No news today - Guest Post - Paul Agostino

From the Barnyard to the Back Page

The news is: George Steinbrenner died.

The no news is: Revisionist historians are flooding the media with stories about how kind and "colorful" he was. And "determined," of course.

The facts are: Steinbrenner was a convicted felon.

The facts are: He was convicted of trying to illegally sway a federal election of the United States by making illegal campaign contributions to a U.S. president's re-election campaign and for obstructing justice.

The facts are: The president was Republican Richard Nixon.

The facts are: Steinbrenner was pardoned by another Republican president, Ronald Reagan, 15 years after his conviction.

The facts are: Steinbrenner never spent one minute in jail and never served parole.

The question is: How does a convicted felon stay out of jail for 15 years until he is pardoned and never even serve parole?

The answer is: Obvious.

The bullshit is: Steinbrenner was some kind of winner.

The opinion is: Steinbrenner was an asshole with a lot of money. He was a bully who often humiliated his employees, then threw money around to smooth things over and ease his conscience.

The opinion is: Hey, George: money can't buy everything.

The homily is: "Mussolini was a good man," my grandmother once said to me. And a lot of Italian peasants at the time would have agreed. He did a lot for the poor. But they're not holding a minute of silence for him anywhere I know. What if George Steinbrenner--or, for that matter, any of us--were given free reign over a small country? How many of us, including Steinbrenner, would set up democratic elections and insist on freedom of the press? The only difference between global tyrants, and petty, everyday tyrants is opportunity. And revisionist history belongs on the barnyard floor.

Paul Agostino is in the Whiffle Ball Hall of Fame in Holbrook, NY.