Book reveals how close Yankees were to moving out of Bronx, George Steinbrenner losing ownership bid

George Steinbrenner, for amended oregon worse, stepped successful arsenic the look of the New York Yankees franchise erstwhile helium led a radical with E. Michael Burke and others to bargain the franchise from CBS successful 1973. It would beryllium the launching pad to instrumentality the Yankees to relevancy successful the years to come.

However, Mike Vaccaro wrote successful his caller book, "The Bosses of the Bronx," that the Steinbrenner radical wasn’t thought to person been the favourite to bargain the team. Vaccaro wrote that a Lehman Brothers-led contingent with erstwhile New York Giants catcher Herman Franks acceptable to tally the team.

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New York Yankees proprietor George Steinbrenner signs autographs successful the stands during a 1993 outpouring grooming crippled astatine West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. (USA TODAY Sports)

Franks had already been courting Willie Mays arsenic the team’s imaginable manager, according to Vaccaro. Mays would person been the archetypal African American manager if the woody would person been made. He would person been a play up of Frank Robinson, who made his debut successful the relation connected Oct. 3, 1974.

There were besides rumblings, according to Vaccaro, astir the squad perchance being courted to a caller stadium successful New Jersey that would person had a caller look compared to the crumbling Yankee Stadium that was hoping for metropolis backing to marque integral repairs.

Stunningly enough, the Steinbrenner radical bought the Yankees for conscionable implicit $10 cardinal erstwhile the Lehman Brothers’ radical reportedly offered betwixt $13.5 cardinal and $14 million. It was the past clip arsenic shot squad was ever sold astatine a loss.

New York Yankees proprietor George Steinbrenner signs autographs earlier their crippled with the Florida Marlins astatine Dolphin Stadium connected June 14, 1997. (USA TODAY Sports)

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"This is the champion bargain successful sports today. I deliberation it’s a bargain," Steinbrenner said astatine his introductory property conference, Vaccaro’s publication recalled.

Steinbrenner made wide that the Yankees would enactment successful New York and not beryllium swayed with a shiny caller stadium successful the Meadowlands wherever the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets would spell connected to play. Vaccaro wrote that Lehman Brothers "absolutely committed" to leaving the Bronx for Jersey, which turned retired to beryllium a "deal-breaker" for CBS.

The nett acquisition for the Yankees ended up being astir $8.8 cardinal arsenic the woody included 2 parking garages that CBS bought backmost for $1.2 cardinal aft the woody was closed.

Yankees manager Joe Torre (left) and proprietor George Steinbrenner speech earlier the commencement of the 3rd crippled of the World Series astatine Shea Stadium successful New York connected Oct. 24, 2000.  (Eileen Blass/USA TODAY/USA TODAY NETWORK)

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From 1973 until Steinbrenner’s decease successful July 2010, the Yankees won 7 World Series titles.

The Yankees are valued astatine astir $9 cardinal today.

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