Rarely am I disgusted by individuals being snubbed by baseball's Hall of Fame voting committee, but this one takes the cake. When I heard that the late George Steinbrenner received less than eight votes for the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, I was absolutely appalled.
Steinbrenner, the longtime owner of the Yankees and a polarizing figure in baseball, single handedly changed the game of baseball.
When Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973, they were worth a measly $10 million. Now, the New York Yankees franchise is worth a whopping $1.1 billion.
Steinbrenner also helped change the pay scale in baseball, playing a major role in the increase of player salaries. That could be viewed in a positive or negative light, but I'm sure the players are very thankful for that.
And how does the Expansion Era Committee repay Steinbrenner for his contributions to America's pastime? They deny him the chance of being a first ballot Hall of Famer, which he deserved to be without question.
Come on. What more did Steinbrenner need to do? Lead the Yankees to seven World Series titles and 11 American League pennants? Oh wait, he did that too. While the committee was busy snubbing Steinbrenner, they did vote in Pat Gillick, who built three World Series championship teams, the 1992 and 1993 Blue Jays and the 2008 Phillies.
That's not to say that Gillick doesn't deserve to be a Hall of Famer, but how on earth can you justify voting him in on the first try and not Steinbrenner?
Again, Gillick constructed three World Series titles. Steinbrenner built seven. Anybody else a little confused?
In short, if "The Boss" is not a first ballot Hall of Famer, then no one deserves to be. Plain and simple. Mind you, this is coming from a lifelong New England resident and a diehard Red Sox fan. I can't imagine how furious fans in the Empire State must be.
Steinbrenner will get into the Hall of Fame down the road, but he deserved to get in on the first try, and anything less is unacceptable.