TRAGIC MADNESS OF KING GEORGE
BABBLING BOSS 'SHOCKS' PAL
By DAN MANGAN
August 3, 2007 -- A new report paints a disturbing portrait of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner as a befuddled, bloated old man in "dreadful" shape who bears little resemblance to the once-feared Boss.
An apparently addled Steinbrenner, 77, repeatedly said, "Great to see ya," to nearly every question, no matter what was being asked by a longtime friend during a recent visit, according to an upcoming article in Condé Nast Portfolio magazine.
"I'm shocked," the friend, Tom McEwen, said later. "George doesn't even seem like the same person. I figured he might be in a bad way, but I never expected this."
Since purchasing the Bronx Bombers in 1973, Steinbrenner has made headlines and enemies because of his often mercurial management of the Yankees front office and his bombastic pro- nouncements.
In recent years, however, Steinbrenner has lost much of his thunder as his physical health and mental capacity has appeared to decline.
Last month, Post sports columnist Phil Mushnick wrote that, "All reasonable signs indicate that his dementia . . . is now so profound that he is being carefully hidden from public view."
Condé Nast Portfolio writer Franz Lidz's new story focuses on possible successors to the Boss, including eldest son Hank.
Lidz recently gained entry to George Steinbrenner's home in Tampa, Fla., by tagging along with McEwen, a wheelchair-bound former Tampa Tribune sports editor.
"A solitary figure emerges out of the shadows, limping towards us," wearing silk pajamas and a terry-cloth robe, Lidz writes.
"Great to see ya, Tommy," Steinbrenner says to McEwen.
Steinbrenner says "Great to see ya," each time McEwen, 84, asks about the Boss' wife, sons and daughters in separate questions.
Lidz writes that "he looks dreadful."
"His body is bloated; his jawline has slackened into a triple chin; his skin looks as if a dry-cleaner bag has been stretched over it . . . His features seem frozen in a permanent rictus of careworn disbelief."
After snarling at Lidz that the then-struggling Yankees will "come around," Steinbrenner ignores the writer's question about whom he wants to succeed him.
"A few minutes later, Steinbrenner starts repeating himself again. 'Great to see ya, Tommy,' he says in response to every question. 'Great to see ya.' "
Steinbrenner's spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, yesterday said the repetition "might be a defensive mechanism."
"He doesn't want to give any interviews, and it's better to say, 'It's great to see you,' as opposed to 'Get lost,' " Rubenstein said. "I think George is in a good way. And it isn't right for someone to come in under false pretenses."
