Bye, George, it wasn't swell

  Behind all the crocodile tears following the death of George Steinbrenner, I must point out that though the man did donate much money to the Tampa area, he is also guilty of making one of the most beautiful games on the planet one of the least accessible to the average fan.
   His penchant for overpaying star players has driven ticket prices beyond the reach of most people and I dare say his methods also have had a detrimental effect on black players entering the professional ranks.
  The 2010 payroll for the New York Yankees is $206,738,389. The closest team to Steinebrenner's payroll is $46 million less.* For this, George allows Alex Rodriguez to be paid $33 million ... for one year. That's $202,000 a game, if he plays all the games (which he doesn't). For this, George felt the need to charge more for a seat at the stadium. The cheapest ticket at Yankee Stadium (not tucked away in the bleachers) costs $50. On the day of a game if you want a field level seat, it's $300.
   Now who can afford that?
   Conversely, the Cincinnati Reds tickets range for $19 to $72 in their 8-year old ball park.
   While we're on the Reds, we should "never forget" that Cincinnati is the oldest franchise in Major League Baseball and for that reason the team traditionally opened each and every season by hosting the first Opening Day game.
   Of course, that was until Steinbrenner bought off Bud Selig. This year's first game played {in cahoots with ESPN} was the Yankees at the Red Sox.
   Sorry; I was born and raised a 'Yankees hater.' I can only feel so much empathy for his family following his death and absolutely none for Yankee fans.

* The total salary for the Pittsburgh Pirates amounts to $37,854,500 and the Padres also come in shy of the $46 Yanks/Sox difference with a payroll of $37,799,300.