The man most responsible for the Yankees Dynasty in the late 90s wasn't Derek Jeter. It wasn't Joe Torre or Brian Cashman either. It wasn't even George Steinbrenner. It was the architect of those teams, Gene "Stick" Michael.
Stick passed away on Thursday, and his loss was felt throughout the Yankees organization. He served the team in every capacity imaginable, from player to manager to scout to GM to team executive. And his impact on the organization is nearly as vast. Which is why his death affected so many so strongly. From former players to current Yankees to longtime team staffers, everyone will feel his loss.
In recent years, he was perhaps better known as a regular at Old Timer's Day. He never missed one. In fact, he had a very important job. Stick served as manager of both teams. Now, Yankees Old Timer's Day sometimes seems like a bit of a free-for-all. But there was Gene Michael trying to organize the chaos. Someone had to make out the lineups, after all. But he was so much more than that. If it weren't for Gene Michael, the Yankees' run from 1996-2000 probably never happens.
Michael deserves most, if not all of the credit, for how those Yankees teams that won four World Series in five years were constructed. Remember, prior to that run were some down years for the Yankees. They went 15 years without a World Series appearance from 1981-96. Then, George Steinbrenner was suspended in the early 90s and Michael was given free reign to run the organization's baseball operations. And it was during that time a dynasty was built.
It was Gene Michael who made the trade for Paul O'Neill. He sent Roberto Kelly, an All-Star, to Cincinnati for O'Neill in the winter of 1993 because he liked the way O'Neill played. And Paul O'Neill became one of the most important parts of that championship nucleus. Another player who helped spark the Yankees' resurgence was Jimmy Key, who signed as a free agent prior to the 1993 season. Prior to Key, the Yankees had been having trouble attracting free agents. Who's the GM that changed that perception? Gene Michael.
He also drafted Bernie Williams and Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. And, more importantly, he held on to them. The Core Four and Bernie were all able to develop in the Yankees system, and they all got to the Majors at roughly the same time. Once they did, there was no stopping the Yankees. Brian Cashman had taken over as GM by then, but all of those championship pieces were put in place by his mentor, Gene Michael.
Perhaps just as importantly, Stick resisted the urge to trade them. The Yankees went through some very lean years in the early 90s, but instead of making the impulsive moves to get better right away, Michael remained committed to his plan. He knew these guys were going to be stars. And he wanted them to be stars as Yankees.
Boy, was he right. He had a chance to trade Mariano Rivera. He didn't do it. In an oft-told story, the Yankees were unsure about Jeter prior to the 1996 season and were seriously considering dealing Rivera for Cleveland's Felix Fermin. We all know the rest of the story.
Now, just imagine for a second that they do make that deal. The entire narrative of the last 20 years is completely changed. There's no four World Championships. Jeter and Rivera don't become Yankees legends. They still might've been headed to Cooperstown, but they wouldn't be beloved figures with their numbers on the wall in Monument Park. (Felix Fermin, by the way, played his last Major League game in 1998.)
Speaking of Monument Park, there's room left for one plaque against the back wall. I know the perfect person to occupy that space. Frankly, it's crazy he doesn't have one already. Because no one is more deserving than Gene Michael. He's had such a deep impact on the organization for so long (in so many different ways) that there's no tribute more fitting to a man who proudly wore the Pinstripes for nearly half his life.
Gene Michael will be missed, but his legacy will live on. For a long time. And he will most definitely be remembered. Fondly. By all Yankees fans, players and front office personnel alike.
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