I have quoted this book about seven times in the last two weeks. Now we hear from the author himself,

the great Mike Vicaro, the author of Bosses of the Bronx, the endless drama of the Yankees under the House of Steinbrenner. I finished it in about a week and a half. It was an excellent read, so I advise everyone to go get it. Mike, thank you very much for coming on, man. How are you? Well, thank you, everyone.

I feel like I owe you a part of the commission

for all the time you talk about it, so thank you for that.

No problem.

You know, I start with a grandiose question because I grew up towards the end of the Steinbrenner run. And so I had an impression of him. I read your book, and here was how I took it. I said, boy, that guy was crazy. That guy was nuts. But overall, I thought

he was a good guy who just wanted to win. That was my final, like, impression of George. For you,

as someone who covered him and then did all the research for this book, how would you define George

Steinbrenner? Exactly that way, Evan. He was so multi-facidated. The Yankees won seven championship on his watch. You can't just dismiss that. The fact of the matter is they also won most of those. For times he was away, and other people were able to build the teams without his interference. So that's also part of the record. But you know what? I mean, for one thing, he rescued the Yankees, they had one foot out the door for either Jersey or New Orleans or someplace else. And he bought the team. And that's really why he got the team. I mean, they got a discount from other bids because he was willing to commit to keep him in New York, in New York, well, for at least 15 minutes or so before he started Dowley was there himself for a couple of years. But the fact of the matter is that, you know, he kept him there.

He's, well, for at least the 15 minutes or so before he started down with Jersey himself for a couple of years. But the fact of the matter is that, you know, he kept him there, he built the brand back up to where it had been, and then beyond what it had been, and then later on, obviously, into the stratosphere. So, you know, you also got to credit him for that. And look, part of the way he did that was to make sure he was on the back page 325 days a year. He was on the back page in January as much as he was in the season, and he loved it because even if it wasn't great for him necessarily, personally, he looked like a buffoon sometimes. They've had the Yankees, people talking about the Yankees all year long. And look, we take that for granted now. Yankeekees fans talked by the Yankees every day of the year now.

And maybe they did back in the day also, but he made sure of it.

He made sure of it, especially in the town. Let's not forget when he bought the team, he was very much of a Mets town. I mean, there was a, you know, a Mets out to the Yankees two and after one for the first couple of years in the 70s,

and within three years,

that it completely reversed.

You know, Mike, it's interesting you say that

about being on the back page,

because I remember

when I was playing, and I'd have a big game, and then the Yankees would be on the back, the

back page. I'm like, what the hell? We should be on the back page. But I wonder, because, you know,

I feel like when success is promoted like it was with the Yankees, it's almost intentional.

So was this intentional?

Was this something that was from the marketing side or was this just the natural charisma of George Steinbrenner?

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