Hank Steinbrenner Claims To Be Different From His Father

Yankees co-Chair HANK STEINBRENNER shows "hints of the feistiness that earned his demanding father," Yankees Chair GEORGE STEINBRENNER, the nickname of "The Boss," according to a front-page cover story by Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. But Hank Steinbrenner, "making clear that he's not the volatile owner" his father was, said, "I'm not my father." Hank Steinbrenner "shows a passion for getting the Yankees their first World Series title since 2000 and some ambivalence about whether it will be a lifetime venture." Steinbrenner: "Let's see how long I do this. I just want to win. That's all I give a crap about, is winning. And that's all I want my players to care about. I'm like my dad in that respect, I guess. But I'm more patient than he was. That's for sure." Cubs manager LOU PINIELLA, who worked for the Yankees from '86-89, said, "Hank is a lot different. George wasn't the easiest guy to work for. But ... Hank will have more patience." Nightengale notes Hank Steinbrenner was "content to stay in horse racing" until February '07 when then-Yankees Managing General Partner STEVE SWINDAL was charged with DUI, and his wife and Hank's sister, Yankees Vice Chair JENNIFER STEINBRENNER SWINDAL, filed for divorce. Piniella, after dining with Hank and George a few months earlier, pulled Hank aside and said, "For your dad's sake, you really need to get back to baseball. He needs you." Meanwhile, Hank Steinbrenner said that the Yankees have been "subsidizing the Rays and other teams with their revenue-sharing and luxury-tax payments," so they "should be thanking the Yankees." Steinbrenner: "People in baseball know it, whether they want to admit it or not. It helps everyone when the Yankees are good. The Red Sox, whether they're good or not doesn't necessarily matter, nationally" (USA TODAY, 7/11).

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