YANKS A SUCCESS EXCEPT WHERE IT MATTERS MOST
Pinstriped empire richest in all of baseball; but lacks recent trophies




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
April 21, 2006

The one thing you can say about George Steinbrenner is, love him or hate him; the man knows how to make money. He also knows how to spend it too.

Since becoming the principal partner of the New York Yankees Steinbrenner has turned his franchise into the most recognizable entity in sports. How has he done that? He’s done it with exposure, exposure and more exposure.



In 1973 Steinbrenner put together a group of 17 investors to purchase the New York Yankees from CBS for approximately $10 million. When the deal was finalized Steinbrenner declared, “I won't be active in the day-to-day operations of the club at all." Yeah, right! From the time the man, who became known as “The Boss,” signed on the dotted line he became the stuff New York legends are made of. You can’t put the Yankees in a sentence without having Steinbrenner’s name associated with it.

Steinbrenner wasted no time in getting into hot water with the Commissioner’s office. In his second year, Steinbrenner pled guilty to a felony charge for making illegal campaign contributions. It was alleged others were involved, but Steinbrenner took his medicine alone. Steinbrenner was suspended by then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and fined $15,000. He was reinstated in 1974. Steinbrenner was later pardoned in 1989 by President Ronald Reagan.

Known for a short fuse Steinbrenner hired and fired 17 managers in his first 17 seasons as principal owner. His love-hate relationship with Billy Martin is well-known. It started in 1976 when Martin led the Yankees to their first World Series in 12 seasons and ended finally in 1988 when Steinbrenner fired Martin for the fifth and last time. The press derisively called that period in Yankees history, “The Bronx Zoo.”

The Yankees, under Steinbrenner, became the epitome of the team you love to hate. They had a certain swagger and it started with Steinbrenner. In his first ten seasons Steinbrenner’s Yankees won two World Series trophies, four American League pennants and five division titles.

However, not everything was warm and fuzzy in the Bronx. In 1977 the Yankees brought in Reggie Jackson from the Oakland Athletics by way of the Baltimore Orioles. Jackson’s resume came complete with World Series rings from Oakland as the Athletics won the Fall Classic in 1972-73-74. In fact Jackson was named the World Series MVP in 1973. Jackson came in with a New York attitude that didn’t ingratiate himself to Yankee captain Thurman Munson. Jackson declared he was, “the straw that stirs the drink,” which immediately put him on Munson’s bad side. Manager Billy Martin couldn’t stand Reggie either and took every opportunity to bench him. In one famous scene Martin called Jackson in from right field after Martin perceived that Jackson had loafed on a fly ball by Boston’s Jim Rice that fell for a hit. Jackson hit the dugout and both he and Martin got in a heated exchange. Both men had to be separated to avoid punches being thrown. It wasn’t the only time Jackson and Martin nearly came to blows.

Somehow, this cast of characters went on to beat the Dodgers in six games to win the ’77 World Series.

The Yankees repeated this feat in 1978, but finished out of the money in 1979. The ’79 season was one of personal tragedy for Steinbrenner and the Yankees. On August 2nd Munson, the man affectionately known as “the captain,” sadly died in a plane crash, while he was practicing touch-and-goes. The funeral was held four days later. That night the Yankees beat the Orioles 5-4 on “Monday Night Baseball.” Center fielder Bobby Murcer, Muson’s best friend on the team, drove in all five runs.

The Yankees returned to the playoffs in 1980, but fell to the Kansas City Royals who swept the Bombers in three games. Steinbrenner fired manager Dick Howser. Howser had led the Yankees to a 103-game win season. This was another example of Steinbrenner’s often maniacal desire to win.

In 1981, unbeknownst to Steinbrenner and the Yankees, the year would mark the last time for 13 seasons New York would be in the Fall Classic. During the ‘80s the Yankees would have the overall best winning percentage in baseball, but the team could never put that one season together.

Also in 1981 the Yankees signed Dave Winfield from the San Diego Padres. Winfield and the Boss never got along. In 1990 Steinbrenner was suspended for a second time by then-Commissioner Fay Vincent, because Steinbrenner paid $40,000 to a known small-time gambler named Howie Spira to dig up dirt on Winfield. Winfield sued Steinbrenner for not paying $300,000 due to a charity Winfield championed as was agreed to in his contract. Vincent initially suspended Steinbrenner for life, but rescinded the ban in 1993. When news of the suspension reached the fans at Yankee Stadium they reacted to the news with a standing ovation.

In addition, Steinbrenner who became increasingly more involved in the day-to-day decision making, got on the wrong side of Yankees’ legend Yogi Berra. Berra the most quoted baseball personality of all time was hired in 1984 to manage the Yankees. Nevertheless, Berra was fired after only 16 games into the 1985 season. He was replaced by Billy Martin. The firing set off a feud between Berra and Steinbrenner that lasted for 14 years. Berra refused to step inside the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium or be involved in any festivities involving the Yankees. It was Joe DiMaggio, who had his own rocky start with the Boss, who helped broker a truce between legend and owner. He convinced Steinbrenner to bury the hatchet for the good of the fans, baseball and the team. Steinbrenner called Berra and apologized for “messing up.” That was all Yogi needed and he was back in the fold.

After Steinbrenner’s reinstatement to baseball in 1993 the Yankees began their comeback as a force in the American League East. They brought in Paul O’Neill from the Cincinnati Reds and hired Buck Showalter is manager. Other players, such as Bernie Williams began emerging from the minor league system.

In 1995 the Yankees finally returned to the playoffs. They entered the post-season as a wild card team. Unfortunately, they were turned aside by the Seattle Mariners in five games. Another sad note was that 1995 was the only year Yankee captain Don Mattingly ever got to play baseball in October. Mattingly joined the Yankees in 1982 and was named captain in 1991. Mattingly’s career was cut short because of back problems. For seven years Mattingly looked like a lock for the Hall of Fame, but because, of his back ailments his last seven years dropped off. His career stats have left him just shy of making it into the Hall.

In 1996 Steinbrenner led the Yankees back full circle to the World Series. The Yankees added Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Tino Martinez as the core of their team. Another decision that helped turn around the Yankees fortunes was the hiring of Joe Torre as the new Yankee skipper. The New York press thought the hiring was a joke, and painted Torre as “Clueless Joe.” It is Torre and Steinbrenner who have had the last laugh. Torre so far has guided the Yankees to four World Series wins, six AL Championships, and eight division titles (seven straight). He is the winningest manager since Casey Stengel.

Ever since Steinbrenner and his partners purchased the Yankees thirty-three years ago the Boss has had an unquenchable thirst for winning. He loves to win and hates to lose. "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next,” he once said.

Yankee fans, too, are used to winning. They expect it year-after-year. The New York Yankees are the most storied and decorated team in all of sports. As has been said many times, no team has won their holy grail more than the Yankees. But, now it is going on six years since the Bombers beat the cross-town Mets in the 2000 Fall Classic. George Steinbrenner is pacing like a caged panther for another trophy. He will be 76 this July 4th and he knows his window for collecting baseball’s prize is closing with each passing season. He has predicted his team will once again take the award this post-season. He has assembled, on paper, one of the scariest line ups ever put on a manager’s line up card.

Steinbrenner, the master moneymaker, has continued to peddle his product. The Yankees logo is on everything from clocks, to pencil cups. One of the smartest things he has ever done is to allow his team’s logo to be used in all facets of merchandizing. The interlocking NY has been seen in the furthest regions of the planet. You can’t walk ten feet in any direction where there are people without seeing that logo.

On top of all of that Steinbrenner started his own network. The Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network was launched on March 19, 2002. The YES network broadcasts approximately 130 Yankees’ games a year, along with broadcasting games of the New Jersey Nets. Through other broadcasting avenues such as “MLB Extra-Innings” the Yankees can be seen by an entire nation. Transplanted fans can now watch their team year in and year out.

George Steinbrenner continues to keep the New York Yankees at the forefront of exposure. The more coverage his team gets the richer it becomes. In an article published recently by Forbes Magazine the Yankees are worth an estimated $1.026 billion dollars, making the Yankees the first baseball team to top the billion dollar mark. That means in the 33 years since Steinbrenner began overseeing the operation the value of the New York Yankees has increased one-hundred fold. That is mind boggling. There is no doubt the Yankees have been and will continue to be a financial success. Like the Boss said himself, “Owning the Yankees is like owning the Mona Lisa.”

However, ask him if he’d rather win another World Series trophy or earn another $100 million before he dies, and what do you think his answer would be?



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