Steve & Jennifer (Steinbrenner) Swindal  

ESPN/MLB ESPN.com news services
Updated: June 29, 2005, 2:12 PM ET

Boss won't say how long he will remain in charge

Associated Press NEW YORK -- With his 75th birthday approaching next week, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner made it official Tuesday: Son-in-law Steve Swindal will follow him as head of baseball's most storied team.

Steinbrenner did not say when Swindal would take over. At a news conference on June 15, Steinbrenner mentioned in passing that Swindal was "going to carry on." "Yes, Steve will be my successor," Steinbrenner said through spokesman Howard Rubenstein in an e-mail response to questions from The Associated Press.

"I also have other sons, daughters, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law coming along and they will remain i nvolved. As I have said many times, 'You must let the young elephants into the tent.'"

Swindal, 50, is married to Steinbrenner's daughter, Jennifer. He said there was no way he would be as hands-on as his father-in-law.

"I think that's impossible. My inherent style is more delegation," Swindal said Tuesday during a telephone interview from Tampa, Fla. "I don't think there could ever be another George Steinbrenner. He is Mr. Yankee and has represented them for 32 years. I could only could only hope to surround myself with the best, brightest baseball minds and do a lot of listening."

Swindal said Steinbrenner had told him he would be the successor.

"We've discussed that all the kids would be involved at some point in running the team and everybody would contribute," Swindal said. "It just happens at this point in time my kids are further along, and I can spend more time in New York. The other boys have younger children, and they have to stay closer to home."

Swindal and Jennifer Steinbrenner have a daughter who just completed her freshman year in college and a son who is at the Culver Military Academy, where George Steinbrenner went to school.

Swindal was chairman of Bay Transportation Corp., a towing company, from 1987-97 and became a Yankees general partner in 1998. Harold Steinbrenner, one of George Steinbrenner's sons, is also a general partner. Steinbrenner's other son, Henry, has the title of senior executive. Steinbrenner also has another daughter, Jessica.

In his e-mail responses, George Steinbrenner wouldn't say how long he will remain in charge of the Yankees. He headed a group that bought the team in 1973.

"I love what I am doing, so I will not speculate," he said.

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Steve Swindal is a General Partner of the New York Yankees. He serves on the Board of Directors for Marine Towing of Tampa. Mr. Swindal graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Richard Fields, Excelsior Racing Associates
24-7PressRelease/ - NEW YORK, NY, August 11, 2006

Excelsior Racing Associates, led by New York Yankees partner Steve Swindal and entertainment project developer Richard Fields, added Jerry Bilinski and Gary Contessa to its strong team.

A group formed with the purpose of making three of New York's racetracks world class facilities just bolstered its resume with the addition of two new members to its team. Excelsior Racing Associates, led by New York Yankees partner Steve Swindal and entertainment project developer Richard Fields, added Jerry Bilinski and Gary Contessa to its strong team.

The bid is for three of New York's most famous tracks: the Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga. The winning bidder will take over operating responsibility on January 1, 2008...

Steve Swindal and Richard Fields are successful businessmen with proven track records...

Steve Swindal is a partner with the New York Yankees and has been handpicked by current owner George Steinbrenner as his eventual successor.

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March 29, 2007, 9:17 PM ET

Swindal may have lost chance to take over Yankees


TAMPA, Fla. -- George Steinbrenner's daughter filed divorce papers this week against her husband, Steve Swindal, a move that appears to end his chance to take over as head of the New York Yankees.

Jennifer Swindal filed the papers Tuesday in Hillsborough County Circuit Court's family law department, Yankees spokesman Howard Rubenstein said Wednesday. Rubenstein said the papers cited "irreconcilable differences." Olney: Who's next Boss?

It's the top question on Yank fans' minds today: Who will fill the power vacuum created by Steve Swindal's exit? Buster Olney weighs the likely candidates.

"Steve and Jenny Swindal announced today that they are amicably ending their marriage of 23 years," Rubenstein said in a statement. "Although their marriage is dissolving, they remain friends and maintain a strong mutual respect. They are devoted to their two children and will make them their shared focus."

The divorce papers also caused concern about Swindal's group bid to operate thoroughbred racing in New York, which relies heavily on the Yankees' championship

"I'm not commenting on anything," Swindal said Thursday...

"I'm the boss," Steinbrenner said in a statement issued by Rubenstein. "I continue to be the boss. I have no intention of retiring, and my family runs the Yankees with me."

In November, a New York state committee charged with assessing franchise proposals recommended the Swindal-headed Excelsior Racing Associates, which is also led by casino developer Richard Fields. But Gov. Eliot Spitzer has said he will review all proposals before a franchise is awarded.

There was no immediate comment Thursday from Spitzer on whether Excelsior's status has changed.

The bidders will present their proposals in public hearings on April 10 and April 11.

Swindal was arrested by St. Petersburg police at about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 15 and charged with driving under the influence, a misdemeanor.

Swindal said the week following the arrest he felt embarrassed, and when asked whether his status with the team would change, Swindal responded: "Hopefully, not." Asked whether he still viewed himself as Steinbrenner's successor, Swindal replied: "I can't answer that other than it would be speculation." Asked whether Steinbrenner supported him, Swindal said: "He's been a great father-in-law and supportive. He supports me. I don't feel anything but a guy who is looking out after me and supports me."...

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Swindal to remain with Excelsior
Thoroughbred Times
Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2007 5:36 PM
National HBPA.com

Excelsior Racing Associates says co-leader Steve Swindal will stay with the company, although his status appears tenuous following the announcement that he and George Steinbrenner’s daughter, Jennifer, will divorce.

Swindal and casino-developer Richard T. Fields are the chief investors in Excelsior Racing, one of four organizations seeking the franchise to operate Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course. The New York Racing Association’s franchise expires December 31.

An ad hoc committee on the future of New York racing, created by former Governor George Pataki, suggested Excelsior as its preferred franchisee. Excelsior has spent more than $2-million preparing its proposal to run the tracks, which is a mere pittance compared to the nearly $800-million it has promised for capital improvements

“Steve Swindal is an integral part of our team,” spokesperson Katie Burke said Thursday. “Over the last decade with the New York Yankees, he has gained extensive experience in managing a world-class sports franchise, and [he] will bring that experience to bear with the Excelsior team moving forward.”

But many observers believe Swindal’s impending divorce could mean the end to his status as Steinbrenner’s heir apparent, possibly knocking him out of the family’s operations, including racing. Steinbrenner owns the successful Kinsman Stable

The Steinbrenners and Johnston family co-own two Chicago area harness tracks, one of which used to have Thoroughbred racing and Steinbrenner owned Florida Downs [now Tampa Bay Downs] from 1980-86.

In 2005, Steinbrenner surprisingly said Swindal would eventually take over as head of the New York Yankees even though Steinbrenner has two sons, Harold and Henry, and another daughter, Jennifer. Henry and Jennifer are involved with Kinsman Stable’s breeding interests...”

If Swindal is ushered out, Excelsior’s hopes of winning the racing franchise might be severely diminished. Swindal will face charges in a pre-trial hearing on April 5 that he drove under the influence on February 15 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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A Yankee king losing crown
The head of Steinbrenner's son-in-law is on chopping block with pending Florida divorce
BY CHRISTIAN RED in Tampa and CORKY SIEMASZKO in New York
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Friday, March 30th 2007, 4:00 AM

Once he was the man who would be king of the Yankees.

Now Steve Swindal is on the way out - out of his marriage to George Steinbrenner's daughter and out of the running to become the next Boss.

Only he may not know it yet.

"I'm here. I'm working diligently at my job, preparing for Opening Day," he told the Daily News yesterday. "I'm not going to spec ulate on anything. I'm just going about my business. I've got a job to do."

Swindal showed up for work at Legends Field in Tampa, even though sources said his father-in-law was about to strip him of his pinstripes.

Swindal said he ran into Yankee skipper Joe Torre and other team honchos and nobody told him to scram.

Although Swindal said he expects to be in New York on Monday when the Yankees kick off the 2007 season, he's not sure he'll be joining his father-in-law at Yankee Stadium.

"We're all in the Yankee family, and we all support each other during diffic ult times," he insisted.

But two days after his wife, Jennifer, claimed their marriage was "irretrievably broken" and filed for divorce, Yankees and other baseball sources said Swindal was history.

"He's pretty much done," a high-ranking baseball source told The News.

Two years ago, Steinbrenner publicly anointed Swindal, 52, his successor. Yesterday, a team spokesman declined to discuss the status of Swindal, who is a Yankees general partner and chairman of Yankee Global Enterprises LLC.

"What George Steinbrenner says sticks," Howard Rubenstein said. "He's the boss. He does not intend to retire. His family will help him run the Yankees."

That leaves Swindal, the one-time heir apparent, out in the cold.

Rubenstein reiterated that the Swindals were "amicably ending their marriage of 23 years." But in her divorce petition, Jennifer Swindal moved to make sure her husband doesn't get his mitts on the family fortune.

Jennifer Swindal, 47, requested her chunk of the Steinbrenner fortune "be protected and set aside." She also wants the couple's $2.3 million home in Tampa's upscale Davis Island neighborhood and has demanded detailed records of her husband's finances, including all statements and copies of canceled checks - "both front and back."

Jennifer Swindal could not be reached for comment.

It remains to be seen how Swindal's divorce will affect a bid by his group to run thoroughbred racing in New York.

Steinbrenner's two sons, Hank and Hal, and Swindal's soon-to-be ex are part of a group that owns a 47.5% stake in Excelsior Racing Associates.

"Steve Swindal is an integral part of our team," the group said in a statement yesterday. "Over the last decade with the New York Yankees, he has gained extensive experience in managing a world-class sports franchise and will bring that experience to bear with the Excelsior team moving forward."

The first public sign that all was not well in the Swindal household came a day after Valentine's Day, when Swindal was busted on a drunken-driving rap by police in St. Petersburg.

At the time, Swindal said he hoped the DWI charge would not scuttle his chances of inheriting baseball's most storied team and said Steinbrenner has been "a great father-in-law."

But sources close to the team said Swindal had already moved out of the family home and the marriage was marked by vicious arguments.

Jennifer Swindal's divorce petition did not divulge any specific reason for the split. Swindal also wouldn't discuss his impending divorce.

"That's really a private matter, as you can imagine," he said. "It's a private matter."

The couple has two children: Haley, 21, and Stephen, 18. - csiemaszko @nydailynews. com

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UsA-Today
horses | 4/9/2007 8:21:32 PM ET
Casino builder Wynn joins N.Y. racing bidder

Las Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn has joined a group seeking to run thoroughbred racing in New York. Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts, joined the Excelsior Racing Associates that a week ago lost a founder, Steve Swindal. Swindal, the son-in-law of New York Yankees boss George Steinbrenner, dropped out of Excelsior after his wife filed for divorce...

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Thoroughbred Times
Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 11:11 AM
Wynn joins Excelsior Racing Associates
by Paul Post

Two of the country’s largest casino developers have joined forces and plan to keep New York Racing Association personnel in place to run tracks if their organization succeeds in winning the next Thoroughbred racing contract.

In a surprise move, Las Vegas casino mog ul Steve Wynn announced Monday that he is joining Excelsior Racing Associates, whose chances of getting the franchise appeared slim following the departure of New York Yankees general partner Steve Swindal.

Wynn is teaming up with Richard T. Fields, Swindal’s former partner at Excelsior, who has developed the highly successful Hard Rock Seminole Indian Casino in Florida. Fields also is part of a project to rejuvenate and possibly bringing gaming to Suffolk Downs near Boston...

Swindal left Excelsior abruptly last Friday, less than a week after George Steinbrenner announced that he and the Yankees were pulling out of Excelsior’s bid. Two weeks ago, Steinbrenner’s daughter, Jennifer, announced that she was filing for divorce from Swindal

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YANK 'HEIR' $QUEEZE PLAY
BALKS AT ALIMONY
By LEELA de KRETSER
April 25, 2007 New York Post

SPLITTER: Yankee executive Steve Swindal and wife Jennifer Steinbrenner are both asking a Florida court to divide their assets equally as they seek a divorce.

You want a divorce, you're going to pay for it!

Cheapskate Yankee exec Steve Swindal, once anointed as father-in-law George Steinbrenner's likely heir, told his estranged wife that he refuses to give her alimony and that she'll have to pay for his l awyer.

"He didn't ask for the divorce," his lawyer, Stanford R. Solomon, told The Post yesterday. "If she wants a divorce and she believes that the divorce should proceed on that basis, then we are prepared to go along with it."

Swindal's lawyer has also demanded that any documents involving the Yankees be protected as trade secrets.

Swindal, 52, denied Jennifer Steinbrenner's claim that their marriage was "irretrievably broken," but said he'll proceed with the divorce in the counterclaim papers he filed in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, in Florida, this week.

In her filing, Steinbrenner had said the pair parted ways on Valentine's Day - but Swindal denied that was the case.

Swindal also refused to give Steinbrenner, his wife of 23 years, alimony. Instead, he asked the court to decide how the pair should distribute their assets equally.

Steinbrenner later amended her divorce petition to drop the alimony claim and agreed to Swindal's request to ask the court to distribute their marital assets.

However, she sniffed she would not pay for his lawyer, as he had requested.

As part of their divorce, the pair will put their $2.3 million home in Tampa on the market, along with a property they own on the shore of Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver , Ind.

The couple will also sell a Chapel Hill, N.C., condo that their son lives in while he attends college.

Swindal's attorney said that he and Steinbrenner were trying to settle the divorce as amicably as possible - and that deciding what assets would be counted as part of the marriage involved some complex financial transactions.

Solomon said his client is "doing great. It's business as usual," attempting to stave off speculation that the Yankees owner planned to ax Swindal from the team's lineup.

"He's continuing to discharge his f ull responsibilities as a senior executive of the Yankee-related entities. He continues to split his time between New York and Florida."

Swindal is the second-in-command at the Yankees, and in June 2005, George Steinbrenner said his son-in-law would eventually succeed him at the helm of the Bronx Bombers.

Since divorce proceedings started, the Boss has refused to clarify what Swindal's future with the team will be. Howard Rubenstein, a spokesman for George Steinbrenner, declined to comment yesterday.

Swindal's lawyer said the fact that the couple's children are older - Julie is 21 and Stephen is 18 - meant they were not locked in an ugly custody battle.

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Divorced from Reality: Swindal Chooses Single Life Over Yankees
April 05, 2007 by Brian Joura Brian Joura

George Steinbrenner is a legendary figure. He transformed the Yankees from a second-division club back into the pre-eminent franchise in all of sports... Along the way he never missed an opportunity to grab headlines, whether for firing his managers, filming TV commercials or publicly calling out his ballplayers, like the time he called Hideki Irabu a "fat toad".

But we haven't seen much of Steinbrenner recently. He's 76-years old and reputed to be in bad health. He doesn't make many public appearances anymore and even fewer media interviews.

So, the logical question is: who will replace Steinbrenner as Yankees boss?

Back in 2005, Steinbrenner anointed son-in-law Steve Swindal to be his successor. Swindal is a general partner of the club and is also the Chairman of the Board of Yankees Global Enterprises, LLC. Swindal was responsible for signing Joe Torre to his latest contract extension and for eliminating the hoops that general manager Brian Cashman had to jump through in order to make anything happen.

But Swindal killed the Golden Goose. Well, he didn't really kill it but he decided to divorce Jennifer Steinbrenner, his wife of 23 years, ending any possibility that he might take over for The Boss.

Why on earth would Swindal pick now to have a divorce, when he is seemingly on the doorstep of the most visible job in all of sports? How bad could things possibly be to make divorce a viable option? The last time I had a feeling anything even remotely like this was in the horrifying pictures from 9/11, when people were jumping out of the windows from 50 stories up to avoid the terror inside

Rumors have it that Swindal was cheating on his wife, leading to the divorce. What pussy could be so good as to risk losing the Yankees' top job over? Not even the thought of a threesome with Angelina Jolie and Maria Sharapova would be enough for me to risk losing out on the Yankees job. And I'm a Mets fan.

as a single man. But most of us fight through the bad times and come out the better for it. And I can't think of one man in history who made a marriage decision this bad. Even K-Fed is walking away $17 million richer after splitting with the cash cow known as Brittney. What is Swindal gaining by leaving now?

The divorce also puts into question Swindal's attempt to run New York's thoroughbred racing operations. His group, Excelsior Racing Associates, is one of several suitors for the gig, which could last up to 20 years

To make matters even worse, Swindal and his wife put out a joint statement, saying they were amicably ending the marriage. Perhaps if she had threatened to kill him, it might have made sense for him to divorce. I just don't get it...

And now we have Steve Swindal. The guy who allegedly couldn't keep it in his pants and play nice with his wife and ended up losing out on the top job of the Yankees because of his boner (pun intended). At least now, Berkle and Bartman can say - at least I didn't p ull a Swindal.

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Yankees Negotiating $5M Buyout With Steve Swindal

The Yankees are negotiating a buyout with General Partner Steve Swindal in which the team “would pay him about $5[M] for what he is owed contractually in exchange for his leaving the organization,” according to Tyler Kepner of the N.Y. TIMES. Any settlement on his equity in Yankee Global Enterprises, of which he is Chair, “would be a separate negotiation, though Swindal is believed to have a minimal amount of equity.” Swindal’s wife, Jennifer, the daughter of Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner, filed for divorce in March. Steinbrenner’s son, Hank, “has emerged as the favorite to succeed his father in running the Yankees, a role Swindal was given before falling out of favor” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/17).

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Swindal suit a swing & miss
BY MARTY CLEAR in Tampa
and JOSE MARTINEZ in New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Friday, June 22nd 2007, 4:00 AM

Steve Swindal struck out on opening the Yankee Stadium books.

The secrets to the Yankee kingdom are still behind closed gates.

The secrets to the Yankee kingdom shall remain a secret, a Florida judge has ruled.

George Steinbrenner's soon-to-be former son-in-law - the one-time anointed successor to the Boss - whiffed this week in his attempt to crack open the books of the most famous franchise in sports.

A Florida judge blocked Steve Swindal, who is in the midst of a divorce from Jennifer Steinbrenner, from trying to get testimony and documents about the team's finances from Yankee officials.

Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Fernandez sided with the Boss' eldest daughter, ruling that Swindal's subpoenas are not relevant to his divorce case.

Swindal, a Yankee general partner, filed papers in Manhattan Supreme Court this month, seeking to take depositions from officials with the team, its television network, the YankeeNets partnership and Yankee Stadium LLC. The subpoenas sought all financial documents related to the companies, from January 2004 to the present...

"The proposed subpoenas are worse than a search warrant because they would give Stephen Swindal a license to rummage through all the files of all of these organizations," attorney Melvyn Frumkes wrote in court papers filed last week.

Frumkes wrote in court papers that Swindal "jumped the gun" when he "opened a second front in New York" by trying to get a look at records not directly related to his job...

Swindal, 52, was sidelined after splitting with his wife, with whom he has two children. Since then, the couple has sold a lakefront home in Culver , Ind., while agreeing to sell homes in Tampa and Chapel Hill, N.C.

Meanwhile, the team is said to be negotiating a divorce of its own from Swindal, with the Yanks set to buy him out.

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Steve Swindal, Previously the General Managing Partner of the Yankees; previously the Chairman of the Board of Yankee Global Enterprises, LLC; and previously heir to Yankee majority ownership--to September 2007 As part of a divorce settlement with Jennifer Steinbrenner, he relinquished all his roles as an employee of Yankee Global Enterprises on 9/28/07. MLB4U.com

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From Newsday
Swindal says he'll always be pulling for Yanks
BY JIM BAUMBACH, jim.baumbach@newsday.com
12:48 PM PDT, May 20, 2008

Steve Swindal, the one-time successor to George Steinbrenner, now spends his days running a marine towing company in Tampa, Fla., a job that he described as "certainly less stressful" than his old position as a Yankees general partner.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the Yankees bought out his contract last summer, Swindal said he feels no ill will toward the organization run by his former father-in-law.