For the Good of Baseball

Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent is nearing a decision in the matter of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, whose latest contributions to the glory of the game involve making what Vincent called “clearly improper” remarks about former Yankee Dave Winfield and paying $40,000 to a known gambler.

Steinbrenner’s explanation for this behavior has been less than coherent. Vincent has a lot of latitude as he ponders Steinbrenner’s fate. He could exonerate him, levy fines or impose a suspension.

The commissioner even has the authority to order Steinbrenner to sell the team he has owned since 1973. For most Yankee fans and, indeed, for anyone who cares about baseball’s place in America, this last possibility is the most appealing. Steinbrenner has long been an embarrassment to baseball. There are few who would regret his departure.

Vincent has already fined the Yankees $225,000 because of some out-of-line comments Steinbrenner made after Winfield was traded to the California Angels. The issue of Steinbrenner’s associations with gambler Howard Spira is even more serious. Gambling is to baseball what alcohol is to driving. Whatever his motivation, Steinbrenner simply had no business associating with Spira.

Steinbrenner’s rap sheet is long and unsavory. In 1974 he was suspended for 15 months after pleading guilty to charges that he conspired to make illegal contributions to Richard Nixon’s 1972 presidential campaign. He has been fined, reprimanded and suspended on other occasions for derogatory remarks about umpires and another owner. This pattern of bad judgment and bad-mouthing argues clearly for his being given the boot, as the rule says, in the best interests of the game.