Ian O'Connor has balls of steel, and I respect the hell out of him for it.
The legendary sportswriter just went scorched earth on Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, saying what every furious Yankees fan has been screaming for years. Let’s be real: this team is crawling into Opening Day, and there’s no way they’re winning a championship this season. Injuries or not, the front office and manager lack the fire, the backbone, and—most importantly—the guts to spend like a team that actually wants to win.
O’Connor appeared on Colin Cowherd’s podcast (Yankee part starts around 31:31) and dropped a truth bomb that exposes exactly how this franchise is being run. When asked why the Yankees weren’t spending more to shore up the roster, Hal’s response was a masterclass in spineless ownership:
“There are banks and partners and lenders that I have to deal with, and I have to answer to,” Hal apparently said.
O’Connor, who spent years covering George Steinbrenner, knew immediately how embarrassing that sounded.
"I never heard him talk about a bank, lender, a bondholder, or a partner ever," O’Connor fired back. "He did not care. I don't even know if he cared about turning a profit—he just wanted to win and win at all costs."
Hal Steinbrenner doesn't want to win, he wants money. And on Ian's point, that’s the kind of quote that should make Yankees fans sick. It lays bare the difference between George, a man obsessed with winning, and Hal, a man obsessed with playing it safe. And the worst part? The Yankees have plenty of money. As of March 2024, they’re worth an estimated $7.55 billion—billion with a B. Their revenue in 2023? $679 million, and rising. Yet somehow, there’s no urgency, no aggressive moves to fix this mess.
Just think about how ridiculous this has gotten. Right now, fans are seriously hoping Carlos Carrasco makes the rotation. Read that again.
In the early 2000s, as Kristie Ackert recently pointed out, George Steinbrenner would’ve taken one look at the hole left by Gerrit Cole’s injury and had a new pitcher in pinstripes before lunch. Hal? He’s sitting on his hands, waiting to see how things play out. And Ackert nailed it: this franchise is stuck in neutral, no longer a legitimate powerhouse.
That’s why O’Connor’s takedown matters, and why Ackert backing him up is so damn refreshing. We need more reporters willing to call this organization out. If you read Bleeding Yankee Blue, you know I don’t hold back. The Yankees should and must do more.
Fans pour their hard-earned money into this team—easily dropping close to $1,000 for a family of four to attend a game. Tickets, food, parking, merch—it all adds up. And for what? So your kid can get a Carlos Carrasco jersey and a foam finger with Anthony Volpe’s face on it and an injured Gerrit Cole riding the bench? Yankees fans have been getting fed nonsense for too long, and this season is shaping up to be more of the same.
I can’t help but wonder—does Aaron Judge regret signing that long-term deal? Because much like Mike Trout, he’s looking at spending his best years stuck on a team that won’t sniff a championship. And that’s gotta suck.
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