It was sad news this morning when I heard that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had died. Back the late 70s and 80s, I remember hating George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees with a passion!

Steinbrenner changed baseball forever. If you were a Yankees fan, you admired him for his desire to win. If you were a fan of another team, you detested him. He fired managers and traded players like children exchanging baseball cards at the local little league field. All he wanted to do was win and he did bringing the Yankees 11 American League Pennants and seven World Series titles.

George Steinbrenner was also an Air Force veteran. Salute!

Being a life-long Kansas City Royals fan, some of the best games of my life were when the Yankees and the Royals played. Many times my Royals lost.

But, I remember the 1980 American League Championship Series (ALCS). The Yankees had beaten the Royals three straight years in the playoffs. The Yankee hatred was strong in Kansas City.

The Yankees came to Kansas City and lost the first two games. The third game was played in New York. I was attending an Elton John concert in Kansas City that night and hoping that the Royals would win and I could share in the festivities in Kansas City.

In game three, Royals’ third baseman George Brett sent a Goose Gossage fastball into the upper deck for a three run homerun. Yankee Stadium went silent. I remember Elton John coming back on stage with a Royals hat on and telling everyone the Royals were going to the World Series and everyone should head to Crown Center and the Plaza for the party.

So we did, and it was wild.

Unfortunately, the Royals lost to the Phillies in the World Series. In 1985, we got back to the World Series for the famed “I-70 Series” or the “Show Me Series” against the St. Louis Cardinals. We won the series and finally made it to the promised land! The Royals were 1985 World Series Champions!

Sadly, that’s the last time my Kansas City Royals have been in the playoffs.

Although I detested George Steinbrenner back in the day when the Royals were competitive, I grew to respect him and what he did for the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball over the years.

RIP George Steinbrenner. RIP.