Fastball Fans

We all knew this day was coming; however, you’ll be shocked to see who is in charge of the Yankee organization now…

The omnipresent owner’s colorful 35-year reign of pronouncements, threats and bluster ended Thursday when he passed control of baseball’s most famous and successful franchise to his youngest son, Hal.

“I realize it’s a great responsibility,” said Hal Steinbrenner, who turns 40 on Dec. 3. “My dad is, needless to say, a tough act to follow.”

The elder Steinbrenner has gradually withdrawn from the Yankees’ day-to-day operations in recent years as his health faded, and brothers Hal and Hank were appointed co-chairmen in April.

and…

Baseball owners unanimously approved the change in control during a meeting Thursday, ending an era in which Steinbrenner became the team’s defining image as much as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio did in earlier eras.

“He’s been slowing down the last couple years,” Hal Steinbrenner said. “Really, for the last two years I have been intimately involved with all aspects and all departments of the company. It’s what I’ve been doing day-to-day. My duties aren’t really going to change and my workload isn’t going to change much. So, I mean, it’s as much a procedural thing within the family, I think, as anything at this point.”

Hal Steinbrenner shuns attention as much as his father craved it. But while 51-year-old Hank has become the public voice of the team’s ownership in the past year, Hal was at Yankee Stadium far more frequently than his brother. Hal is responsible for financial operations of the club, and Hank oversees general manager Brian Cashman and the baseball operations.

Let’s see what happens; alas, the sport — better or worse — will never be the same without George at the helm.