The Boss, as my brother Mark put it to me earlier in the day was a visionary and a great American period. He is correct. He made mistakes like all great men do. He was loud, boisterous, and at time unbearable. He was also known to go into a coffee shop and get to talking to a clerk just to find out that clerk was working his or her way through college and Mr. Steinbrenner would quietly without an ESPN special, pay that persons college bills. That was the kind of man he was by all accounts. He was a generous man and a hard business man all wrapped up into one. A ying and a yang I suppose.

As a fan I will always remember his ever looming presence. If Joe Torre didn’t perform he was threatened with getting the ax. Never mind that he just won 4 out of the past 5 World Series Championships at the time. He demanded perfection. Maybe it was his ever present father standing over him demanding he always win or just his competitive spirit who knows. Everyone who has ever spoken to Mr. Steinbrenner said he hated to lose more than he loved to win.

As a fan I would say we got that feeling every day and frankly we were thankful for his attitude. He spent the money to make the team better. He turned our franchise (I stress ours because when you are a Yankee fan you feel apart of the family) into something special. I got a chance to watch a Yankee Dynasty in the mid 90’s that I will never forget. I owe that to Mr. Steinbrenner because without him I would never have had those feelings. That feeling of watching something truly great unfold in front of your eyes.

In closing, thank you Mr. Steinbrenner. Thank you for all you did for sports and my favorite team the New York Yankees.

Batter up!

I’m writing, of course, about the New York Post cover photo of the Shane Victorino in a cheerleader’s skirt, with the headline that screams “GOTHAM TREMBLES” and “The Frillies Are Coming To Town!” The bottom half of the photograph shows legs that are clearly not his own. The crudity of the layout adds to its hilarity. This is not something to be taken too seriously, and although it may not be the most clever cover I’ve ever seen, I laughed.

The subtext of the front page is “Oooh – we’re so scared!” Well, that works as humor because this is New York City, and we’re not scared of much here in Gotham City. We’re scared of the President coming to town, since it creates a traffic nightmare every time it happens. We’re especially scared of the President coming to town to visit the United Nations, but that’s because the mere existence of the U.N. is just plain scary. But that’s the subject for another story…

Betsy Gotbaum blogged about how the New York Post has added “gay-baiting to its tradition of tasteless, offensive humor.” Let me see if I have this right… Betsy Gotbaum, who holds a position that Mayor Bloomberg rightfully hopes to get rid of in his next term, has a problem with the New York Post? Heavens to Betsy!

Ms. Gotbaum says that the Yankees represent “one of the most tolerant cities in the world.” But the last time I looked, tolerance included even being tolerant of that subjective subject called humor. She goes on: “The Post, in contrast, represents the lowest form of journalism and a New York that is sexist, homophobic and intolerant.” Funny how lately, the ‘lowest form of journalism’ is that which disagrees with who ever it is that is in a position of power, and making that accusation.

The validity of certain terms (“homophobia,” “hate crime,” the “questioning” in “lesbian/gay/bi/transgender/questioning” etc.) is questionable to me, even though I am an openly gay man. If the left is going to try to control debates by creating loaded terminology in the first place, then they should at least play by their own rules and not spew theory with their fingers crossed behind their backs. Save that for the kids on the ball field. You know – the ones that are behind in the game. And try and learn how to laugh a little. It’s not who wins or loses, it who has a smile on their face while they enjoy the rivalry.

Trash talk is a traditional component of sporting events. It is part of the event to see how outrageous the home-team press coverage can be. And since when is humor not sometimes offensive? There are comedians who can trash-talk for an entire stand-up routine if they get on a roll. It is one of the great contributions made by the sports culture. The idea is to insult and anger the opponent. Apparently, the New York Post did a fine job of it.

So welcome to New York, Shane Victorino. I wonder if we are related, since you were born in Hawaii, and my ancestors who gave me my last name are natives from the Big Island. I suggest you just enjoy a slice of New York pizza, and relax about the whole thing. Hang loose, bruddah… After all, you won’t be on the front page of any newspapers the morning after this World Series is decided.

I am a gay man. I do not wear a dress. In case you haven’t heard, there is very little correlation between homosexuality and cross-dressing. Therefore I cannot view this cover as “homophobic.” It has nothing to do with me.

Besides, I have to go pick out a gown for the Yankees Victory Ball.