The New York Times covers the first Hank Steinbrenner sighting since the death of the Boss:
In his first public appearance since the death of his father, George, on July 13, Steinbrenner, 53, said that the direction of the professional franchise would not change with his father gone: winning comes first, always, as it had when George was the principal owner. He also made a not-so-daring prediction that the Yankees would make the playoffs, but he declined to discuss the future of Manager Joe Girardi, whose contract expires after the season.
“It’s always going to be the same,” Steinbrenner said in a brief meeting with reporters. “We play to win. We do what we have to do to win. We don’t make a lot of money because of revenue sharing, and we don’t shy away from paying salaries.”
If anyone wants to check out Cito Culver, he's playing in Staten Island. Saw him play today. He plays some pretty good D, has to work on the offense a bit.
That was likely a not-so-veiled comment about what Deadspin put up about the Pirates, et al have been "earning" and doing with their profits while losing for eighteen seasons in a row (the main reason why I believe Selig has not and will not do a damn thing to impose the will of his office on clubs to improve their product). For all the criticism Steinbrenner and Co. received throughout his baseball life, and a lot deservedly so, you cannot fault his passion for the game; a quality distinctly lacking in a lot of today's owners and ownership groups.