Corleone, but I got beat to it.

I still believe that Hank has a lot of power, it is just if he knows how to use it or not. If he feels like selling his portion of the team at some point without Hal being involved that could lead to a major shift in the way the team does BI. Or just the threat of selling it could be harnessed for his own interests.

 
Brooklyn Ed says:

CC and Aj took physicals:

The Post learned Burnett underwent a physical Monday and Sabathia was at Manhattan’s Columbia Presbyterian Hospital today for tests.

The Yankees have scheduled a press conference for 1 p.m. Thursday at the old Yankee Stadium. Though there is a chance they will introduce both free agent hurlers, a source said this afternoon that wasn’t finalized.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12.....144501.htm

——-

Can’t wait . :D

The Yankees have scheduled a press conference for 1 p.m. Thursday at the old Yankee Stadium.

The old Stadium? Screw that, do it in the New Stadium. The past is dead, baby, it’s all about the FUTURE!!!!

gg says:

i like that idea, cc’s press conf should be the first there

whozat says:

It’s not ready yet. PeteAbe (I think) reported the other day that they wanted to do it at the new stadium, but they can’t.

I guess they could wait a few months…

 
 
 
A.D. says:

maybe AJ fails the physcial

 
 
Name (required)
E-mail (required - never shown publicly)
URI
Your Comment (smaller size | larger size)

You may use <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> in your comment.

If this is your first time commenting on River Ave. Blues, please review the RAB Commenter Guidelines.

Trackback responses to this post