Olympic Fan
10-08-2007, 05:24 PM
It just hit me last night -- it's so obvious that I can't believe I did see it earlier.
Clearly, the genius behind the rise of the Yankees to greatness in the late 1990s was a little-known functionary with the title of Assistant to the Traveling Secretary.
It's no coincidence that the Yankees won their first division title in 13 years in the season after George Costanza was hired by George Steinbrenner on May 19, 1994. And it's no coincidence that the team's gradual decline in this century began with Steinbrenner's decision on May 15, 1997 to trade Costanza to Tyson Chicken Industries (an action that caused Mr. Costanza to retire to devote his time to running the Susan Ross Foundation).
Remember, this hiring came at a time when Yankee management was floundering, letting Fred McGriff slip away for nothing and trading Jay Buhner for Kenny Phelps.
Just check and see what the team did under Costanza's behind-the-scenes management. When he came about, two major pieces of the Yankees' championship puzzle were already in place -- OFs Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill. Costanza quickly brought up young pitchers Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera, but after manager Buck Showalter wasted Rivera as a starter in 1995, Costanza acted to axe Showwalter and convinced Steinbrenner to hire Joe Torre.
He also brokered the free agent signing that winter of David Cone (using his friendship with ex-Mets star Keith Hernandez to woe the ex-Mets pitcher) and argued for the elevation from the minors of promising shortstop Derek Jeter and young catcher Jorge Posada. He also engineered the trade for first baseman Tino Martinez. When the Yankees needed a boost down the stretch, he picked up third baseman Charlie Hayes.
With Costanza's sharp management and Torre's loyal support, the Yankees won the world title in 1996 -- the first for the franchise in 18 years (the longest drought in team history, at least since they first starting winning titles in the early 1920s).
The team came up short in the 1997 playoffs, but Costanza was already working to strengthen the organization. He arranged the free agent signing of David Wells and brokered the trade of disgruntled lefthander Kenny Rogers for third baseman Scott Brosius. If Steinbrenner had listened, Costanza had a deal lined up that would have brought both Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds into the Yankee fold that season ("and it wouldn't have cost that much.")
While Cuban pitcher Orlando "El Duke" Hernandez didn't sign with the Yankees until after Costanza's departure, it is known that Steinbrenner sent Costanza to Cuba to scout Cuban talent and use his influence with Castro to land the best of that talent for the Yankees. I think it's safe to say that El Duke was Costanza's last great gift to the franchise (beyond cotton uniforms and chicken hot dogs).
While the Yankees actually enjoyed their greatest success in the years immediately after Costanza's departure -- winning world titles in 1998, 1999 and 2000 -- that's merely an example of an organization running on its momentum (just as UNC basketball enjoyed some great success in the years after Dean Smith's retirement, before it crashed; and Miami football won a national title and just missed a second under the clueless Larry Coker before the program collapsed).
It's easy to see that the Yankees are no longer the brilliant manipulators of talent that they were in Costanza's heydey. Sure, they can go out and throw millions at an Alex Rodriquez or a Jason Giambi, but were are the shrewd Scott Brocius or Charlie Hayes pickups; the brilliant Tino Martinez trade? The team has been slipping steadily -- it's decline slowed somewhat by the holdovers from the Costanza era (Jeter, Posada, Rivera) and by the vast sums of money Steinbrenner has thrown at free agents. Sure, some of it has paid off -- the A-Rod and the first Roger Clemens pickup, for instance ... but how much has blown up -- Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, the painful Randy Johnson experment and the second Clemens pickup?
It would be a lot cheaper to bring back George Costanza. In hindsight, it's easy to see that of all George Steinbrenner's stupid and destructive moves, this was the most indefensable.
I can forgive George a lot, but not this blunder. All I can say is, "Hey, George ... the jerkstore called and they're out of you."
Clearly, the genius behind the rise of the Yankees to greatness in the late 1990s was a little-known functionary with the title of Assistant to the Traveling Secretary.
It's no coincidence that the Yankees won their first division title in 13 years in the season after George Costanza was hired by George Steinbrenner on May 19, 1994. And it's no coincidence that the team's gradual decline in this century began with Steinbrenner's decision on May 15, 1997 to trade Costanza to Tyson Chicken Industries (an action that caused Mr. Costanza to retire to devote his time to running the Susan Ross Foundation).
Remember, this hiring came at a time when Yankee management was floundering, letting Fred McGriff slip away for nothing and trading Jay Buhner for Kenny Phelps.
Just check and see what the team did under Costanza's behind-the-scenes management. When he came about, two major pieces of the Yankees' championship puzzle were already in place -- OFs Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill. Costanza quickly brought up young pitchers Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera, but after manager Buck Showalter wasted Rivera as a starter in 1995, Costanza acted to axe Showwalter and convinced Steinbrenner to hire Joe Torre.
He also brokered the free agent signing that winter of David Cone (using his friendship with ex-Mets star Keith Hernandez to woe the ex-Mets pitcher) and argued for the elevation from the minors of promising shortstop Derek Jeter and young catcher Jorge Posada. He also engineered the trade for first baseman Tino Martinez. When the Yankees needed a boost down the stretch, he picked up third baseman Charlie Hayes.
With Costanza's sharp management and Torre's loyal support, the Yankees won the world title in 1996 -- the first for the franchise in 18 years (the longest drought in team history, at least since they first starting winning titles in the early 1920s).
The team came up short in the 1997 playoffs, but Costanza was already working to strengthen the organization. He arranged the free agent signing of David Wells and brokered the trade of disgruntled lefthander Kenny Rogers for third baseman Scott Brosius. If Steinbrenner had listened, Costanza had a deal lined up that would have brought both Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds into the Yankee fold that season ("and it wouldn't have cost that much.")
While Cuban pitcher Orlando "El Duke" Hernandez didn't sign with the Yankees until after Costanza's departure, it is known that Steinbrenner sent Costanza to Cuba to scout Cuban talent and use his influence with Castro to land the best of that talent for the Yankees. I think it's safe to say that El Duke was Costanza's last great gift to the franchise (beyond cotton uniforms and chicken hot dogs).
While the Yankees actually enjoyed their greatest success in the years immediately after Costanza's departure -- winning world titles in 1998, 1999 and 2000 -- that's merely an example of an organization running on its momentum (just as UNC basketball enjoyed some great success in the years after Dean Smith's retirement, before it crashed; and Miami football won a national title and just missed a second under the clueless Larry Coker before the program collapsed).
It's easy to see that the Yankees are no longer the brilliant manipulators of talent that they were in Costanza's heydey. Sure, they can go out and throw millions at an Alex Rodriquez or a Jason Giambi, but were are the shrewd Scott Brocius or Charlie Hayes pickups; the brilliant Tino Martinez trade? The team has been slipping steadily -- it's decline slowed somewhat by the holdovers from the Costanza era (Jeter, Posada, Rivera) and by the vast sums of money Steinbrenner has thrown at free agents. Sure, some of it has paid off -- the A-Rod and the first Roger Clemens pickup, for instance ... but how much has blown up -- Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, the painful Randy Johnson experment and the second Clemens pickup?
It would be a lot cheaper to bring back George Costanza. In hindsight, it's easy to see that of all George Steinbrenner's stupid and destructive moves, this was the most indefensable.
I can forgive George a lot, but not this blunder. All I can say is, "Hey, George ... the jerkstore called and they're out of you."