The Hal Steinbrenner era as officially begun, as Major League Baseball has officially approved the transfer of control of the Yankee franchise from George Steinbrenner to his youngest son. That's Hal Steinbrenner, folks, not Hank, who we all know by now as the voice of the Yankee front office.

From ESPN.com:

"He's been slowing down the last couple years," Hal Steinbrenner said (referring to George). "Really, for the last two years I have been intimately involved with all aspects and all departments of the company. It's what I've been doing day-to-day. My duties aren't really going to change and my workload isn't going to change much. So, I mean, it's as much a procedural thing within the family, I think, as anything at this point."

Parentheses were mine. This doesn't really change anything, as Hal and Hank have been taking over the operations of the franchise for quite some time now. It feels kind of strange, though, to see such a prominent figure fade away so quickly, yet so quietly.