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Book Reveals How Close Yankees Were To Moving Out Of Bronx, George Steinbrenner Losing Ownership Bid

George Steinbrenner, for better or worse, stepped in as the face of the New York Yankees franchise when he led a group with E. Michael Burke and others to buy the franchise from CBS in 1973. It would be the launching pad to return the Yankees to relevancy in the years to come.However, Mike Vaccaro wrote in his new book, "The Bosses of the Bronx," that the Steinbrenner group wasn’t thought to have been the favorite to buy the team. Vaccaro wrote that a Lehman Brothers-led contingent with former New York Giants catcher Herman Franks set to run the team.Franks had already been courting Willie Mays as the team’s potential manager, according to Vaccaro. Mays would have been the first African American manager if the deal had been made. He would have been a season ahead of Frank Robinson, who made his debut in the role on Oct. 3, 1974.There were also rumblings, according to Vaccaro, about the team possibly being courted to a new stadium in New Jersey that would have had a fresh look compared to the crumbling Yankee Stadium that was hoping for city funding to make integral repairs.Stunningly enough, the Steinbrenner group bought the Yankees for just over $10 million when the Lehman Brothers’ group reportedly offered between $13.5 million and $14 million. It was the last time a baseball team was ever sold at a loss."This is the best buy in sports today. I think it’s a bargain," Steinbrenner said at his introductory press conference, Vaccaro’s book recalled.Steinbrenner made clear that the Yankees would stay in New York and not be swayed with a shiny new stadium in the Meadowlands where the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets would go on to play. Vaccaro wrote that Lehman Brothers "absolutely committed" to leaving the Bronx for Jersey, which turned out to be a "deal-breaker" for CBS.The net purchase for the Yankees ended up being about $8.8 million as the deal included two parking garages that CBS bought back for $1.2 million after the deal was closed.From 1973 until Steinbrenner’s death in July 2010, the Yankees won seven World Series titles.The Yankees are valued at approximately $9 billion today.

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Former World Series-Winning Yankees Pitcher Dies at 71

Former New York Yankees pitcher Ken Clay has passed away at the age of 71. According to a report by the Associated Press, a director at the Centra Heart & Vascular Institute in Lynchburg, Virginia, broke the news to the Yankees organization. The executive claims that Clay was dealing with heart and kidney issues leading […] The post Former World Series-Winning Yankees Pitcher Dies at 71 appeared first on Heavy Sports.

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Mike Vaccaro’s new Yankees book about ‘the craziness of the Steinbrenner era’

There has never been anyone quite like George Steinbrenner, a.k.a. The Boss. Steinbrenner’s ownership group purchased the New York Yankees from CBS in 1973 for $8.8 million and helped transform the team into one of the most valuable franchises worldwide, with a current valuation of $8.2 billion. The late Steinbrenner was both famous and infamous, making him the Read more... The post Mike Vaccaro’s new Yankees book about ‘the craziness of the Steinbrenner era’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.

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Barry Bonds Reveals How Close He Came to Becoming a Member of Yankees

The MLB’s all-time home run record could have returned to the New York Yankees organization, and the No. 25 could have been on a plaque in Monument Park instead of in J.C. Escarra’s locker. If only George Steinbrenner was patient. Legendary former San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds shared an anecdote about how close he […] The post Barry Bonds Reveals How Close He Came to Becoming a Member of Yankees appeared first on Heavy Sports.

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Barry Bonds Shares How Close He Was To Signing With Yankees And How George Steinbrenner Screwed It Up

Barry Bonds joined the Netflix broadcast during the New York Yankees' 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night and shared a story that would have completely shifted the landscape of not only his career, but Major League Baseball as a whole.After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bonds became a free agent in 1992. Fresh off a career season at the plate, hitting 34 home runs and posting a batting average of .311, teams around the league battled for his signature. Bonds ultimately signed a six-year deal worth just under $44 million to join the Giants and stayed in San Francisco for the remainder of his career, but as he explained it, that almost wasn't the case, he was extremely close to becoming a Bronx Bomber.George isn't here anymore, so I can tell the truth, right?" Bonds began. "I would've been with the Yankees, but Steinbrenner got on the phone and called us and told me, 'Barry, we're going to give you the money — the highest-paid player at that time — but you got to sign the contract by 2 o'clock this afternoon. And I said, 'Excuse me?!' And I just hung the phone up.""And I went to go get lunch, and Dennis Gilbert, my agent, they were like, 'Do you know what you just did?!' I'm like, 'Did you know what he just said?!'" Bonds continued. "I just said, 'Forget it.' By the time I walked down the street to go get lunch, I said, 'Let me just think about this.' The Giants called me, and I said, 'I'm going home.'"Bonds' mention of the 2 o'clock deadline is new information. The Times reported in ‘92 that the Yankees had given Bonds two days to accept the offer, which still could have been the case and Steinbrenner wanted an answer by 2 o'clock on that second day, but the report also suggested the sixth year on the contract was a major sticking point as well.New York went on to win the World Series in 1996 and then went on a three-year run from 1998 to 2000 after missing out on Bonds, who was a 12-time All-Star with the Giants, a two-time National League batting champion, and hit 586 of his 762 career home runs, the most ever, while in San Francisco.Bonds, who retired in 2007, never won a World Series.

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Derek Jeter’s final gift to George Steinbrenner — and how the Yankees ‘family business’ changed after owner’s death

Mike Vaccaro’s book, “The Bosses of the Bronx,” detailing the Yankees’ five-plus decades under the House of Steinbrenner, will be released by Harper Books March 24. Here is an excerpt shared with The Post.

Read moreDerek Jeter’s final gift to George Steinbrenner — and how the Yankees ‘family business’ changed after owner’s death