I never liked the guy ...

But the man was one of NYC's most interesting characters. I'll miss George Steinbrenner (not because of what he did for the Yankees, but for what he did for NYC) and so will a lot of people he helped out over the years. He brought "asshole" to an art form but he was also one of the most generous NYers.

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Steinbrenner also had a soft side. He sometimes read about high school athletes who had been injured and sent them money to go to college. He paid for the medical school expenses of Ron Karnaugh after the swimmer's father died during the opening ceremony at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Steinbrenner kept older friends from his football days on the payroll, had a way of rehiring those he had once fired and liked to give second chances to those who had fallen from favor, such as Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.

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