Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
We're going to start with a thing that that a subject.
How do I say this a subject that I just
I don't know. I don't know how to get the
point across better. But we recently had another slew of
(00:36):
just stupid ass comments from an owner of a baseball
team that just it keeps driving me quite crazy. But
I want to approach this from a different direction. So
let me let me just get situated here and tell
you what I mean. All right, I feel bad for
hal Stein Winner I said it. I know that's not
(01:00):
what you're expecting. I'm I'm very aware aware that you
probably weren't expecting me to say those things, but I am,
you know, he he I feel bad for him, and
I'm gonna tell you why in a second. But let
me just preface what happened again, because as we know,
about three times a year, okay, this is almost like
(01:22):
clockwork at this point, three times a week year. We
get one in the off season, we get one in
the first half of the year, and one in the
second half year where how comes out and says, we don't,
we can't, we can't do that. It's too expensive. Like
he just he complains about something that is money related
and that the pressure is being put on, which obviously
(01:43):
no one can relate to. And then he mentioned something
that is elusive to some sort of like, man, I
wish we could cap how much we spend so I
don't have to worry about it anymore. And that's what
we hear. And he said it again recently when asked
when someone someone was asking a question and prefaced it
(02:03):
by saying, well, you know, it's a fair assumption to say.
They were like, what's suspending deals? And he's getting frustrated,
you can tell, and he goes, it's a fair assumption
that the Yankees are profitable last year, and he said, well, no, actually,
and he seemed he seemed like, oh my god, stop
saying that we weren't profitable. Okay. He commented on a
(02:25):
one hundred million dollars tax bill because of the state,
because of the footprint of the stadium or the Yankees
from the city, even though like they didn't pay for
their stadium and it was taxpayer money. And it's just like,
what right, we can talk about this stuff all day,
but there's a place that I think How's coming from
and a lot of people like how are coming from?
(02:46):
And there's a there's a world there. The way they
see things and they the things they think about are
not relatable to any fan or anyone out there. I
have personal experience for wishing that that I can make
a group of people just see something different and then
that would make them lay off of me, and that
(03:08):
is not real. So that is what I want to
talk about. We need to start, we need to start
having a little bit of a deeper understanding and and
maybe make some deeper have some assume a few things
about possibly what's going on behind the scenes that could
be then contributing to the things being said and the
(03:30):
desire to do it. And then I would like to
speak directly to how because I know he's watched. I
know you're there. I know all you do is sit
around and wait for Wednesday come around and just wait
my YouTube channel because it's there's there's there's literally dozens
of people here and I know you're one of them. Okay,
So there's a few things that we need to talk about,
(03:52):
and I want to establish these before I do the letter. Okay,
billionaires not okay, hold on, I'm gonna use billionaires for
extremely wealthy people who own businesses I'm just gonna use
the word billionaires. That's what I mean. People who own
a business, and then every thought they have is about
(04:15):
in that framework of owning something and needing to constantly
be moving things around. Okay, there is a certain thing
that we myself included, can't We don't know what goes
into it. There's so many things going on. We don't
know everything that we'll never know everything that's going on.
And I can see I'm empathetic to how that would
(04:35):
be frustrating as an owner and operator, the pressure being
put on from every direction. Of course, that sucks. Take
the money out of it, Like you're just like, I don't.
I just want to leave me alone. I don't want
to be the guy who has to do everything all
the time. Right. I think people can identify with that
just in general. It doesn't make it okay, but we
can all identify with that. Okay, he's assumption about the
(04:59):
world that he sees. There's a lot of things he
assumes that is normal and that everyone else also thinks
it's normal. And that's just not true. And that's not
true for anybody, but that's especially not true for extremely
wealthy people. We call them out of touch. In How's case,
he was never in touch because he's been this way.
It's always been like this for him since the day
(05:20):
he opened his eyes. He's his name was worth billions
of dollars, like from the moment it happened, So there's
been no other experience he's had. How can you be
in touch with people when you've never been in touch
with people? So there's going to be a level of
that now that's on him eventually. Sometimes when you become
(05:40):
an adult, you got to realize that's what's happening. But
that is how it started, and imagining yourself as a kid.
If you never saw that there was other things, how
would things be for you, You'd probably be stuck in
the thing that you knew forever and then you'd be like,
oh wow, I have to do other things. I think
that's sometimes what happens here. Okay, So number one, this
is what I wrote. How's picture might as well be
(06:02):
in the dictionary again, next to the phrase or next
to the word nepotism. He likely wasn't really didn't identify
as How until about twenty and nine. He's been George
George's son for his whole life. Imagine imagine being George
(06:22):
Steinreerer's son. I can't. And I'm sure that comes with perks,
comes with a lot of perks, but it also comes
with some other not so great perks. Probably because probably
he feels like, oh, this is what I am. Now
I have to do this thing. Probably this is me assumption.
Allegedly I'm theorizing, this is me making some assumptions. He's
(06:47):
probably thought his entire life that this was the only
thing that he could do his own. The New York
Yankees is their worst things. Absolutely, But again, I'm trying
to connect with some people here, connect him. I'm trying
to help help you hol connect with people being under
that kind of pressure and only knowing that thing and
being like, I have to do this thing, and also
(07:08):
George Steinbrenner, imagine being in the shadow of that man. Right,
So in many ways, it's the trap. It feels like
a trap, like, guys, you don't understand I have to
pay this tax bill and there's these one hundred investors.
You're like, now, we want you to not spend money
because we like having money. But they're not front facing.
He's front facing, and that's frustrating. He's like, I have
to go up and talk to people whatever, I have
to do this, it's on me. It's on me, Okay,
(07:33):
So I'm athetic for that. With the pressure you put
on yourself, he's putting on himself. Let me be very
clear here, that's not real unless you make it real.
But I empathetic why it's easy because I've done I
felt this putting pressure myself, like I have to be
this person because I've been walking towards it for so
long that I can't quit. I can't. I can't. I can't.
I can't. You can't. I can't, you can't. Like the
(07:55):
more you do that, the more it just feels crappy.
It feels crappy feeling happy as a thing, no matter
how much money you have, and money doesn't my hap
it is. We've been over this, so I get that.
I see it when he says things, and I can
see it in his body. He's just like, ah, why
do you get it right? You guys don't understand. That
doesn't make it okay, But there is, there's there's something.
(08:16):
There's something else that needs to happen here. Okay. Two
Another second thing for billionaires, very wealthy owners, there's literally
no such thing as enough, and that's not just a
greed thing. I want to be very clear here, that's
not just a greed thing. That's say this is that's
how it's supposed to be thing. It is greed related,
(08:37):
but it's not like conscious greed. It's like, oh, I
have to grow, we have to grow, or I'm not successful.
Growing is the only thing that is successful. Now. I
hope people can identify with it. Look around, just look
at everything. This applies everywhere, and it applies to sports,
and I think sports are baseball. I'm taking sorry, I'm
(09:01):
taking a Pablo Torre approach to this. Sports are a
great lens for seeing society and how things are working
because it is a big business as well, and it
functions in the same system you that's made up like
growing forever is a made up thing that we all
(09:21):
made up collectively and accept that it's the way that
it needs to be. Right. That is, that doesn't you
don't have to do that now. Obviously the system has
now pigeonholed everyone into being needing to do that because
then they won't get what they need to get in
order to do the business. So it kind of is
becoming a reality but it didn't always need to be
(09:42):
that way, and it's that mindset I think that is
just it. Just if there's never an end, wha, then
how is it going to end? You're just gonna burn
out or collapse like that. Those are the only options left.
So there is no such thing as enough, which leads
me to the difference in the word profit. So I
(10:06):
want to talk about what he said. Okay, he said,
actually we're not profitable. What he means is we're not
profitable enough. KP.
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Speaker 1 (11:28):
When we hear profitable, we mean you're making more money
than your spending. That is the one oh one version
of business that is happening. That's it's just it's built
the way that they can't fail where they lose money.
Maybe if there's COVID and they pledged a bunch of
money before, which they didn't because salaries change every single year. Maybe,
(11:51):
But but profit is profit. Profitable means I need to
make this much money to make everyone else who makes
money happy. And if they're not happy, we're not profitable.
That isn't true, but he thinks it is. He thinks
that he thinks that's the normal thing. He's like, No, guys,
(12:14):
maximizing profit. That's the point. It's not running a good
business and providing a service and entertainment is supposed to
be the point. But that is not the way they think.
That is not what he's thinking. That is not what
anyone thinks. And that's why you feel that way. Man.
If you were just like, hey, man, I'm actually we're
(12:35):
doing a pretty good job, you would feel better. You
wouldn't be so worried about every time someone criticizes you,
which I think is the crux of the matter. Okay,
so the real question is how can you always be
growing if you spend money? Guys, But spending is your
biggest expense, and the best way to show growth and
more profit is to not spend it. And that is
(12:57):
the number. That's why layoffs are normal everywhere. That is
why these things happen, is because the best way to
make more money and show profits is to reduce the
amount you're spending. And that's what And he's like, duh,
and that's that's the that's the vibe we get. I
constantly get the gut duh, that's how the world works.
I'm like, no, No, that's how you think the world works.
(13:20):
And you make decisions that make it that way, but
if you decided not to do it wouldn't work that way.
That's it's not a rule of nature. This is not
a rule of physics. It's not gravity. Okay, this is
made up. It's a collective group of people making decisions
for a very long time, and you don't have to
participate in it. So that leads me to the next point.
(13:44):
Every time he says sell the team, he's like, oh,
I'm not going to sell the team. Yeah, because it's
worth billions and millions of dollars. We know you're not
going to sell the team, So what do you want? Like,
what do you want? What do you want to have here?
So the last point before I I want to say
my treatise, there's a very real chance that mister mister Steinbrenner,
(14:10):
this gentleman is uh constantly aware of his legacy and
his family's legacy and the name that is associated with
the New York Yankees and success that is they're just
they're just tied together now, inextricably tired together, right, And
to not have won a World Series that well, he
(14:30):
actually won one the first year took over, but like
since then they have one one. Right, we know there's
this like, ah, I gotta be like my dad and
you don't. I'm here to tell you how you don't
need to be your father. You can do other things,
(14:51):
like you can be someone else. And also, every decision
to continue to run the team and not sell it
is not something you have no control over. You of
all the control over it. You can do it if
you want. You just don't want to. So don't try
to convince us that you're trapped, because you're not. It's
always a choice, no matter how hard the choice is,
it's there still. Okay, So let's uh, let me let
(15:15):
me continue this with with my letter to hell. How
three big points. One, If you make a claim that
you are not profitable or that something isn't the way
that we think it is, and then refuse to provide
that any proof of that, we don't believe you move on.
(15:36):
You are not going to convince us of that unless
you prove it. And if that's frustrating, I don't know
what to tell you. Maybe it's just part of the job.
You just got to deal with it.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Man.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Criticism is you are the owner of the New York Yankees.
New York Yankees fans are going to criticize you no
matter what you do. You gotta live with it. I
don't know what to tell you that live with it
or do something else. You can choose that. It's okay,
you can, but it's up to you. But don't look.
Don't think people are gonna make you feel better about
(16:10):
your decisions. Okay, true or not, whatever your claims are
true or not, You're always gonna make the decision you
want to make anyway, So it doesn't matter if people
agree with you or not. You're gonna do it. So
why do you need them to agree with you or understand?
Why do you need people to understand? And this is
something I've dealt with, deal with. They don't care. I
(16:31):
don't care. People watching probably don't care. Nobody cares as
much as you do. And that's just the facts, and
they never will. So just let it go. You don't
need to go in front of people and be like,
we can't, you don't get it. Stop. Just do whatever
you're gonna do and own the decision. It's your decision.
You're deciding to do it. You're doing it, whether or
not you think we don't get it or not. Does
(16:53):
not matter. You're doing it either way, So stop expecting
people to understand. I want to say, this is where
my experience comes in, telling you from experience. Played for
the New York Mets for two years up about the
last month I was there. I wanted just I was like,
it's Mets fans, so just understand how hard this is
and this is that I gotta this is so much
(17:13):
pressure and blah blah blah blah. Why would they care?
I was wrong? What am I doing? Like, obviously that's stupid,
but I like I needed, like I need someone to
make me feel okay, and I it was impossible. It's
never gonna happen. People are passionate about their team. It's
(17:34):
it's it's not that deep, and it is that deep,
like people just let them be excited one way or
the other, Like it's just that that's what it does
for them. That's it's you. That is your job to
make them feel something good or bad, Like it's just
what the job is. And I did not understand that.
I could not deal with it. It was it was sucked.
It sucked a lot. I hated it. I hated it
(17:55):
about myself. I was like, why can't I just deal
and then something I worked in a lot of work
for month I was there. I truly loved playing there,
like I like I really there was moments where there
was a time periods of time where I really was
having a good time, but it was always related to
me playing well. But at the end, I was just
enjoying the city Field Mets fan experience. And I regret
(18:19):
not having that feeling for the first year and a
half and that sucked, and that sucked. But there comes
realization that I can't control these people, and I shouldn't
have to and they shouldn't have to change anything or
do anything or whatever. Like the opportunity is to you
could be a god to these people if you succeed,
and you might be a villain if you don't. And
that's that's the way it is. That's part of the job,
(18:40):
and that it is true also for owners. So and
then three last part and this is big for me. Okay,
you don't get to reap the in crazy rewards of
running a massive business that you inherited without being criticized. Okay,
(19:07):
you already operate in a game where you when you win,
you make more money and if you lose you don't
lose money. It's literally rigged because you did it. You
and twenty nine other people did this on purpose. It's
literally rigged. So where you can't it's so hard to
lose money. You made it so that if you do
(19:28):
bad job, you still make money. Name another thing where
that exists. So maybe criticism is the least of your worries.
But everyone's always trying to convince me that the people
with the most money are the most talented and the
most successful and the smartest. So I'm gonna put this
(19:50):
treatise out here. If you want to win a World
Series without taking any risks, it's not going to happen.
It might, you might run into way, but it's probably
not gonna happen. You're gonna have to take risks, and
you're gonna have to show us how skilled you are
at business. If you don't like it, play better, that's
what we always say. And if you don't like it,
(20:12):
business better. I don't know what to tell you, but
I hope the best for you, because guess what, you're
a human being and you deserve to be happy. Thanks Hal,
I hope you have a great you had a great
Thanksgiving and have a great holiday season and you get
everything that you've ever ever wanted. But if you if
(20:34):
you don't like it, play better and seeing all right,
we're done. Was that fun man I that has been
sitting in here for seeing, Hey, what you mean