While there was some question about the mental well being of Joe Girardi down in Miami when he went all Olivia Newton John on one of his players, the Yankees' skipper may want to get physical with Hank. 

"There is no question about it, you don't have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy," Hank told the New York Daily News. "You just don't do that. You have to be an idiot to do that." 

I can remember back when his poppa bought the Bronx Bombers from CBS and at the introductory press conference George threw out more football analogies that everyone laughed - at him, not with him. 

No one is laughing now because he has done what every sports fan wants, an owner who is crazy - about winning - and willing to put his money where his mouth is. George was all of that, and more. 

The elder Steinbrenner never thought bad publicity was, well, bad. Any publicity was good as far as he was concerned. Big George became the E.F. Hutton of baseball, when he spoke everyone listened, no matter how legitimate, or even clownish, it was.  

His football mentality worked to his advantage as the Yankees were relevant again and he turned a $12 million investment into a Forbes Magazine leading $1.3 billion monster.  

Hank has succumbed to a recession mentality because he has had to pull his foot out of his mouth more times than Lindsay Lohan has pulled herself out of rehab. The more he prattles the more Yankees' fans get uneasy about the day daddy can no longer be the guiding force. And it could be soon as the transition is already taking place. 

The 51-year old co-heir to the throne must have been dabbling in Tiddlywinks while his father's own toy evolved because he is not going to revisit history and could be doomed for not repeating it. 

The guy Hank referenced in the quote was Joba Chamberlain, who could turn out to be the best homegrown pitcher since Ron Guidry. His triple digit speed gun reading has the older brother drooling the same way he did while he played with plastic boats while daddy was building his first empire with real ones. 

It seems so long ago where a young Mariano Rivera was the understudy to John Wetteland and Mighty 'Mo is Hall of Fame bound.  

If history isn't Hank's strong point maybe a little bit of the present should bite him on his rather rotund rear.  

Look to Boston.  

The Red Sox and Yankees have more in common than just arguably the greatest rivalry on the planet.  

The Beaneaters had the same situation with a gentleman by the name of Jonathan Papelbon.  

The past meets the present and Hollerin' Hank cannot see the future.

Chamberlain and Papelbon were starters. Both wind up in the bullpen. The two righties expressed interest in returning to the rotation in the big leagues.  

That is where the similarities end. 

The BoSox and Papelbon both realized the best thing for the pitcher was to be the greatest closer in the universe. Thus far there are few who believe otherwise. 

Steinbrenner chooses the word idiot to suggest Chamberlain's place is misplaced. Maybe the idiot is in the wrong place. How about attached to Hank's name when he eventually doles out gazillions to find a replacement for Rivera even though one is right under his bulbous nose. 

Serving an internship under Mariano isn't the worst job in the world. Some would say working for George would have qualified for cruel and unusual punishment although, in later years, we would find out how good George was to his employees, even the ones he fired, some more than once. 

What good is Chamberlain in the rotation if there is no one to close out his games if the 100-mph fastball loses say, 10-mph or he is up around a thousand pitches and needs a ninth inning bailout?  

Earth to Hank, Rivera isn't ageless. The now 38-year old with a new three-year contract, that may or may not be fulfilled, is wearing a sign from back in the 60's: "The End is Near!" 

Daddy wears a similar sign only his is more literal.  

Look to Boston for some guidance. Remember, years ago Jacob Ruppert looked to Harry Frazee about another guy would could pitch a little and wound up with some guy named Babe Ruth. 

What? GM Brian Cashman agrees with Hank? Girardi too? 

Oh hell, the end is really near. 

************* 

• When I heard NASCAR gets all of its fuel free of charge for those gas-guzzling stock cars under an agreement with Sunoco, I began to wonder if the world is completely bass-ackward. If the Sun Oil Company truly wants to sponsor someone, how about those who pay to see a race? Make the car owners pay the four-bucks or so a gallon and give a free fill-up with the purchase of ticket.

• What do the Rays' Scott Kazmir and Jason Tyner have in common? Both were not with the team when a promotion was scheduled at Tropicana Field. A likeness of Tyner in a bobblehead was to be given away but the outfielder was sent to the minors and then it was canceled. Sunday the team handed out 7,500 Scott Kazmir Strikeout Swirlers only the lefty had yet to throw a major league pitch in 2008.

• Now that Danica Patrick has won a race, will men look at women drivers differently?

• Despite what Steve Duemig of Tampa's WDAE-AM says, the Buccaneers are still not for sale. I think he's been running with that story for the last decade or so. Nice to know that he has his finger on the pulse of area sports, as he claims. Big Dog? Woof.

• Fox has Jimmy Johnson. ESPN has Mel Kiper. When will Pat Riley leave the Heat to complete the All Hair Gel Sports Network trifecta and move to TNT?

• Speaking of Patrick, if she wins the Indy 500 next, how long do you figure before the rumors start about a move to NASCAR?

• Why is Isaiah Thomas still drawing an NBA paycheck? He tarnished his Hall of Fame player image by being the most inept executive since the Rays' Chuck LaMar but the only thing I can figure is he must have some incriminating photos of Knicks owner James Dolan. That or it is part of the grab-ass settlement forcing Dolan to have that albatross around his neck for the rest of time.

• If Pat Riley can fire Stan Van Gundy for winning, the least he can do is fire himself for doing the opposite. It's not like he doesn't have options, like with L'Oréal or Garnier, more than he gave his former coach who now has the Magic one win away from advancing to the next round of the playoffs.

• Until Danica wins Dancing with the Stars, she should be forced to stay in IndyCar.

• Buccaneers' head coach Jon Gruden says before he retires, or is forced to do so, he wants to coach a quarterback drafted #1. Now if Tampa Bay can just convince him to return to Oakland. Winning a division at 9-7 doesn't really excite football fans especially in the Gruden yo-yo era and 2008 is slated for their down year.

• AirTran painted the likeness of Danica Patrick on a plane with an "Air-Tranica" theme. What's next? A revival of the old National Airlines "Fly Me" campaign? Sure happy Charmin isn't one of her sponsors. Her husband might take exception to the "Squeeze Me" campaign they ran for years.

• The Rays' press box just isn't the same without writer Frank Walsh, who passed away just before opening day, and Gerald "Jerry" Ramsberger, who has battled health issues. Ramsberger is the only press box attendant the team has ever had and has made just a few brief appearances this season.