Stephen A. Smith: Hank Steinbrenner Will Not Tolerate Yankees' Slump Despite Dying in 2020

What looked like a promising season for the New York Yankees has hit the skids. It got one Stephen A. Smith fired up.

In his blustery tirade about the state of baseball in the Bronx, Smith said if things don't shape up soon, the team — specifically manager Aaron Boone — could face some Hank and Hal Steinbrenner wrath.

The only problem with that assessment is that Hank Steinbrenner died in 2020.

Stephen A. Smith just returned from taking the summer off, a return that ESPN promoted a week in advance. Either his mind is still on vacation, or Smith truly thinks that the Yankees are in such disarray that they may cause frustration that extends beyond the grave.

Smith pointed to the New York Mets' recent success and said that there would be a major problem if the Mets make it to the World Series while the Yankees sit at home.

“Even Hank and Hal ain’t tolerating that. Forget about George, God rest his soul. I miss that man,” Smith said.

That's an easy mistake that anyone could make. All would have been forgiven had he not said the same exact thing again, only much louder.

Sadly, Hank Steinbrenner died after fighting an undisclosed liver condition. Stephen A. Smith got so worked up about the Yankees that he forgot this detail. (Getty Images)

The gaffe overshadowed Smith's earlier remarks that the Yankees' play was worse than the smell emanating from the Bronx sewers.

Smith is far from immune to mistakes. Earlier this year, Smith brought up a report that Kyrie Irving called James Harden "washed up. It later came out that he had been done in by a parody Twitter account called Ballsack Sports.

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