An Open Letter To Hal Steinbrenner

by Rudy Lopes

October 31, 2024

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Good morning, Hal.

While you're a sports mogul and I am just a humble Yankee fan, I suspect we have a few things in common today. We're both pleased that the team finally returned to the World Series, but not so pleased with how things turned out. With the off-season upon us, we will no doubt waste some brain cycles on "what might have been"s and such.

In that vein, I ask you as a humble fan to please consider this one request, for the good of the team.

Don't. Just don't.

Don't let those two idiots who mugged Mookie Betts on live TV back into the stadium. Ever. At best, they give all of us a bad name and tarnish the Yankee brand. At worst they are guilty of assault and belong in jail. Don't reward them with season tickets. (You know you won't have any trouble selling those seats.)

Don't think twice, or even once, if Cole opts out. He proved his worth last night, proved he's the ace of this staff, capable of dragging the team to the brink of success. Pull the trigger and give him the additional year that will keep him in pinstripes.

Don't even think about bringing back Boone and his coaches. That Keystone Kops fiasco last night wasn't a one-off -- we've seen this lack of discipline and fundamentals for years now. That's all on the coaching staff. If you bring them back, you're just asking to further embarrass the team and the city.

Don't give Cashman an automatic pass. I know you like him, and he's done some great things before, but you need to re-examine his worth going forward. Is he the guy to bring home a championship?

Don't let Soto get away. All summer long he was a big part of our success -- no Soto, no World Series. Plus, pairing him with Judge is a match made in baseball heaven. Think of the jersey sales for the next 25 years!

But don't sign Soto and then surround him with castoffs and retreads. We need at least a third baseman, a first baseman, a closer, and another starter. Don't cheap out because you're concerned about the bottom line on a team worth more than $7 billion dollars. You owe it to the fans and the players to really try this time.

Don't do to Judge what's been done to Mike Trout. Don't let him suffer the same fate as Ted Williams and Don Mattingly. He's given everything to this city. He (and we) deserve that parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

Lastly, pardon my language but don't BS the fans. You promised big changes last off-season and didn't deliver. Those changes are still needed, both at the big league level and throughout the farm system. Pull that off, do a good job, and you will be remembered as Hal, not as George's disappointing son.

Enjoy your winter.