Opening Day Pitch — Steinbrenner’s Daughter’s Divorce Will Shake Up Yankees’ Hierarchy!
An annual rite of spring, Opening Day of the baseball season is here with the New York Yankees taking on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays later this afternoon at historic Yankee Stadium. And what would life be in the Bronx Zoo without some controversy. Beyond the daily A-Rod drama and the shocker that oft-injured Carl Pavano is starting the season opener, the Yankees’ chain of command is now up in the air following a divorce announcement last week.
Last Wednesday, the daughter of Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner announced that she is getting a divorce from husband Steve Swindal, who had been announced as Steinbrenner’s successor to the team whenever “The Boss” steps down. Jenny and Steve Swindal said in a joint statement that they have agreed to an “amicable” parting of the ways. According to a Sun-Sentinel story, the divorce means that Steve Swindal will not be the succeeding owner of the Yankees since Steinbrenner wants to keep the team in the family.
This divorce announcement ended a month and a half of speculation about Swindal’s future with the organization. Swindal, who is listed in the Yankees’ 2007 media guide as the chairman of the board of Yankee Global Enterprises, was arrested for DUI some thirty minutes from the couple’s home in Tampa on Valentine’s night. The timing of the arrest allegedly raised some eyebrows within the Yankees’ organization about Swindal’s relationship and his future role with the team.
Potential successors to Steinbrenner include his sons Hal and Hank, and Felix Lopez, the husband of Steinbrenner’s other daughter Jessica. Die-hard Yankees’ fans can read more about how this divorce will affect the organization, and of course, follow the Bronx Bombers throughout the year at Pinstripe Alley.
