Michael, former Yankees GM, dies at 79
NEW YORK — Gene Michael, the slick-fielding shortstop nicknamed “Stick” who went on to manage the New York Yankees and then as an executive built a power that won four World Series in five years, died Thursday. He was 79.
Michael had a heart attack and died at his home in Oldsmar, Fla., his wife, Joette, said.
At 6-2 and about 180 pounds in his playing days, Michael hit just .229 with 15 home runs in 10 big league seasons, seven with the Yankees from 1968-74 in one of the worst eras in team history. He was known for pulling off the hidden ball trick, which he was said to have done five times.
He made a far bigger impact during two terms as manager, two as general manager and then an adviser relied on by Brian Cashman, the team’s GM since 1998. He also managed the Chicago Cubs for two seasons.
“A baseball man to his core,” baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “Stick was vital to the franchise’s renaissance in the ’90s, balancing his incredible scouting intuition with analytical thinking that is prevalent throughout the game today.”
A Yankees lifer, Michael maintained durability during George Steinbrenner’s decades of tumult. During his second term as general manager, Michael put together the core of a roster that won World Series titles in 1996 and from 1998-2000.
Michael also acquired key veterans who contributed to the 1996 title, including Paul O’Neill, Jimmy Key, Wade Boggs and David Cone. He promoted a young staffer to assistant general manager. Cashman went on to become general manager for two decades.
Michael quit as general manager after the 1995 season and became a key adviser.
Spending much of the year in Florida, where he often played golf, Michael served as vice president of major league scouting from 1996-2002. He then became vice president and adviser until 2006, when his title changed to vice president and senior adviser.
The Yankees will wear black armbands on their jerseys for the rest of this season.
In addition to his wife, Michael is survived by sons Mark and Matthew and daughters Sandra and Haley.