Iconic Yankees Photos

Iconic Yankees Photos

 

 

 

[Yogi Berra | 1956] Yogi Berra heads to the dugout after hitting a home run.

 

 

 

 

[Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1956] President Eisenhower throws out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day as Casey Stengel looks on.

 

 

 

 

[Spring Training | 1957] The Yankees play catch during a workout at their spring training complex in St. Petersburg.

 

 

 

 

[Casey Stengel | 1957] Legendary Yankees manager Casey Stengel takes in the action.

 

 

 

 

[Mickey Mantle | 1957] Mickey Mantle takes a big cut during a game against Washington.

 

 

 

 

[Enos Slaughter and Joe Collins | 1958] Enos Slaughter and Joe Collins hop out of a cab at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg.

 

 

 

[Mickey Mantle | 1959] Mickey Mantle tosses his batting helmet toward the dugout after making the final out of an inning.

 

 

 

 

[Whitey Ford | 1959] Whitey Ford unleashes a fastball during a game against the Orioles at Memorial Stadium.

 

 

 

 

[Lou Piniella | 1974] Lou Piniella relaxes before a game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

 

 

 

 

[Sparky Lyle | 1977] Sparky Lyle enjoys a chew prior to a game against the Red Sox.

 

 

 

 

[George Steinbrenner | 1977] George Steinbrenner wheels and deals from his office in Yankee Stadium.

 

 

 

 

[Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson | 1977] Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson share a moment before Game 5 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

 

 

 

[New York Yankees | 1978] The Yankees celebrate a championship after defeating the Dodgers in Game 6 of the '78 World Series.

 

 

 

[Dave Winfield | 1981] Dave Winfield poses for a 1981 cover story shortly after being traded to the Yankees from San Diego.

 

 

 

 

[Don Mattingly | 1985] Don Mattingly takes a cut during a game against Milwaukee.

 

 

 

 

[George Steinbrenner | 1990] George Steinbrenner practices his sky hook.

 

 

 

 

[Derek Jeter | 1996] Rookie Derek Jeter dives for a groundball during a game against Baltimore.

 

 

 

 

[Don Zimmer, Joe Torre and Mel Stottlemyre | 1996] Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer, manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre watch the action from the dugout bench during Game 1 of the World Series against the Braves.

 

 

 

 

[Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez and Mariano Rivera | 1998] Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez and Mariano Rivera strike a pose during a photo shoot for an SI feature.

 

 

 

 

[Jorge Posada | 2001] Jorge Posada watches the action from the Yankee Stadium dugout.

 

 

 

 

Steinbrenner's Skippers

Steinbrenner's Skippers

 

 

 

[Ralph Houk | 1973] A remnant from the Yankees' championship teams of the early '60s, Houk (far right in photo) lasted one season under new owner George Steinbrenner, going 80-82 (fourth place) before retiring. Including Houk, the Yankees had only 11 managers in the 55 years between 1918 and 1973. That would change in a hurry under The Boss. As Johnny Carson later noted, "There are 11 million unemployed in the United States and most of them are Yankee managers."

 

 

 

 

[Bill Virdon | 1974-75] Oakland manager Dick Williams was Steinbrenner's first choice, but he had to settle on Virdon, who led the Yankees to an 89-win season and a second-place showing. The Boss also had to start running things behind the scenes after pleading guilty to making an illegal campaign contribution to Richard Nixon and being suspended from baseball for two years (later reduced to 15 months).

 

 

 

 

[Billy Martin | 1975-78] Virdon was replaced 104 games into the 1975 season with the fiery Billy Martin, a former Yankee second baseman who had won division titles with Minnesota and Detroit. The contract was laced with behavioral clauses and gag orders, leading Martin to say, "They hadn't even hired me and here they were talking about firing me." The Bronx Zoo era had begun.

 

 

 

 

[Bob Lemon | 1978-79] Martin had won two pennants and a World Series, but when the Yankees slumped in '78, he was fired in favor of the placid Bob Lemon, who would lead them to their memorable comeback over the Red Sox and a Series triumph over the Dodgers. The frustrated Martin was axed in the wake of his inflammatory public statement, "One [Reggie Jackson] is a born liar and the other [Steinbrenner] is convicted." Strangely, the Yankees announced on Old Timer's day that Martin would be back to manage the club in 1980. Predictably, he wouldn't wait that long.

 

 

 

 

[Billy Martin | 1979] After winning the '78 Series, Lemon didn't even last until the All-Star break. Martin returns to his dream job, but the season is a nightmare, the club overcome by the adversity of captain Thurman Munson's death and closer Goose Gossage's injury in a fracas with teammate Cliff Johnson. In the offseason, Martin gets into a bar fight with a marshmallow salesman and is fired again.

 

 

 

 

[Dick Howser | 1980] The laid-back Howser wins 103 games, the most in the Steinbrenner era to that point, but commits the unpardonable sin of losing to the Royals in the ALCS. Steinbrenner announces that Howser is leaving to pursue a fabulous real estate deal in Florida, but he returns the next season with Kansas City, where he would win three AL West titles and a world championship in the next six seasons.

 

 

 

 

[Gene Michael | 1981] The pressure was on even more than usual with the signing of slugger Dave Winfield to a massive contract. Michael, a longtime Steinbrenner favorite, was canned despite a 46-33 record after complaining about the Boss' almost daily public threats.

 

 

 

 

[Bob Lemon | 1981] Returning for his second tour in the dugout, Lemon leads the club to the World Series against the Dodgers, but loses in six games. Thus began a postseason drought that would not end until 1995.

 

 

 

 

[Gene Michael | 1982] Lemon lasts 14 games into the season only to give way to Michael (sitting), who goes 44-42 before getting fired for the second time.

 

 

 

 

[Clyde King | 1982] King, the Yankees' third manager of the season, guides the club for the last 52 games, going 29-33. The players considered him a spy for Steinbrenner.

 

 

 

 

[Billy Martin | 1983] Martin returns and wins 91 games, but finishes third in a season riddled with fines and suspensions for criticizing umpires and AL president Lee MacPhail. Martin is also caught passing notes to his girlfriend in the stands during a game, leading Steinbrenner to publicly question his focus and dedication. Billy III ends in December, although Steinbrenner denies it's a firing. "You can look at it that way," he says, "but I'm just shifting personnel."

 

 

 

 

[Yogi Berra | 1984] The Yankees get off slowly and it proves deadly when Detroit runs away with a 35-5 start, but finish 51-29 to save Berra's job despite a third-place showing (87-75).

 

 

 

 

[Billy Martin | 1985] After The Boss promised that he will manage the entire season "win or lose," Berra is canned after 16 games and refuses to return to Yankee Stadium for many years. The players are enraged, to which Steinbrenner responds, "If they're not happy, let them get jobs as cabdrivers, firemen or policemen in New York City. Then they'll see what it's like to work for a living." Martin continues to find trouble, getting into fights on back-to-back nights in Baltimore, including a vicious brawl with pitcher Ed Whitson. New York wins 97 games, but finishes second behind Toronto.

 

 

 

 

[Lou Piniella | 1986-88] Former Yankees outfielder Lou Piniella takes over, and finishes second and fourth in successive seasons, bickering with Steinbrenner all the while.

 

 

 

 

[Billy Martin | 1988] Martin begins the season by being hired as Yankees manager for the fifth and final time. He goes 40-28 but is booted after getting beat up in a topless bar in Dallas.

 

 

 

 

[Lou Piniella | 1988] Piniella is rehired to replace Martin, but the team struggles to a fifth-place finish.

 

 

 

 

[Dallas Green | 1989] The outspoken Green refers to Steinbrenner as "Manager George" and is fired in August with a 56-65 record.

 

 

 

 

[Bucky Dent | 1989-90] The hero of '78 fails to spark the club as he goes 18-22 to finish out the season. He starts 1990 at 18-31 before getting the axe.

 

 

 

 

[Stump Merrill | 1990-91] Steinbrenner was suspended for three years for the Howard Spira-Dave Winfield scandal, but that didn't stop the Yankees from firing the hapless Merrill, who was 120-155 in nearly two seasons.

 

 

 

 

[Buck Showalter | 1992-95] With the Boss suspended, Showalter was hired and allowed to sustain an earnest rebuilding phase that would culminate in a first-place showing in the strike-shortened 1994 season and a playoff appearance in `95.

 

 

 

 

[Joe Torre | 1996-2007] The Yankees took a chance on Joe Torre, who'd had some success managing Atlanta, but more recently failed in St. Louis. Torre would lead New York to four World Series titles in five years and 12 consecutive playoff appearances.

 

 

 

 

[Joe Girardi | 2008-Present] After beating out former Yankees great Don Mattingly for the job, Girardi suffered through a tumultuous first season in which the Yankees went 89-73 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Year Two went much better for Girardi, who led the Bronx Bombers to their 27th World Series championship.

 

 

 

Rare Photos of George Steinbrenner

Rare Photos of George Steinbrenner

 

 

 

[1970s] New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner died on July 13 at the age of 80. In his 37 years as owner, the Bronx Bombers won seven World Series championships and became one of the most celebrated franchises in professional sports. SI looks back at the life of "The Boss."

 

 

 

 

[1977] The 1977 season, with Billy Martin as manager, would bring Steinbrenner his first of seven World Series titles with the Yankees. The World Series would culminate in Reggie Jackson's three-home run performance in Game 6.

 

 

 

 

[1977] Steinbrenner was a notoriously hands-on owner, always one to be involved in on- and off-field dealings with the Yankees.

 

 

 

[1977] Before he took over the Yankees, Steinbrenner was influential in the Cleveland shipping industry. He grew more powerful after merging Kinsman Marine Transit with the American Shipbuilding Company in 1967, paving the way for his eventual purchase of the Yankees.

 

 

 

 

[1977] Steinbrenner's Yankee Stadium owner's box was a place he frequented, as well as a source of a handful of memorable moments in Yankees history. Perhaps the most unforgettable is Roger Clemens announcing his return to the Yankees from the box in May 2007.

 

 

 

 

[1970's] Under the direction of two different managers, New York won World Series in 1977 and 1978, providing plenty of reason for Steinbrenner to celebrate. They were the Yankees' first titles since 1962.

 

 

 

[1977] After a long and tumultuous 1977 season that would later be chronicled in the book The Bronx is Burning, Steinbrenner took some time to celebrate the World Series win with a friend.

 

 

 

 

[1977] Of all the players who passed through during Steinbrenner's ownership of the Yankees, he had perhaps the best relationship with Thurman Munson, with whom he is seen here commemorating the 1977 championship. After Munson's death in a plane crash in 1979, Steinbrenner said it was the "saddest day of my life."

 

 

 

 

[1978] Steinbrenner revolutionized the Yankees -- and sports -- by starting his own television network and ballpark food company. Forbes now values the Yankees at $1.6 billion, trailing only Manchester United ($1.8 billion) and the Dallas Cowboys ($1.65 billion).

 

 

 

 

[1980] The Yankees sold a postcard in the 1980's featuring Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson.

 

 

 

 

[1980] Steinbrenner held court with sportscaster Howard Cosell and others at an event in 1980.

 

 

 

 

[1981] In December 1980, Steinbrenner signed free-agent outfielder Dave Winfield to a 10-year contract that would turn out to be worth just over $17 million. Frustrated by Winfield's performance, Steinbrenner would call him "Mr. May" in September 1985.

 

 

 

 

[1990] The youngest of three children, Steinbrenner attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana. At Williams College, he ran track and specialized in hurdles. He also enjoyed shooting baskets from time to time.

 

 

 

 

[1990] Steinbrenner ofter gave millions to charity, often with one stipulation, that no one be told who made the donation.

 

 

 

 

[1993] Steinbrenner liked to quote military figures and saw games as an extension of war. No surprise that in the tunnel leading from the Yankees' clubhouse to the field, he had a sign posted with a saying from Gen. Douglas MacArthur: "There is no substitute for victory."

 

 

 

 

[1996] Dressed in his trademark navy blue blazer and white turtleneck, Steinbrenner was the model of success, making appearances on several tv shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman.

 

 

 

 

[1996] Steinbrenner entered six horses in the Kentucky Derby, failing to win with Steve's Friend (1977), Eternal Prince (1985), Diligence (1996), Concerto (1997), Blue Burner (2002) and the 2005 favorite, Bellamy Road.

 

 

 

 

[1999] The Yankees were the first team with a $200 million payroll, which provoked anger and envy among other owners. After the 1982 season, Baltimore owner Edward Bennett Williams said Steinbrenner hoarded outfielders "like nuclear weapons."

 

 

 

 

[1999] Steinbrenner never managed a game, as Ted Turner once did when he owned the Atlanta Braves, but he controlled everything else. When he thought the club's parking lot was too crowded, Steinbrenner stood on the pavement -- albeit behind a van, out of sight -- and had a guard personally check every driver's credential.

 

 

 

 

[2000] Steinbrenner, New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and Yankee manager Joe Torre with the trophy following the Yankees 2000 World Series title.

 

 

 

 

[2004] Steinbrenner once was asked his formula for success. He said: "Work as hard as you ask others to. Strive for what you believe is right, no matter the odds. Learn that mistakes can be the best teacher."