February 24, 2003
Neyer on Steinbrenner:
I'm linking to Rob's column today because he basically agrees with me. One point of contention, however:
There's another misconception about Steinbrenner's Yankees, which is that between their World Series appearances in 1981 and 1996 -- 14 seasons -- they were little more than a budget-busting joke. The truth, however, is somewhat more complex. In 1982 the Yankees did crash to a 79-83 record, their worst since 1967. But from 1983 through 1988, they won at least 83 games in every season. In 1993 they won 88 games, and in 1994 they had the best record in the American League when the strike hit.
So there were really only four years, 1989 through 1992, when the Yankees weren't the Yankees. And for the latter two of those four seasons, Steinbrenner was serving a suspension that somewhat limited his ability to meddle.
I think the suspensions actually helped the Yankees. During these periods (there was one in the early 70's as well), the Yankees laid the foundation for the championship teams that followed. That may not have happened if George was interferring in trades and drafts during those time periods.
Correction: In the first sentence above, Rob changed victories to appearances. I've made the same correction here.
Posted by David Pinto at
04:36 PM
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