“Donkeys Will Fly”: Mike Francesa Eviscerates Hal Steinbrenner’s “Poverty” Plea

Another day, another out-of-touch billionaire pleading poverty. This time, it’s New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, who recently had the audacity to suggest that his franchise, despite a reported $700 million in revenue, might not have turned a profit last year.

Unsurprisingly, this went over about as well as a Red Sox fan at Yankee Stadium. Legendary New York radio host Mike Francesa, never one to mince words, went absolutely nuclear on Steinbrenner for the comments, and honestly, it’s the kind of epic takedown we live for.

Hal Steinbrenner Cries Poor, and Nobody Is Buying It

In a chat with reporters, Hal Steinbrenner mused that it would be “ideal” to lower the team’s payroll. He then proceeded to whine about a $100 million payment the team makes to New York City for Yankee Stadium, a payment that, as Francesa pointedly noted, actually saves him money on property taxes. Oh, the horror. Imagine having to pay your bills when you’re the face of a multi-billion-dollar empire.

“What was Hal thinking? I am shocked,” Francesa unleashed on his podcast. He was even more floored by Steinbrenner’s attempt to cry poor. “The idea that the Yankees don’t make money, I’m surprised he could actually say it with a straight face. You’re going to plead poverty?”

It’s a fair question. When your team is valued at a staggering $8-9 billion, complaining about cash flow feels less like a genuine financial concern and more like a tone-deaf justification for being cheap. It’s like watching a dragon complain about having to polish its own gold hoard. Francesa, channeling the rage of every Yankees fan, wasn’t having any of it.

Francesa Exposes the “Little Tricks” of the Trade

This is where Francesa really put on his tinfoil hat, and I’m here for it. He dove into the murky world of corporate finances, alleging that the reported $700 million revenue figure is just the tip of the iceberg. “[$700 million], and this is after they try to hide everything,” he scoffed.

Francesa pointed out that the Yankees are owned by a parent company, Yankee Global Enterprises, LLC, which has its tentacles in all sorts of ventures like the YES Network, Legends Hospitality, and even AC Milan. Because these are private companies, they don’t have to open their books to the public. According to Francesa, this corporate labyrinth is the perfect place to cook the books.

“Owners would rather jump out of a building than ever let anybody order their books,” he declared. “Why? Because they would sing a very interesting tune.”

He went on to list the “thousand different things” an owner can do, from running personal expenses through the franchise to taking out loans against the team and pocketing the cash. While it’s speculative, it paints a picture that many frustrated fans already believe: that the money is there, but the will to spend it isn’t. The idea that the Yankees are “tripping over the money they make,” as Francesa put it, feels a lot closer to reality than Steinbrenner’s sad tale of financial woe.

Is This the End of the “Evil Empire”?

Francesa saved his most cutting remarks for the shift in the Yankees’ philosophy. He lamented that the modern Yankees, under Hal Steinbrenner, have lost the swagger that his father, George Steinbrenner, cultivated. The old mantra—”We are bigger. We are better. We spend more. We shop at Tiffany’s. We are the best.”—has been replaced by a new, much less intimidating one: “We’re happy just to make the playoffs.”

“The Dodgers have made the Yankees look like an A-Ball outfit,” Francesa fumed, and he’s not wrong. While the Dodgers are out there playing real-life Monopoly, building a super-team, the Yankees seem content as long as the stadium is full and the luxury boxes are rented. For fans who grew up with the “Evil Empire” mentality, this new era of fiscal responsibility is a bitter pill to swallow.

With free agency heating up, Steinbrenner’s comments land with a thud. Fans are clamoring for big moves to catch up with the back-to-back champion Dodgers. But when the owner is already making excuses about the payroll, it doesn’t inspire confidence.

Francesa’s final, sarcastic mic drop perfectly captured the absurdity of the situation. He suggested an independent auditor should come in to prove the team isn’t making money. “Donkeys will fly before anyone ever sees the Yankees’ books,” he concluded. And he’s probably right. But until then, we have Mike Francesa to say what every fan is thinking, and for that, we are grateful.