Steinbrenner, apparently trying to emphasize that he has no fear of the Yankees' American League competition, has amped up the rivalry between the two teams, intentionally or not.
"Red Sox Nation?" What a bunch of [expletive] that is," he said in an interview with The New York Times' Play magazine. "That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.
"Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."
Thank you, Hank, for feeling the need to talk again. Despite how much I may agree with your sentiments, it was completely unprofessional and classless of you to utter. Theo Epstein made a comment a few days ago that was equally as unnecessary; how can we put him in a bad light if you're off doing the same thing? Christ...Also, the part about this being a "Yankee Country" is completely false. In general, the national bandwagon follows the winning team, which, although it pains me to admit it, happens to be the Sox at the moment. And besides, the more the Yanks won in the late 90's, the more people hated him. Let's not lie to ourselves now.
Yes, RSN is a joke. Yes, ESPN is incredibly biased. And yes, I'd love to see the "universe" restored. But you don't go saying that stuff as an owner of a team! Oh well. I guess this means the rivalry won't be simmering down any time soon.
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I watched some part of the Yankees-Phillies spring training game today. Jeter does look like he gained a little agility, and boy did I love seeing Arod's homerun swing again. I'm willing to forget all of the offseason pain he caused if he continues to do that on a regular basis come April.
