MLB commissioner who helped launch Yankees' dynasty dies at 86

1993 George Steinbrenner Spring Training
1993 George Steinbrenner Spring Training | Steve Crandall/GettyImages

Without the intervention of Commissioner of Baseball Fay Vincent, the New York Yankees' eternal dynasty of the 1990s may never have been allowed to materialize.

Vincent, who served the second-briefest tenure of any commissioner, passed away this weekend at the age of 86. Though he left the game in Sept. of 1992, prior to the explosive 1994 strike that removed a World Series from the history books, Vincent still touched an abnormally large number of massive events.

He was the presiding commissioner when an earthquake rocked the Bay Area, interrupting the 1989 World Series between the Giants and Athletics. He was forced into action in the near-immediate aftermath of baseball's punishment for Pete Rose; many say the stressors of that process helped cause his predecessor, A. Bartlett Giamatti's, fatal heart attack.

And, of course, he was the man in charge when evidence of George Steinbrenner's $40,000 payment to Howie Spira emerged. Either Steinbrenner had paid for damaging information on superstar Dave Winfield, or he'd been cornered by a shady individual who may have been able to have the same impact on the game as Rose's nefarious associates. Spira had the integrity of the game over a barrel, and Vincent reacted the only way he could by banning the game's most bloated and braggadocious owner.

With Steinbrenner suddenly absent, steady-handed Gene Michael was able to steer the Yankees' ship. He was banned in 1990 and reinstated in 1993; during that gap in leadership, New York drafted Derek Jeter sixth overall, retained hidden prospects like Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte, and protected Bernie Williams from trade talks. Steinbrenner, famously, was often consumed by the idea of upgrading Williams.

Without Vincent -- in a manner of connection that was quite direct -- the Yankees' 1990s dynasty may never have occurred at all.

Commissioner of Baseball Fay Vincent, who banned Yankees' George Steinbrenner, dies at age 86

The documentary 'Bronx Zoo '90', released in 2024, does an incredible job of laying out the Yankees' dysfunction of that pivotal year. Vincent, with his finger on the pulse, was not afraid to deliver the punishment Steinbrenner deserved for inviting a traveling circus to reside semi-permanently at Yankee Stadium.

Vincent, a great steward of the game and someone who cared for it deeply, despite its flaws, deserves love and adoration for a life well lived. Yankee fans should give him an extra tip of the cap.

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