Hal Steinbrenner wants you to talk about beards. Not third base. Not payroll. Beards. In a move that reeks of distraction, the Yankees’ owner ditched a half-century-old policy, hoping fans would forget the real issues. But Yankees fans aren’t that gullible—especially not Chris McMonigle, who isn’t buying the smoke and mirrors.

For how long will New York Yankees fans tolerate this? For how long will Hal Steinbrenner ignore what’s right in front of him? Maybe the time is now—because Chris McMonigle has had enough.

The Yankees’ offseason was a disaster, thanks to Steinbrenner’s refusal to spend big. Key opportunities slipped away, yet the big headline? The no-beard rule is gone. Fans see the smokescreen, and C-Mac summed up their frustration perfectly.

Chris McMonigle on the radio says that Hal Steinbrenner is using the ‘Look over here’ tactics to distract the fans. He said, “He had a press conference and talked a lot about beards. Who gives a damn? Do you know what else he said also? That you can’t correlate winning with money. It could possibly be the dumbest thing I ever heard.”

The Yankees were once baseball’s powerhouse, throwing around big money and landing the best players. Now? That era feels like a distant memory. The last major splash they made was Juan Soto—and even he’s gone. Meanwhile, Steinbrenner claims he “can’t spend like the Dodgers.” Seriously?

The real problem? Third base. DJ LeMahieu has been a liability, and the Yankees had a chance to go after someone like Alex Bregman—who would have instantly boosted their title chances. But they didn’t even try.

And when fans started asking why, Hal Steinbrenner played his hand. He scrapped a decades-old policy, hoping the headlines would shift. But fans aren’t fooled. C-Mac and countless others see it for what it is—another cheap distraction while the real issues remain untouched.

Yankees fans deserve better. The question is: will Hal Steinbrenner finally listen, or will he keep hoping a beard ban was all that stood between this team and a championship?

If Steinbrenner truly believes a facial hair policy was the Yankees’ biggest obstacle, then maybe he’s watching a different sport. Beards won’t fix third base. They won’t replace star players. And they sure as hell won’t bring a championship back to the Bronx. It’s time for the Yankees to stop grooming policies and start grooming a winning team.

Financial prudence or penny-pinching? Hal Steinbrenner’s offseason spending debate

Hal Steinbrenner claims to be practicing “financial prudence” this offseason. But when the Los Angeles Dodgers are throwing around money like it’s confetti, it’s hard not to wonder if the Yankees are just pinching pennies. Is this smart management, or is Hal Steinbrenner simply avoiding a big payday?

Steinbrenner has openly questioned the correlation between high payrolls and championships. He said, “Does having a huge payroll really increase my chances that much of winning the championship? I’m not sure there’s a strong correlation there,” and to an extent he is right.

But with their rivals spending big on acquiring talent and going aggressively in the market, this might turn out to be a bad decision. And if he is right, then why have the Dodgers been going deep into the postseason consistently?

To further complicate matters, Hal Steinbrenner has floated the idea of a salary cap, provided it comes with a spending floor. He said, “I would consider supporting a cap depending on what the cap is and contingent on the fact that there’s also a floor.” This shows that he is not willing to spend like his competitors are. While he insists the Yankees are still among baseball’s biggest spenders, his reluctance to cross certain financial lines raises eyebrows.

If spending big does not impact winning, why cut costs even further? Might as well take a page out of the Dodgers’ book and go all in on the team.

At the end of the day, the Yankees still have a massive payroll—but the difference between spending big and spending smart is who you sign, not just how much you spend. If Hal Steinbrenner believes championships aren’t bought, then maybe he should explain why the teams that do the most buying tend to win the most games. Or, better yet, he could continue counting his pennies while the Dodgers count their trophies.