Eugene Richard Michael (June 2, 1938 – September 7, 2017), known as Stick, was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player, coach,

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and team executive. He appeared in 973

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

, primarily as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

, between and , most prominently as a member of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, for whom he anchored their infield for seven seasons. He also played for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. He was a light hitter but also a quick and smooth defensive player. After his playing career, Michael managed the Yankees and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

and served as the Yankees'

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

. As an executive, Michael is credited with rebuilding the Yankees team that became a

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

in the late 1990s.

Early life and education

Michael was born on June 2, 1938, in

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County, Ohio, Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 United States ...

. After graduating from Akron East High School in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

, he attended

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

. where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

and

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Kent State Golden Flashes. He spent one season (1966–67) playing professional basketball for the Columbus Comets of the

North American Basketball League The North American Basketball League (NABL) was an American List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor professional basketball league organization founded in 2016. History Formed in 2016, the NABL began with 10 teams based in the So ...

Playing career

Although he was listed as tall and , Michael was given the nickname "Stick" because of his slender frame. After signing with the

in 1959, the switch-hitter made his major league debut with the Pirates in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

as a backup shortstop to Gene Alley. That December, the Pirates traded Michael to the

with third baseman Bob Bailey for

Maury Wills Maurice Morning Wills (October 2, 1932 – September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1959 to 1972, most prominently as an integral member of the Los Ange ...

. He spent one season in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and was then purchased by the

. He played for the Yankees from

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

through

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

. Michael appeared in over 100 games five times over seven seasons with the Yanks, and batted a career-high .272 with 112

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in . Upon being unconditionally released in January 1975 at age 36, he signed with the

, where he spent the campaign, reunited with his longtime Yankee manager,

Ralph Houk Ralph George Houk (; August 9, 1919 – July 21, 2010), nicknamed "the Major", was an American catcher, coach (baseball), coach, manager (baseball), manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He is best known as the successor o ...

. Released again in February 1976, Michael joined the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, spending spring training with them and making their early season roster as a utility infielder. However, he did not play in any American League games for Boston, and was released in May. He retired with a .229

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, 15

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 226

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

in 973 games played. Michael was a master of the hidden-ball trick, which he executed five times in his career.

Post-playing career

Weeks after his release from Boston, Michael became a coach with the Yankees. Reggie Jackson credited Michael's scouting reports for helping him hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. Michael served as manager of the Yankees' Triple-A team in 1979 and as

of the Yankees in 1980. In 1981, Michael became the Yankees' manager. He had managed well in Triple-A, but some veteran players believed that he had been selected because he would be more likely to follow Yankee owner

George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving own ...

's orders than had predecessor Dick Howser. At one point in the 1981 season, annoyed by Steinbrenner's constant interference, he challenged Steinbrenner to fire him, and he was fired in September. He was hired again in 1982 but was fired in August after publicly criticizing Steinbrenner's interference. As a manager, he and his coaches would keep extensive data in notebooks that they studied to help make decisions. Michael finished with a record of 92 wins and 76 losses over both stints as Yankees manager. He returned to the Yankees' front office in 1983 and again served as a coach starting in 1984. He next managed the

in 1986 and

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. His managerial record with the Cubs was 114 wins and 124 losses. In

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, the Yankees hired Michael was hired for his second term as general manager. With Steinbrenner suspended from baseball operations by commissioner Fay Vincent, Michael took advantage of his managerial flexibility by rebuilding the Yankees'

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

, developing young talent rather than trading it away as the team had done in the 1980s with little success. During Michael's tenure as general manager, the Yankees signed notable players such as

Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and " ...

Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974), nicknamed "the Captain", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) caree ...

and Jorge Posada (collectively known as the

Core Four The "Core Four" are former New York Yankees baseball players Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera. Each member of the Core Four was a key contributor to the Yankees' late-1990s and early 2000s dynasty that won four Worl ...

) and traded for Paul O'Neill. Michael also demonstrated patience with

Bernie Williams Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and current musician. He played his entire 16-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees from 1991 through ...

, whom Steinbrenner had wanted to trade when Williams struggled early in his career. This foundation fueled Yankees championships in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and from

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

–

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. However, Michael was fired in 1995 before the Yankees dynasty began to win World Series as a result of fallouts from the 1994 strike, which had ended the Yankees' chance to complete the season with the best record in the American League. It was the second time that the Yankees had fired Michael as a result of a strike, as he had been fired after the team slumped following the 1981 strike. From 1996 until

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, Michael served as vice president of major-league scouting for the Yankees. In 2002, the Red Sox tried to approach Michael about their general manager position, but the Yankees did not grant permission. In

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Michael was promoted to vice-president and senior advisor, a position that he held until his death. During his time as vice president, Michael was a regular attendee at the annual

Old-Timers' Day Old-Timers' Day (or Old-Timers' Game) refers to a tradition in Major League Baseball where a team devotes the early afternoon preceding a weekend game to honor retired players who played for the organization during their careers. The retired play ...

festivities, serving as the manager for both the Bombers and the Clippers teams in the exhibition game.

Managerial record

Personal life

During his tenure with the Yankees, Michael had been a resident of

Norwood, New Jersey Norwood is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,641, a decrease of 70 (−1.2%) from the 2010 census count of 5,711, which in turn reflected a decline ...

and had four children. He married twice, with his first marriage to Rae Reuter ending in divorce. Michael died following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on September 7, 2017 in Oldsmar, Florida at age 79. His survivors included his second wife and four children. To honor Michael, the Yankees wore black armbands on their uniforms for the remainder of the 2017 season.

References

Inline citations

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael, Gene 1938 births 2017 deaths American men's basketball players Arizona Instructional League Dodgers players Baseball coaches from Ohio Baseball players from Akron, Ohio Chicago Cubs managers Columbus Jets players Detroit Tigers players Grand Forks Chiefs players Hobbs Pirates players Kent State Golden Flashes baseball players Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball players Kinston Eagles players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball general managers Major League Baseball shortstops Minor league baseball managers New York Yankees coaches New York Yankees executives New York Yankees managers New York Yankees players People from Norwood, New Jersey Pittsburgh Pirates players Savannah Pirates players Sportspeople from Kent, Ohio 20th-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Bergen County, New Jersey