(Boston Sports Buzz Photo Illustration)

I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Hank really is a chip off the old block.  Tired of the cliches?  Me too.  What I'm trying to say is that only a Steinbrenner could come off sounding this ignorant and idiotic.  Taking a page out of his pop's playbook, Hank's most recent comments have us scratching our heads and wondering if George is the only senile Steinbrenner in the clan.  In case you missed it, Steinbrenner recently attacked Red Sox Nation in a rant in which he vehemently defended his belief that America is "Yankee Country." In Hank's own words,

Red Sox Nation?  What a bunch of [expletive] that is.  That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.  Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets.  This is a Yankee country.  We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order.

Well, Mr. Steinbrenner, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you seem to have the entire notion of Red Sox Nation misconstrued.  Since you seem to be having such a difficult time comprehending this extremely complex concept, allow me to enlighten you...  First of all, the phrase "Red Sox Nation" does not imply that America is literally a nation full of Red Sox fans; rather, it is an expression used to describe and connect fans of the team, plain and simple.  In its simplest and most basic form, Red Sox Nation is a glorified fan club, not dissimilar from those created to honor celebrities like... well, how about Michael Jackson (I typed in "fan club" to Google and this is the first one that came up... I swear!  Go ahead, try it!).  Could you imagine if all of America literally was a "Red Sox nation" as Hank believes we're alleging?  Then we'd really never be able to get tickets!

Secondly, the phrase "Red Sox Nation" is not a creation of the Boston Red Sox or ESPN (ESPN is filled with Red Sox fans?  Where'd that pearl come from, Hank?).  According to Red Sox lore, the phrase was created by Boston Globe writer Nathan Cobb in 1986 and since then, it's been popularized by various writers, commentators, players, fans, etc., most notably Globe columnist Curly Haired Boyfr... err, I mean Dan Shaugnessy, who used the phrase in the title of his 1996 book At Fenway: Dispatches From Red Sox Nation.  I guess there is a bit of truth somewhere in Steinbrenner's inane babble, as the official Red Sox Nation, which whores the club out to people willing to pay as much as $250 for the opportunity to purchase tickets and sends them ridiculous "Citizenship" cards to prove their fanhood, is indeed a creation of the Boston Red Sox organization.  A very, very lucrative creation, I might add.  As I'm sure you know, the "president" of RSN is none other than former Red Sox second baseman and current NESN color commentator Jerry Remy.  What better pitchman than the guy that talks to fans for three hours every night?

Third and lastly, it's debatable these days whether America really is a "Yankee country" anymore.  There's no doubt that the Yankees used to be America's team in generations past due partly to the larger-than-life personalities of guys like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson, to name a few.  Even more simply, the Yanks were the prohibitive favorites to win the World Series, it seems, almost every year since their inception in 1901.  Those 26 rings are very tempting to a sports fan with no particular allegiance, I'm sure; who wouldn't want to root for a perennial winner?  It's similar to how casual football fans rooted for the Cowboys in the '90s, seemingly making them "America's football team."  However, that tendency has changed markedly (especially over the past decade) and seems to trend more toward the Red Sox as "America's baseball team" these days.  There's no doubt that the Sox are more popular than they've ever been, especially having won two World Series titles in the past four years.  Couple the trophies with the popularity of players like Big Papi, Paps, Manny and Tek and it's no wonder why Sox fans often match or outnumber hometown teams' fans when the Sox are on the road. 

So, Mr. Steinbrenner, as you can see, you're sorely mistaken in several of your presumptions about the Nation.  Not only did you come across sounding unintelligent and misinformed, but you also looked pompous, jealous, selfish and altogether whiny.  Maybe you're just upset you didn't come up with such an outstanding way to exploit your fans and make more money off of them first (can you tell yet that I think those little citizenship cards are ridiculous?).  Or maybe you're just trying to step out of your father's shadow by making a name for yourself through voicing your unique opinions in the media.  Or perhaps you're just irritated by the fact that your beloved pinstriped franchise hasn't gone all the way in 8 LOOOOOOOONG years.

Sound like anyone else we know?  I guess those father and son cliches came in handy, after all.



In related Red Sox news, Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry has appointed Steinbrenner an honorary member of Red Sox Nation.  Henry has even vowed to send Hank an official membership card free of charge.  In my opinion, this is a great ploy by the typically soft-spoken member of the Red Sox ownership triumvirate.  Henry too often let George get the better of him in the two's media squabblings, especially with the A-Rod trade fiasco, so Henry's figurative assertion that he's not putting up with Hank's bull the way he put up with George's should prove for fun and interesting interactions between the two club owners for years to come.