Hank Steinbrenner, the Yankees Owner Who Kept a Guitar in His Office

As news of Hank’s death spread, many remembered him as a bombastic personality with several interests beyond baseball. He was seen as the free spirit of the Yankees’ top duo, while his younger brother, Hal, was the pragmatic, quieter figure. They became co-chairmen of one of richest and most storied franchises in sports in 2007, three years before their father died. But it was Hal, now 50, who became the final authority on Yankees decisions.

“Hank was a genuine and gentle spirit who treasured the deep relationships he formed with those closest to him,” the Steinbrenner family said in a statement issued by the team on Tuesday morning. “He was introduced to the Yankees organization at a very young age, and his love for sports and competition continued to burn brightly throughout his life. Hank could be direct and outspoken, but in the very same conversation show great tenderness and lightheartedness.”

Nothing is expected to change about the Yankees leadership structure. Hal is the managing general partner, and since he assumed day-to-day control of the Yankees, they have won just one World Series, in 2009. (They won five titles under his father.) The team has been run like a hybrid of the old Yankees, combining the financial might associated with George Steinbrenner’s era (see: the spending sprees of 2009 and 2014) with efforts at restraint (see: getting under the luxury tax in 2018) and a broad embrace of analytics.

George’s dream was to have his sons run the team. During the 1985 season, he made Hank serve as a special adviser of sorts, traveling with the Yankees and learning the ins and outs of the operation. But Hank asked to step away from the team to run the family’s horse farm in Florida, and his father agreed.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/sports/hank-steinbrenner-yankees-death.html