Yankees: The Boss Falls Short in Hall Voting Once Again

On Sunday, the Today’s Game Era Committee announced they had voted in two new Hall of Fame inductees, but legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was not one of them.

Back in October the Hall of Fame announced the ten names up for consideration for induction in 2017 on the Today’s Game Era ballot. The most notable candidate for Yankees fans was one of the most polarizing figures in the team’s history, former club owner George Steinbrenner.

While he’s reviled by many for his explosive temper and constant micromanaging of his club’s day-to-day operations, there is no questioning the results he was able to get on the field. During his 37 years at the helm, the Yankees finished first in their division 16 times and took home seven World Series championships.

What set Steinbrenner apart from other owners, including his son Hal Steinbrenner who succeeded his father as the principal owner of the team, was his focus on the product on the field rather than his personal profits. Yes, baseball is a business, but owning an MLB club is also a privilege, and Steinbrenner ran his organization like any good baseball fan would.

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Unfortunately, despite all of his success, Steinbrenner once again fell short of induction to the Hall of Fame Sunday evening, as the Today’s Game Era committee announced they had voted in former commissioner Bud Selig and the primary architect of the 1990’s Atlanta Braves dynasty, John Schuerholz.

The Today’s Game Era is one of four Hall of Fame committees that consider figures from baseball history who may have been overlooked in the main voting process. They consist of 16 members each and a candidate must receive 12 votes to be inducted. Steinbrenner did not come all that close this year, with just five members voting for him.

The other candidates who fell short on this ballot include Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Mark McGwire, and Lou Pinella.

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It seems like a long-shot that Steinbrenner will ever be inducted into the Hall because of the many enemies he made as team owner. Even among many Yankees fans he’s not especially beloved.

There’s also the matter of the permanent ban from the game he earned in 1990 for hiring a private investigator to follow his own player, Dave Winfield. Even though it was overturned, it seems like it could potentially have the same impact as a steroids suspension with many current Hall hopefuls.