Yankees History: George Steinbrenner Suspended for Life
By David Hill
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was known for his hands on approach and feuds with nearly everyone. On this day in 1990, that combination nearly ended his reign over the franchise.
George Steinbrenner was obsessed with turning the New York Yankees into a winning franchise. He would do anything possible to win, spending lavishly on free agents and meddling in the day to day operations of the franchise if he felt the team was disappointing. Steinbrenner ruled with an iron fist, getting rid of everyone that displeased him.
Except for one player – Dave Winfield. Signed to a ten year contract prior to the 1981 season. After a disastrous World Series, where he was 1-22, Winfield earned the wrath of the owner. While he would continue to produce solid numbers in the regular season, the Yankees started to become a laughing stock, the Bronx Zoo as it was so eloquently stated.
Steinbrenner’s obsession to get rid of Winfield reached a fever pitch when he paid gambler Howie Spira a sum of $40,000 to ruin the outfielder’s reputation. That decision got Steinbrenner into hot water with the league, drawing the attention of commissioner Fay Vincent.
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On this day in 1990, Steinbrenner was slapped with a lifetime ban from baseball. He had until August 20 to resign as the team’s general partner, and was unable to continue running the day to day operations of the club. Not only were his actions towards Winfield reprehensible, but his association with a known gambler, a major crime in the sport, led to the banishment.
In that time, the Yankees became the Evil Empire. No longer able to meddle in the affairs of the team, the Yankees drafted and developed players like Derek Jeter, holding their prospects instead of shipping them away for fading veterans. In a way, that ban may have done more to bring the Yankees back to prominence than anything else Steinbrenner did in the 1980s.
Steinbrenner would return to the game and the team he loved so much. Just over two years removed from his lifetime ban, Steinbrenner was permitted to return, The Boss back in his throne. Meanwhile, the Yankees were about to become the dynasty he had hoped for.
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One of the ugliest chapters in Yankees history came to a close on this day in 1990. George Steinbrenner was handed a lifetime ban for trying to rid himself of Dave Winfield, consorting with gamblers to do so.