Literature teaches us that the tragic hero is brought down by his tragic flaw. Baseball teaches us that the tragic hero is brought down by a herniated disk and a lineup seemingly comprised of little leaguers. This point was illustrated rather acutely this weekend in the American League Dvisional Series between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers.

(Page 2 @ ESPN.com)

“I am deeply disappointed at our being eliminated so early in the playoffs,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said a statement this weekend after the monumental collapse. “This result is absolutely not acceptable to me nor to our great and loyal Yankee fans. I want to congratulate the Detroit Tigers organization and wish them well. Rest assured, we will go back to work immediately and try to right this sad failure and provide a championship for the Yankees, as is our goal every year.”

As I watched–with incredible heartache–my beloved Yankees squander their best chance for a World Series ring since 2001 and the rumors over Joe Torre’s fate
as Yankee manager, my shock was rinsed away by a revelation: Steinbrenner, while deserving of every evil moniker strewn at him, is a modern-day sports manifestation of King Lear. Or Tony Soprano. But mainly King Lear.

Steinbrenner, like Lear, enjoys unmitigated power and is smitten by manipulating the league with his player acquisitions. He is greedy (A-Rod), hot-tempered, impetuous (Kevin Brown?) and generally impossible to work for. Yet those who do must publicly sing his praises. A lost game is pinned to one pinstriped person who is designated the goat.

Alas, like many Shakespearean heroes, Steinbrenner is continually brought down by his ambition. His bottom line is the same as any other Major League owner’s, to win. He and fans might have differing opinions on how to achieve that bottom line, but his demand for excellence makes him almost noble.

Ultimately, his drive to return the World Series trophy to City Hall in Manhattan is what keeps fans loyal. It keeps us filling the Stadium amid higher prices due to astronomical player salaries. It keeps us watching the games on summer nights knowing the team will be an October contender. And for New Yorkers, all That’s pretty heroic.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 9th, 2006 at 1:41 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.