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Former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner died today at age 80

Aired July 13, 2010 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. We're just about a minute shy from the top of the hour, and if you are joining us this hour, we are following breaking news from the sports world.

Just in my ear right now, CNN has just confirmed that legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has died after suffering a massive heart attack. He was rushed to a hospital in Tampa, Florida. There you see the live picture courtesy of Bay News 9, our affiliate on the right of your screen.

Steinbrenner, called "The Boss" by many, was just a legend in the sports world. He had bought the Yankees in 1973 for $10 million, the longest serving owner in league history during that time period. The Yankees won seven World Series, 11 pennants.

He was 80 years old, and interestingly enough had just celebrated his 80th birthday on July 4th, Independence Day.

Joining us now by phone is Max Kellerman, he a CNN sports contributor. Max, put this in perspective for us. How big of a deal is this in the sports world?

MAX KELLERMAN, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Steinbrenner is the most famous owner in sports, and really maybe in the history of American team sports. It's a very big deal. Culturally, you think of even the kind of references that have been made to him.

He was an on-going character on "Seinfeld," where you never saw his face. The creator, Larry David, was playing him. Steinbrenner has made his way into popular culture, and the cultural consciousness of this country unlike any other owner, I believe, in the history of team sports.

CHO: He was parodied on "Saturday Night Live." There's not a person, sports fan or not, who does not know the name George Steinbrenner. He was called "The Boss" for a reason. He had quite a hard-charging style, though some might say he was a teddy bear off the field. But quite a style. You heard from him if you didn't perform, didn't you?

KELLERMAN: Yeah. The interesting thing -- lots of interesting things about George Steinbrenner. He bought the Yankees for 10 million dollars in 1973. But the year before he bought the Yankees, the Seattle Pilots, which later became the Milwaukee Brewers, were bought for more than the Yankees sold for a year later. So when Steinbrenner bought the Yankees -- they now are this incredibly powerful, multi-billion dollar entity and hugely successful brand. But at the moment he bought them, it actually took some guts. They were considered -- New York was considered a dying city. The Yankees were considered a meaningful really in brand name only. And he turned the organization around within a couple of years and made them back into the biggest brand in world team sports.

Certainly, he was very demanding of everyone who worked for him. He was impetuous at times. The SNL skit you referred to, I believe there was a Steinbrenner death watch 20 years ago, because fans weren't happy with the direction of the team, and they thought, as long as he's owner, that will never change. And in recent years, he really was non-compus mentus (ph). I mean, he was suffering from some sort of dementia over the last several years.

CHO: Max, I want to interrupt you for just a moment because I was just handed a statement from the family of George Steinbrenner on the passing of this legendary Yankees owner, and if you will bear with me, I want to read it in its entirety.

Quote, "it is with profound sadness that the family of George M. Steinbrenner III announces his passing. He passed away this morning in Tampa, Florida, at age 80. He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost, he was devoted to his entire family, his beloved wife Joan, his sisters, Susan and Judy, his children, Hank, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal, and all of his grandchildren. He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again. Mr. Steinbrenner recently celebrated his 80th birthday on July 4th. Funeral arrangements will be private, and there will be an additional public service, with detail to be announced at a later date."

Max, stay with us. I want to turn to our Josh Levs for more perspective on this. Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORREPONDENT: Hi there, Alina. I'll talk to you a little bit more about his life, his career and what we know about him. Obviously, already we have people pouring in with their thoughts about them. I just pulled from our own "Sports Illustrated" -- these are our partners. One of the most recent times that he was on the cover of "Sports Illustrated," This is back in 2003. "You can't have too much pitching, just ask George."

This is a man who was a giant, as we know, not only in baseball, but in the entire world of sports. We have some video of him. I am going to tell you some interesting things about his life and career. Let's take a moment to think about the fact that this man, George Steinbrenner, was born on the 4th of July, an all-American date for a man who became a giant, maybe the biggest giant in the all-American sport. He was born back in 1930. He had just turned 80.

In fact, on his 80th birthday, the Yankees and others had a big celebration for him, at which they pulled out all of their pennants. I'll tell you, they pulled in a lot of them over the years. Let's look back, though. We know he took on this -- his first executive position in 1973, and he bought the Bronx Bombers for 10 million dollars way back at the time. But when we look at what he went through over the decades, he had some ups and downs. He was initially -- this was really interesting to me. I was looking at this from the "Baseball Almanac," given what we've been talking about in the world of sports lately. Listen to this, he was initially against free agency and the whole idea of it, but he later embraced it. And he struck this huge deal -- this was back in 1974. Catfish Hunter, he signed for the unheard of then salary of 2.85 million dollars for four years. And "Baseball Almanac" saying this unparalleled deal raised the bar for competitive contracts and set, basically, a pathway to where we are today, these incredibly high prices for some of these star players.

Also listen to this, interesting twist in his career decades ago; shortly after inking that deal, he was indicted for having made illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon. He was found guilty. He was suspended for two years. Then, right after that, he came back, proved he hadn't missed a thing in two years out. When he got back, 1976, he signs Reggie Jackson.

Now, I remember growing up in upstate New York as a kid in the mid-80s, Reggie Jackson was it. He was the star. You could look back at George Steinbrenner, look at the stars he pulled into this game, look at the way he shaped the game, look at the way he turned the Yanks into this top team. It was also a tough decade for the Yanks in the '80s, ended the first decade since the 1910s back then without a single world championship title. But he brought them back, and he stayed with them throughout these years.

One thing that, interesting, very interesting about him, his managerial style over the years. Steinbrenner changed the manager of the New York Yankees 20 times during his first 23 seasons. Of course, a lot of that was hiring and firing Billy Martin. But we're talking about a man who set the tone for what we know today in the world of baseball. It is true that the world of professional sports, not just baseball, Alina, losing a giant today in the death of George Steinbrenner.

CHO: That's for sure. Josh Levs, thank you. Again, the headline, if you are just joining us this hour, is that legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has died after reportedly suffering a massive heart attack. He was 80 years old. Here's Richard Roth way look at his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): For pinstripe fans, whether you loved him or hated him, he was The Boss. George Steinbrenner, principal owner of the New York Yankees for over 30 years, was known for his controlling style, drive to win and larger than life personality. More than any player, he was the face of his team.

GEORGE STEINBRENNER, FORMER OWNER OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES: I'm a hands-on, involved owner. Let's put it that way. Always have been. You have to believe. You do it my way, like Sinatra says.

ROTH: Born on the 4th of July, 1930 in Rocky River, Ohio, Steinbrenner worked for his father's ship-building business before his move to the major leagues. "New York Times" baseball columnist Murray Chass has known Steinbrenner since 1973, when he led a group of investors to buy the Yankees for 8.7 million dollars. The team would eventually become a billion dollar empire.

MURRAY CHASS, COLUMNIST "THE NEW YORK TIMES": In a relationship or meeting somebody, he could be very charming. He could be very good to young people. He put a lot of kids through college. But to the people who worked for him, he was off awful. He was a tyrant. He supposedly fired a secretary once for getting him the wrong sandwich for lunch.

If you didn't work for him, he was fine. If you worked for him, it was just the kind of thing that no employee would want to be subjected to by his boss.

ROTH: The uniformed staff had to follow the boss too, or else be shipped to the minors. Steinbrenner imposed strict rules on both his managers and players, requiring short hair cuts for players and no facial hair below the lip.

CHASS: From his first game as owner, he made that clear. He sat in his box seat. When the players were called out to the foul line before the game for introductions, and he saw some players whose hair was longer than he thought it should have been.

ROTH: In the dugout, he could also run hot and cold. The Boss had over 20 managers in 23 seasons. One of his most bizarre relationships was with manager and former player Billy Martin, who Steinbrenner hired and fired five times.

STEINBRENNER: If you don't like it, you're fired.

ROTH: Steinbrenner was banned from baseball twice, for illegal contributions made to President Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign fund, and in 1990 for paying a gambler to collect information on Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield.

Under Steinbrenner, the Yankee's payroll reached record numbers, over 200 million dollars in 2006, the highest in Major League Baseball history. In the 1970s, no other owner had as much success with the free agent player market as much as Steinbrenner. But the strategy of acquiring big names didn't always produce a title. Overall, though, with Steinbrenner in the owner's box, the Yankees won six World Series championships.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Yankees are champions of baseball!

ROTH: Steinbrenner enjoyed the limelight, starring in several commercials, often spoofing himself.

STEINBRENNER: You are our starting shortstop. How can you possibly to spend two nights dances, two nights eating out and three nights just carousing with your friends? Oh.

ROTH: And lampooned on the long-running "Seinfeld" TV series, such as the day he encountered character George Costanza.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Steinbrenner, sir, there is someone here I would like you need to meet.

JASON ALEXANDER, ACTOR: I find it very hard to see the logic behind some of the moves you have made with this fine organization. In the past 20 years, you have caused myself and the city of New York a good deal of distress as we have watched you take our beloved Yankees and reduce them to a laughing stock all for the glorification of your massive ego.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hire this man.

ROTH: His relationship with the press, at times, contentious.

STEINBRENNER: I have no comment. That's so ridiculous.

CHASS: If a person wrote something he didn't like, he could cross that person off his list. I went one full season in the '70s where he didn't talk to me because he didn't like something I had written.

ROTH: Steinbrenner was once an assistant college football coach. He also owned race horses, but loved baseball.

STEINBRENNER: It's still the grand old game. There is no game that you go out in a middle of Indiana, some little town like Culver, Indiana, in the middle of the winter, and they will be sitting around the restaurant talking about baseball trades. No other sport has that going for it.

ROTH: In his final years, Steinbrenner retreated from the public eye and became less accessible to the media. He appeared frail at a ground-breaking ceremony for the New Yankee Stadium.

STEINBRENNER: I'm happy for everybody that we are all here today to celebrate the New Yankee Stadium. It's a pleasure to give it to you people. Enjoy the new stadium. I hope it's wonderful.

ROTH: One of George Steinbrenner's most quoted lines, "winning is the most important thing in my life after breathing."

Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Just one correction on that obituary that Richard just brought to us is that since that was done, the Yankees have won another World Series. They have won seven World Series in all.

Richard joins us now by phone from New York. Richard, I know you have followed Steinbrenner's career since the 1970s. What can you tell us about the man that we know as the boss. ROTH: Actually, I'm in Atlanta for the moment. Steinbrenner was an amazing, epic character, who will probably never be matched in future baseball annals, the way the game has changed. He set the tone for free agency. We hear all of this talk about Lebron James and free agency. It was Steinbrenner's signing of a pitcher named Jim "Catfish" Hunter on New Year's Eve in 1975, which ignited free agency in the business world, after the courts said it was legally OK.

Steinbrenner was bombastic. He just wanted to win. New York City fans may have been willing to overlook some of his other personal defects or some of his actions that landed him on the commissioner's suspension list because he won. Many fans around the world have said, I think, we need an owner like George Steinbrenner, someone who is willing to back up what he preaches with money to go out and get the best players.

Now, many fans hated him in the United States because their teams were in smaller markets. George Steinbrenner made very few appearances at Yankee Stadium in the last few years. He had just issued a statement -- whether that was through his publicist or how much involvement he had -- in the passing a few days ago of Bob Sheppard at the 99, the long-time public address announcer at Yankee Stadium. You have two major New York figures passing from the scene in recent days.

CHO: Richard, how many time did you encounter the man over the years? Were you able to spend some time with him? And if so, what was he like as a person?

ROTH: Well, I wasn't really on that sports beat, so, unlike New York City news writers who he had a love/hate relationship at times, but always provided fresh copy -- I spent a few hours staking out the baseball commissioner's office with camera crews when he was suspended. That was still a shock that Steinbrenner was suspended for a second time -- first time, really, from baseball -- was amazing. He had tried to dig up dirt on one of his players, Dave Winfield.

So, look, he was New York City. He had come from Cleveland, but the Steinbrenner way will be carried on by his sons now, Hall and Hank, who are really -- have been in charge of the team for the last couple of years. Some of the Yankee players recently saw George Steinbrenner in Spring Training in April. There's a real bond there. They like to entertain some of the younger players on the team with stories of what it was like to play for George Steinbrenner. He had no patience. He would send pitchers to the minor leagues after one bad game. He would trade for someone and then send them to the minors or send them to another team if he didn't like what was going on.

There was an ESPN film "The Bronx Is Burning," many viewers might remember, recently where he was portrayed, and he had titanic battles, as we mentioned in that obituary report we did, with Billy Martin, hiring and firing the same manager five times. That does not happen these days. Alina?

CHO: Richard Roth joining us by phone from Atlanta on the life of George Steinbrenner. If you're just joining us, legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has died of a massive heart attack at the age of 80.

We want to pass along this news that I'm just getting in; the PR director for the Yankees apparently was on his way to attend the wake for another Yankees legend, announcer Bob Sheppard, who also died this week. He died at the age of 99. But the headline today, George Steinbrenner has died at the age of 80. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Recapping our top stories this hour -- legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is dead at the age of 80. Steinbrenner suffered a massive heart attack today and was rushed to a Tampa hospital. Funeral arrangements, according to the family, will be private. There will be a public service and those details will be announced later.

It is now day 85 of the Gulf oil disaster. BP is planning to begin testing on a new containment cap on the ruptured well today. The cap could contain all of the oil, some of it or maybe none. The testing could last up to two days or possibly longer.

New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission is holding a key hearing today on plans to build a mosque and community center near Ground Zero. In an effort to stop that, some people are pushing for the billing in question to be designated an historic landmark.

Critics of Apple's newest iPhone, the iPhone-4. are getting some validation this morning. Soon after its debut last month -- you've heard the complaints. Lots of people complained about it, about those reception problems. Well, audio fade and dropped calls, those were the major complaints. Now "consumer Report" is weighing in with a similar critique, and says it cannot recommend buying the iPhone due to problems with the phone's antenna.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL REYNOLDS, "CONSUMER REPORTS": When we tested this device, what we found is that if you hold it a certain way, such that your finger is over a gap in the case in the bottom left-hand side of it, the reception -- antenna reception is reduced considerably, such that we think people could lose calls in the middle of a call as their reception goes down.

We like a lot of things about this phone, but it does have this design flaw. And we can't recommend the phone until there's a fix from Apple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Now, as an alternative, "Consumer Reports" said it continues to recommend the older iPhone-3GF, which is still available from Apple. Apple said it will release a free software update in the next few weeks to fix that software glitch. Avandia is a blockbuster diabetes drug swallowed by millions of Americans every day. The question is, is it safe? Today, the drug goes on trial in front of an FDA panel.

Also, we're watching business news for you: The Dow is up about 138 points. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back. We're following more breaking news for you this hour. It looks like Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan will simmer on the back burner for about another week. Just minutes ago, Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked that today's vote be delayed. They apparently want some more time to review her responses to some written questions. Kagan is expected to win approval from the committee, though, which is made up of 12 Democrats and seven Republicans. Her nomination would then go, after this, to the full Senate.

Moving to health news now; the fate of the popular diabetes drug Avandia is now in the hands of an FDA panel. The experts will decide over the next two days whether it should be yanked off the market because of a possible link to heart problems. But the drug's manufacturer says its orange pills are safe. Avandia has been a blockbuster hit since it was approved back in 1999. Last year, doctors in the U.S. wrote more than 2.5 million prescriptions for the drug. That adds up to a lot of money, 520 million dollars in sales.

Meanwhile, It's a red ribbon day for the White House. President Obama expected to speak this afternoon about his new national strategy to fight HIV and AIDS. The plan centers around three main points, reducing the number of new HIV infections, increasing access to care for those living with HIV, and reducing HIV health-related health disparities. Every year, approximately 56,000 people in the U.S. became infected with HIV. The goal of the White House plan is to reduce that number by 25 percent within five years.

That's ambitious. And even as the White House unveils its new strategy, more people are struggling to afford those life saving HIV drugs. It's a big problem. Patricia Wu joins us now from New York to talk about that. Hey, Patricia.

PATRICIA WU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Alina. So, you know, fighting AIDS has become that much heard now. You know that losing your job usually means losing your health insurance. For people with HIV, it means they need government assistance to pay for the medicine that helps them stay healthier and live longer.

And you know these drugs are really expensive. The government pays an average of 12,000 dollars a year per person. It's even more if you have private insurance. But state budgets are stretched so thin right now that people have to go on waiting lists to qualify for that help. Currently, 2,100 people in 11 states are on waiting lists for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

And that's not all. States are also limiting eligibility and enrollment while cutting back on which drugs they'll cover, and thousands of people are affected. More than 168,000 people received their meds through this program just last year, Alina.

CHO: So, Patricia, does this president's new strategy address the financial challenge at all?

WU: Well, the plan that is being announced today is not expected to include an increase in federal spending. But last week, the administration did allocate an additional 25 million dollars to help get more people off those waiting lists for drug assistance. The problem, though, it just may not be enough. Advocacy groups and state officials have been asking for an extra 126 million dollars this fiscal year. That's five times as much.

So what can you do if you get on a wait list or, worse, kicked off the program? You can contact the drug maker. Most pharmaceutical companies have programs that provide discounted or even free medicine to people who can't afford it. And advocates also tell us that relief is coming when provisions of that new health care law kick in, making more people eligible for health care subsidies. But that doesn't take effect until 2014, so it is a long time to wait if you need those drugs to survive. Alina?

CHO: Patricia, thank you.

Fidel Castro has hardly been seen or heard in several years. But then, yesterday, the frail former leader appeared on Cuban television. It's quite a surprise to many. Why now? Does it have anything to do with a surprise deal with the Roman Catholic Church? We're going to be talking to Rick Sanchez and an expert on Cuban-American affairs next in a roundtable discussion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back. Day 85 of the Gulf oil disaster. It is a critical day as BP is going to begin testing a new, tighter fitting containment cap which could, if it works, could begin to contain some or possibly all of the oil which has been freely flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.

I'm being told that we have some amazing pictures of our own David Mattingly, who is live on a Coast Guard cutter. Hey, David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESONDENT: Hi. We're on the bow of the Coast Guard cutter Resolute. We are just a short distance away from ground zero of this disaster, and we're all watching, hoping today turns out to be the beginning of the end of this economic and environmental disaster.

About a mile beneath where I'm standing right now, they're running diagnostic tests of the well. If everything turns out well, they will try to close that well in. And if the well can take the pressure, they will have successfully have capped this well for the first time since this disaster began.

Right now, what you see on the surface behind me is plumes of smoke rising as they burn off gas and oil as its pumped up to the surface here. Very large plumes of smoke rising into the air here in the Gulf of Mexico. For the last couple of miles, we plowed through some substantial sheen but no thick oil. That could be moving in the opposite direction because the wind has been at our back for most of this trip right now. But right now, we are seeing a lot of sheen in this area, indicating there is still oil leaking out into the water. The flames behind me also tell us that they're still pumping oil up.

The big dramatic scene will be when those flames behind me do go out. That means they stopped producing oil, the oil is no longer coming to the surface, and they successfully closed off the well. So, that test they're wanting today is all-important to determine if they can close that well, if they can stop that oil, and if they can keep it contained until they drilled those relief wells that could be online in a couple of weeks.

Back to you.

CHO: David Mattingly with some amazing pictures live on a Coast Guard cutter in the Gulf of Mexico on day 85 of the BP oil disaster. David, thank you so much.

Meanwhile, Cuba's former leader, Fidel Castro, is making a rare appearance on Cuban TV. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FIDEL CASTRO, FORMER CUBAN PRESIDENT: (SPEAKING IN SPANISH)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Monday marked the first time that most Cubans had seen or heard from Castro in about four years. He's kept a relatively low profile since he had intestinal surgery back in 2006. Now, Castro talked about several global issues. He blamed the United States for sinking a South Korean ship and warned that the U.S. is flirting with nuclear war on the Korean peninsula and Iran.

One topic he didn't touch: this week's release of 52 political prisoners. The first wave of those freed prisoners has now arrived in Spain to begin their new lives. Cuba released 52 prisoners in all. They've been locked up since 2003, when the government cracked down on political opposition. Now, Spain will give them residency permission and working papers. The six -- the first of those freed prisoners who arrived in Madrid today said they hope their release is a first step toward democracy in Cuba.

So, what's going on here? Could this signal that some of the political ice in Cuba is melting? And why did Fidel Castro, the man who ruled Cuba for nearly 50 years, then basically vanish, decide to pop back into the spotlight now?

We're talking this over with CNN's own Rick Sanchez, host of "RICK'S LIST" and a Cuban American. Also, Dr. Andy Gomez from the University of Miami is with us. He's an expert on Cubans and Cuban/American studies. I want to start with you, Rick. I was actually watching from my hotel room last night. I was watching you and Wolf Blitzer on "THE SITUATION ROOM" as this was happening and unfolding on Cuban television. You were watching and translating as it was happening. What were you most struck by when you saw Castro?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN HOST, "RICK'S LIST": The fact that he was talking about things that seemed to be in the opposite interest of what his own brother, the supposed leader of Cuba, was apparently trying to do just several days prior.

I mean, look. Let's draw this out. Let's do the road map here. First, you have Cuba through Raul Castro, his brother, leader of Cuba, say I'm going to release 52 prisoners. And you star thinking, well, this is smart. They're trying to make an overture show some of those Republican, Midwest farm belt guys who for years have been saying we need lift the embargo decide okay, you know what? They're being nice, they're playing nice, let's go along with it.

Just a few days later, the other side coming in, and Fidel Castro out of nowhere. Instead of making an overture toward the United States, does the flip side of that and starts saying that the United States is nothing but a murderous regime that destroyed a warship off the coast of Korea, that they've lied and that they're now on the brink of starting a nuclear war with Iran.

CHO: That's right.

SANCHEZ: So, you have message A totally divergent from message B. What the hell's going on here?

CHO: An Dr. Gomez, let's talk a little bit about this, because the timing of this speech by Castro, as you say, is a bit curious, right?

DR. ANDY GOMEZ, PROFESSOR OF CUBAN-AMERICAN STUDIES, UNIV. OF MIAMI: Yes, it is, and I do agree with some of the things that Rick has to say. I think the appearance by Fidel Castro was more important in terms of a message internally than externally.

Let me explain why. No one expected -- and they had made it very clear, that they were never going to release political prisoners in Cuba. First and foremost, for the first time, Cuba has now admitted that they are political prisoners. Number two, Castro shows himself and the symbolism of him showing himself is extremely important. Why?

Well, this is to show the inner circle of power under Raul Castro, that irregardless of whether they were questioning that the regime is getting soft by releasing the political prisoners that Fidel had something to do with it. Fidel might not be involved in the day- to-day decision making in Cuba, but he is very much involved in the major decisions, and I can assure you that Fidel had a great deal to do with the release of political prisoners.

SANCHEZ: But let's look at this from a global standpoint now, and here's the point, Alina. And he's right, the internal conflict for Cuba is something that Fidel has been a master at controlling. He knows what Cubans --

GOMEZ: Absolutely.

SANCHEZ: -- and he knows just what to feed them to make them -

CHO: I think the question is, what does it say about his power, right?

SANCHEZ: What does it say about his power, and what does is it say about what may happen in the United States politics, in world politics? Here you have this guy who came out yesterday and the professor is 100 percent right. I'll take it even a step further than what the professor just said. The professor just said that Fidel Castro still makes major decisions in Cuba. I think you can look at that news conference yesterday and come out with an argument, a very plausible argument, that Fidel Castro is still in charge in Cuba. That Raul will not make a decision without checking with his big brother. Am I wrong?

GOMEZ: Well, Rick, I think you are right to some extent, but I think we need to look further than that. Because I think -- we saw Fidel Castro yesterday, which you could tell that this was taped, and there were clips. His health -- he didn't look all that bad compared to when we saw him last.

The question we need to ask ourselves is once Fidel is it dead, how is Raul Castro going to be able to consolidate power and improve the economic and social conditions of Cubans on the island? That's where I think the difficulty is going to be.

SANCHEZ: Well, let me say one more point, Professor, and I really enjoy talking to you about this because this is a man who studied this.

Fidel Castro set back the movement among those in the United States who have been pushing for lifting the embargo. With his speech yesterday, he set that movement back years. Because the argument from the hard right in Miami has always been we will maybe start to consider -- even though the polls say most people agree with lifting the embargo -- we will start to consider lifting it when Fidel is gone. Many people around the world were under the impression that Fidel was out of the body politic in Cuba. Yesterday, Fidel reinserted himself in that body politic front and center. True?

GOMEZ: And Rick, you know your hometown, Miami and the Cuban- American community here is very different than it was ten years ago. For the first time, 52 percent of the population arrived since 1980. The Mariel boat crisis. As a matter of fact, we at the University of Miami under my leadership, we concluded a poll last week of the Cuban- American community, and one particular question that we asked was are you in favor of lifting the travel ban to Cuba unilaterally by the United States? Sixty-four percent of the Cuban-American community --

SANCHEZ: Wow.

GOMEZ: -- that we interviewed from the early arrivals to those born here said absolutely yes.

SANCHEZ: Let me tell you why that's important. Ten years ago, it would have been completely flipped the other way.

GOMEZ: Completely. Absolutely.

SANCHEZ: It shows it's not as monolithic a community as people make it out to be.

GOMEZ: And you're beginning to realize that the people realize that the battle between Washington, Miami and Havana has not brought any solution.

SANCHEZ: Right.

GOMEZ: So now it is the people-to-people bridge that both communities are trying to work on.

CHO: That will be the interesting question, Rick, right? Whether the U.S. will begin to engage Cuba. If that happens, what happens as a result?

SANCHEZ: Well, Castro just made it tougher for them to do that. I mean, that's my point. With his appearance yesterday, he set back the overtures that the Carter administration started and that the Obama administration suggested. He set it back several years.

Next time you have me on, talk about something I'm less interested in.

(LAUGHTER)

CHO: Now, why would we do that, Rick? We always want to see a passionate Rick Sanchez.

SANCHEZ: Your producer said, "Rick just used up two more minutes of time than we had allotted him. Thanks a lot, Rick."

GOMEZ: He probably had his --

CHO: We want Rick Sanchez, is what I'm hearing in my ear. I second that.

SANCHEZ: Hey, Professor, good to see you, sir.

GOMEZ: Good to talk to you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Likewise.

CHO: Dr. Gomez, thank you. Rick, thank you as always, buddy.

All right. We want to move on now. As we have been telling you all morning long, less than an hour ago, we learned that the iconic owner of the Yankees baseball team has died. George Steinbrenner suffered a massive heart attack earlier today. We'll have more on this breaking story just ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back. If you're just joining us, we learned within the past hour that legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner died after suffering a massive heart attack. He was rushed to a hospital in Tampa, Florida, earlier this morning. Steinbrenner was 80 years old, just turned 80 on July 4th, Independence Day.

We want to go by phone now to Los Angeles and to our own Larry King, who is a long-time, very good friend of George Steinbrenner.

Larry, thanks for joining us. Tell us about the man, George Steinbrenner. We know him as the boss. But tell us about the man.

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE" (via phonoe): He was larger than life, George. They don't come along like George Steinbrenner. He could be crude and rude. He could be generous to a fault. He knew how to build a baseball team. He loved the fans of New York. He initiated a lot of things.

He started the Yes Network, his own cable network, and people laughed at him and said, you could get money from Fox and ESPN to do your games, why start your own? The Yes Network makes more than the Yankees.

He was always kind to me and my family. He was extremely nice. He made a large contribution every year to the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. Whenever we were in New York, he stayed at the Regency Hotel where we always stay. To me, they didn't come any better as a friend. But I know he could be gruff, he could be very tough on employees. But he knew what he wanted.

CHO: He sure did. And you heard from him. If you didn't perform as a Yankee -- Larry, just remind our viewers. Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973 for $10 million, at the time, a lot of money. But he really took a chance on the team at the time, right? They were not the behemoth that they are today.

KING: They were one of the worst teams in the American League. They were the Yankees, they had a great brand. CBS (AUDIO GAP). In fact, the owner of -- the president of CBS, liked Steinbrenner so much that he not only sold him the team for $10 million, but threw in the parking lot.

CHO: Wow.

KING: The parking lot was free. George turned that into a team worth well over $1 billion. They are probably next to Manchester United in England, that soccer team, the second most valuable property in all of sports -

CHO: Larry, I know --

KING: The Yankees, could you love them or hate them. But I'll tell you this. If he wanted a ball player and he thought it would help the Yankees, money was no object. CHO: That's certainly the case. He was certainly famous for that. I know what a long-time baseball fan you are, Larry, and how closely you watch all of the MLB teams. But I'm curious for your perspective. For people who just don't know, how much of the Yankees' success do you attribute to Steinbrenner himself, the man?

KING: Oh, to put it in percentages would be hard. I would say 80 percent. You need ball players. I'm a Dodger fan. We played a lot of World Series against the Yankees before Steinbrenner owned them, and then a couple after. He went out and got ball players, and ball players win games. And that's what you want an owner to do. I want my Dodger owner -- I think we're a pitcher short. I want him to go out and get a pitcher. I don't care what the expense is. I'm a fan.

CHO: That's right.

KING: George didn't care what the expense was, and he's an owner, so he brought you players. He also built a good farm system. If A-Rod cost money to get him from Texas, he got A-Rod. He was just a tremendous individual. Individuals we say are larger than life -- he was humongous.

When George greeted you, it was not hi. It was Hi! And he loved his Yankees. He just adored them. When the new stadium opened and they had the big celebration last year and the last day in the old Yankees stadium, and they wheeled him out in a wheelchair. That was a sad sight to see. You knew he wasn't communicating well. You hoped he understood what was going on.

Now, his sons are going to run the team. They aren't going to sell them. The Steinbrenner and Yankee team - the Steinbrenner identity with the Yankees will be around for a long time. But he is irreplaceable.

CHO: That's right. Larry, I by no means knew Steinbrenner the way you did. I did have an opportunity when I was working in Tampa in local news to meet him once. And I can tell you, as hard charging as he was in baseball life, he couldn't have been more of a teddy bear and more delightful in person. And he certainly will be missed.

Clearly, you don't have to be a baseball fan to know the name George Steinbrenner. He is a legend, was a legend in the sports world.

Larry King, a very good friend of George Steinbrenner. Thank you so much for joining us by phone. I want to go now to Josh Levs, who is watching the tributes pour in on the Internet. What do you have there, Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, anytime we hear about the death of a major figure, but especially someone like this, who loved and sometimes hated, but even often in a way that he was still loved, did start to pour in. That's what we're getting today.

In fact, Twitter is going wild. I sent out a tweet, a lot of people responding. Here's one, "You can imagine that up in heaven, Billy Martin is running around saying, 'For God sakes, make room for the boss.' Rest in peace, Steinbrenner.

Here's another one. "Regardless of how anyone feels about baseball, he did so many wonderful things for Tampa" as you were just talking about, Alina -- "and will be missed."

Let's keep going. "I was never crazy about the Yankees, but Steinbrenner did a lot for baseball that will affect the sport forever. Sad day in sports," from Michael F. Terry.

And one more tweet here. "As a die-hard Yankee fan, this week has crushed me. He lived a great and meaningful life and brought pride to NYC."

Let's jump over to Facebook. I'm going to do this one online so we can all see. Someone's coming in on my Facebook page: "I hate the Yankees with every ounce of my being, but the game lost one of its greatest and most original owners today. Condolences to you Yankee fans. And RIP, George."

We have time for one more from Megan: "The man that all Yankee fans loved to hate. Rest in peace, Steinbrenner. We Yankee fans will miss you. It was so weird not seeing you last year at the Series."

And you know what? Let's do one more from Jacques here. "It's difficult to imagine the Yankees without George. We loved to hate him because he was so successful. Baseball may never see another owner like him. I'm glad he got to go out a winner."

So, Facebook, Twitter, we got it all. We got it all coming in. You can reach me at joshlevsCNN. Join the conversation; share you thoughts on the passing of this giant in the world of professional sports. Alina.

CHO: That's right. Josh Levs, thank you very much.

Coming up, Sergeant Jonathan Shields saved members of his tank crew after a tank crew in Iraq. Then he pressed on with the mission before falling in combat. We're going to honor him in today's "Home and Away" segment, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHO: This is a special time of the show when we send out a tribute to one of America's fallen heroes in Iraq or Afghanistan. We call it a "Home and Away." And we'll tell you more about it in just a minute.

Right now, we want to honor Sergeant Jonathan Shields. We take you back to November 2004 in Iraq. Shields have evacuated wounded members of his tank crew after they had come under fire, injured himself. Shields continued the mission when the tank flipped over a cliff, killing him. Shields' wife Dee, had this to say about him: "I want everybody to remember all he accomplished by joining the Army and taking on new responsibilities. His maturity, his kind heart, his willingness to give and give some more."

We thank you, Dee, for that memory. We want to you send your memories as well. Go to our web page, CNN.com/homeandaway, put your service member's name in the upper-right search field, and pull up the profile. Add your thoughts and photos and we'll keep the memories alive.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: There's been a new twist in the Russian spy scandal. A 23- year-old Russian man is now in federal custody and is expected to be deported soon. That's the 12th arrest in this case. A U.S. government official says he is not suspected of passing any classified information, but he was under surveillance.

And you just new that spy story would make for some great material on the late-night comedy series. Check it out! David Letterman's take.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT": How about the big spy thing? Do we have any Russian spies in the audience?

(LAUGHTER)

LETTERMAN: The horn section? Yes, so, let's see, the U.S. -- Russia gets ten of their spies, and I think a Commie to be named later. Was that how it worked?

(LAUGHTER)

it was a pretty good deal for the Russians. They also got LeBron James. Did you hear that?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Nobody does it better than David Letterman.

That does it for us. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris begins right now.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Alina, safe travels back to New York and give your mom a kiss for me.

CHO: Aww, thank you, I will.

HARRIS: Long story. Sorry, everyone.