George Steinbrenner may still be considered The Boss by many Yankees fans, but to the Hall of Fame voters, it wasn't enough to be inducted into Cooperstown.
On Monday, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that Steinbrenner did not receive the 75 percent of the vote needed from the Expansion Era Committee to be inducted.
Johnny Bench, one of the committee members, believes that Steinbrenner’s time will come, telling ESPN, "Some people thought it was too early [for Steinbrenner to be voted in].”
Along with Steinbrenner, other former Yankee’s to not receive enough votes were former manager Billy Martin, and left-handers Ron Guidry and Tommy John.
While the committee does not disclose its individual votes, Steinbrenner received fewer than 8 votes from the 16-member panel. Twelve votes were needed for entry.
"He was combative," Bench said. "He was ruthless. I think too often we saw the tirades or we heard about the tirades and the firings and all the stuff."
While it is still possible for Steinbrenner to be elected, the next opportunity he will receive will be in 2013, when the Expansion Era Committee meets again, and considering the goodwill his legacy has received following his death, it may be tough for him to garner enough support for enter in the future.
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However, Bench remains sure that Steinbrenner will be inducted. "I think he certainly will be [a Hall of Famer]," he said.
