The Boss Of Baseball
The New York Yankees are probably the greatest team in baseball today. Some argue that they're the greatest team ever. A lion's share of the credit goes to owner George Steinbrenner, the man known simply as The Boss. But as baseball fans will remember, not so long ago the Yankees were the worst team in the major leagues. The Boss deserved credit for that as well. 60 Minutes II Correspondent Charlie Rose reports.
He was notorious for browbeating his players, and tormenting his managers. It's fair to say that he earned his reputation as the most hated man in baseball. Of course, that was then.
Now, Yankee fans line up to get Steinbrenner's autograph. The former multimillionaire shipbuilder has become a baseball star in his own right, and he's not one to shy away from the limelight, especially since it's shining in his direction after more than 25 years.
"No team in the 25 years from '73 to last year has won more baseball games than the Yankees, and that's what it's about," says Steinbrenner. "No team has won more games than we have."
Last fall, after winning a record 125 games in one season, the Yankees won the World Series.
To understand just how sweet this victory was, you have to turn back the clock to the 1980s, when the Yankees suffered a legendary fall from grace, dropping from first place to last in one disastrous decade.
Steinbrenner decimated the Yankees minor league system, he bullied his players relentlessly, and he sacked his manager 16 times in 15 seasons. One of them, popular hall of famer Yogi Berra, was dumped just a few weeks into the 1985 season, and Steinbrenner didn't even have the courtesy to tell him to his face. All the turmoil took its toll on the Yankees' morale and performance.
"I am not an easy man," admits Steinbrenner. "You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser. That's a very famous statement and I carry it with me. I've never been a good loser and I don't suppose I ever will be."
By 1990, it looked like things couldn't get worse for George Steinbrenner. Not only was his team last in the league, but he was also suspended from baseball, benched for two years. What he had done broke not only the rules of baseball, but the rules of simple decency. He actually paid someone to investigate one of his own star players, Dave Winfield, just to see if he could ruin his reputation.
By the time the story came out in the newspapers, the fans had had it with George Steinbrenner. And when the announcement was made that The Boss was banned from baseball, there was a standing ovation in Yankee Stadium.
"It was tough. I went through a really difficult time then," says Steinbrenner."But you have to understand, you know, there's an old saying: 'I am wounded but I am not slain, I shall lay me down and bleed awhile, then I will rise and fight again.' It's an old famous saying and I've always kept it in my mind and in my heart. You otta battle back."
Two years later, Steinbrenner was back. Just to make sure no one missed the point, he posed for the cover of Sports Illustrated as Napoleon returning from Elba.
Despite the bluster, for Steinbrenner, being out of the game had been a profoundly humbling experience. But it also had given him time to reflect. Subsequently, he has not been quite the absolute ruler he was.
"My dad used to tell me, 'don't spend a moment dwelling on victory. Dwell on your defeats. Find out how it happened. Understand where you made your mistakes and don't repeat em'," Steinbrenner says. "And I've always carried that with me and it served me pretty well."
The biggest mistake Steinbrenner hasn't repeated since he returned from exile is constantly firing his managers. Three years ago, when he took on his current manager, Joe Torre, people thought Torre would never last.
"'Clueless Joe' the New York papers said," Steinbrenner continues. "Why would he hire Joe? What's Steinbrenner thinking of? He's nuts. Joe Torre never won anywhere. He didn't win with the Mets, he didn't win with St. Louis. But I saw something in Joe Torre. He had the one thing I love, mental toughness."
Steinbrenner's legendary feuds with his players have all but ended. And lately, he has made a point of making amends. Last year he invited now-retired Dave Winfield back to the Yankee fold. This year, it was Yogi Berra's turn.
For most people baseball is about winning and losing, and how you handle both. Not for Steinbrenner. He dreams of a game where losing isn't even an option.