Gene ‘Stick’ Michael, Architect of the ’90s Yankees Dynasty, Dies at 79

Joel Sherman, writing for The New York Post:

In what was to be his last act as principal owner, in late August of that season, Steinbrenner named Gene Michael general manager.

It only changed Yankees history — and baseball history — forever.

Michael died of a heart attack Thursday at age 79. His final career average as a player was .229, but he was a giant of the game, the guy who put the cornerstones in place for the last Yankees dynasty. […]

Michael was always firm that the most important organization to scout was your own, and he made scads of trades to improve those early 1990 Yankees, but he never touched Williams, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte or Jorge Posada, even at times when Steinbrenner — who returned in 1993 — would scream to do so. The Boss had a particular early fascination with wanting to get rid of Williams, and Stick would resort to lying that he had called other clubs and no one wanted Williams as a way to protect him.

He put together the best team I’ve ever seen, and everyone who knew him seems to have loved him.

★ Thursday, 7 September 2017