George Steinbrenner Will Be Remembered For The Hollywood Work On 'Seinfeld' He Didn't Actually Do

NBC vis YouTube

As New Yorkers mourned the passing of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, a tribute was planned for Tuesday night's Major League Baseball game in Anaheim, and former team manager and former Yankees leader Joe Torre was speaking about his old boss to reporters at Dodger Stadium Tuesday afternoon.

But Steinbrenner's biggest connection to Angelenos was arguably his portrayal on the L.A.-based, New York-set sitcom Seinfeld, on which audiences usually only saw the back of his head.

In one episode of the '90s show, fake Steinbrenner is concerned with employee George Costanza's mental health, so he has some white coats come for him:

Okay, come on boys, come on in here. George, this is Herb and Dan... They're gonna take you away to a nice place where you can get some help. They're very friendly people there. My brother-in-law was there for a couple of weeks. The man was obsessed with lactating women. They completely cured him, although he still eats a lot of cheese.

The hardly employable Costanza got the job with the Yankees' front office after criticizing some of Steinbrenner's knee-jerk moves:

George Costanza: Well, I wish I could say the same, but I must say, with all due respect, I find it very hard to see the logic behind some of the moves you have made with this fine organization. In the past twenty 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 reduced them to a laughing stock, all for the glorification of your massive ego.

George Steinbrenner: Hire this man!

The New York Times points out that Seinfeld's Steinbrenner was voiced by Larry David and that the man himself appeared in an episode that never aired (but which is now available on DVD).

YouTube has a highlight reel of fake Steinbrenner moments.