Steinbrenner hospitalized

[Senser81]

Sorta get what you're saying...but...

In the 8-years preceding the purchase of the Yankees, the team had never finished better than 2nd place.

In the 8-years after the purchase (1973), they were 2-1 in World Series' and lost one ALCS.

Certainly the team had trouble in the 80s, but goddamned did they come back in the mid 90s and beyond.

While he did use New Jersey to threaten the local governments, he eventually did come through and build the new place in the Bronx.

What you say is correct. Perhaps I was overstating things. But I do think that the Yankees were still the premier MLB franchise by a large margin when Steinbrenner took over in 1973. And I think the reason he won the World Series so soon was that his ownership coincided with the advent of free agency. Most owners were unwilling to sign free agents, so it was easy for Steinbrenner to pluck a Hunter, a Jackson, a Sparky Lyle, a Goose Gossage, etc. off of someone's roster. Had Steinbrenner become an owner before free agency, or had he become an owner after free agency signings were a common occurence, I don't think he would have been successful. Just speculation on my part.

[jeffx]

Certainly the team had trouble in the 80s, but goddamned did they come back in the mid 90s and beyond.

Stick Michael deserves a lot of credit too. He convinced George not to trade players like Bernie Williams and Mo Rivera.

[EmpireWF]

Stick Michael deserves a lot of credit too. He convinced George not to trade players like Bernie Williams and Mo Rivera.

and I'm pretty sure there were some in the organization who were against bringing up Jeter in 1995 (or maybe it was some who wanted to trade him).

Can't recall where George was in that situation at the time.

[PP]

good riddance

[EmpireWF]

Stick Michael deserves a lot of credit too. He convinced George not to trade players like Bernie Williams and Mo Rivera.

Definitely. Supposedly, Stick was the large force in convincing George that they could build from within in New York and be able to win.