Athletes - Gene Michael

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	Athletes - Gene Michael

Eugene Richard Michael (born June 2, 1938 in Kent, Ohio) is a former player, manager and executive in Major League Baseball.

Michael earned the nickname "Stick" due to his skinny frame. After finishing high school, he went to Kent State University. After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1959, Michael spent 10 seasons in the major leagues playing mostly at shortstop. He spent only one year with the Pirates, his first season in the majors (1966). The following year he traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Maury Wills. He would only spend one season in Los Angeles, and was then purchased by the New York Yankees. He played for the Yankees from 1968 until 1974, beginning what would be a lifetime relationship with the team. His last season in the majors was in 1975 when he played for the Detroit Tigers.

Michael was a master of the hidden ball trick, having pulled it off five times in his career.

After retiring, Michael became a coach with the Yankees and was manager of the Yankees from 1981 until 1982, when he was fired half-way through the season. He would manage the Chicago Cubs from 1986-1987, the only post-retirement years not spent with the Yankees. In 1990 he was made general manager of the Yankees, during this time he built the Yankees farm system and laid the seeds for their dominance in the end of the decade. This was facilitated in part by the suspension of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who had earned a reputation as a meddler. During Michael's tenure as general manager, the Yankees drafted such notable players as Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and others. The Yankees also began building young talent, rather than trading it away, as they had done in the 1980s with little success. Michael officially served as GM until 1995, when Bob Watson took over.

From 1996 until 2002, Michael served as vice-president of major league scouting for the Yankees, and in 2003 was promoted to vice-president and senior advisor. In 2002 the Boston Red Sox tried to talk to Michael about their general manager position, but were not given permission by the Yankees.

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