This afternoon, representatives for the Atlanta Braves sent a statement to Intel Central from Braves manager Bobby Cox who is remembering Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who passed away today at age 80.
Longtime baseball fans will recall that Cox actually played for the Yankees in the late 1960s, including Mickey Mantle‘s final season with the team in 1968.
After he retired from playing, Cox began his managerial career with the Yankees until coming to Atlanta in 1978.
“This is a huge loss for baseball,” Cox said in the statement. “George was a true winner. I worked for him for 10 years and we got along great. He was a tough guy but he was also very nice and he had a big heart.”
“I remember when the annual Winter Meetings were really exciting, guys like George Steinbrenner, Ted Turner (Atlanta Braves) and Brad Corbett (Texas Rangers) really made them something to look forward to. They were always the life of the meetings.”
“George will be greatly missed and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the Yankees.”
