Buck Showalter, for Sporting News
Everybody knew the job description and the accountability factor with George, and the mark that he left on me was that you know it’s your job description, you’re accountable for what you’re supposed to be doing there, and nobody wants to hear you complain about it.
I spent 19 years in that organization and basically grew up in it. My whole baseball education, for the most part professionally was under Mr. Steinbrenner’s tutelage.
I think Billy Martin allowed me to have a grip on, "A lot of guys would love to have an owner as in tuned to winning as Mr. Steinbrenner." And he made everybody accountable.
You know, they talk about great golf courses are run by dictators because you don’t have to go through 55 committees to get something done. One of the great things was we knew we had to please one person, OK? Him and the fans, and he told us that many times.
But there were some great moments, being on his farm in Ocala with him and his children and seeing him in that light.
I was one of the managers he never fired. I resigned because he wanted to get rid of my coaches. He knew where people’s buttons were, and mine were loyalty to my coaches.
I remember him coming back to my house after the whole thing, trying to get me to come back. As I got older and he got older there was really respect for what each had tried to accomplish.
Showalter managed Steinbrenner’s Yankees from 1992-95.
— As told to Bob Hille
Buck Showalter, for Sporting News
Everybody knew the job description and the accountability factor with George, and the mark that he left on me was that you know it’s your job description, you’re accountable for what you’re supposed to be doing there, and nobody wants to hear you complain about it.
I spent 19 years in that organization and basically grew up in it. My whole baseball education, for the most part professionally was under Mr. Steinbrenner’s tutelage.
I think Billy Martin allowed me to have a grip on, "A lot of guys would love to have an owner as in tuned to winning as Mr. Steinbrenner." And he made everybody accountable.
You know, they talk about great golf courses are run by dictators because you don’t have to go through 55 committees to get something done. One of the great things was we knew we had to please one person, OK? Him and the fans, and he told us that many times.
But there were some great moments, being on his farm in Ocala with him and his children and seeing him in that light.
I was one of the managers he never fired. I resigned because he wanted to get rid of my coaches. He knew where people’s buttons were, and mine were loyalty to my coaches.
I remember him coming back to my house after the whole thing, trying to get me to come back. As I got older and he got older there was really respect for what each had tried to accomplish.
Showalter managed Steinbrenner’s Yankees from 1992-95.
— As told to Bob Hille