• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

My theory is that the owners never would have colluded if journeymen ballplayers like Bob Shirley and Dave Collins, had performed better after signing their free agent deals. In the first free agent classes, Steinbrenner enjoyed instant success, which translated to World Series appearances in 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1981 (and 103 victories and a division title in 1980). Free agent signings of Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson gave the Yankees the push they needed to get over the top. Steinbrenner, who had bought into the Yankees in 1973, was the first owner to take real advantage of free agency. His next wave of free agents didn’t work out so well. In retrospect, however, the ten-year deal he gave to outfielder Dave Winfield turned out exceedingly well. The $20 million contract was viewed the way modern fans and baseball people think about Alex Rodriguez’ contract, which is worth more than $250 million. Winfield didn’t come through in the 1981 World Series for Steinbrenner, who labeled him “Mr. May” for doing well in the early part of each season, padding his Hall of Fame statistics. The next year, Steinbrenner signed free agent outfielder Dave Collins from the Cincinnati Reds. Collins was a speedster, an outfielder in his twenties that had stolen seventy-nine bases just two years earlier. In 1982, Collins batted just .253 and had an on-base average of just .315 for the Yankees. He stole just thirteen bases. The next season, Steinbrenner signed Bob Shirley, also from the Cincinnati Reds. Shirley was in his twenties, a left-handed starter, and a supposedly valuable commodity. The Yankees gave him a four-year contract worth more than $2 million. Shirley won only five games with an ERA over 5.00 in his first season as a Yankee, and thirteen total in thirty-eight starts over four seasons in pinstripes.

But what if Collins had done what he was supposed to do and Shirley had proven himself to be a big winner? The Yankees won ninety-one games in 1983, finishing only seven games behind the eventual World Champions, the Baltimore Orioles. Shirley started the second game of the season, and couldn’t make it out of the third inning. By June 14, the Yankees were only 29-30, and one of the main reasons was Shirley. He was 2-5, with a bloated earned run average of 5.50. Who is to say the Yankees wouldn’t have won the division in 1983 if Shirley had gone 14-8 rather than 2-5?

Steinbrenner took over the team in 1973, and in just five years built them into a powerhouse. Following the 1981 season, he signed some free agents that didn’t work out, and became skittish about signing others, especially if they weren’t proven superstars. Experiences he had with players like Collins and Shirley let the other owners reel him in on their plans for fiscal responsibility.

At the same time, the Yankees were drawing well, but they were nowhere near the attendance numbers they’ve enjoyed in the new millennium. They drew more than two million fans to Yankee Stadium in 1982, more than 2.2 million in 1983, then dipped to 1.8 million in 1984. The Yankees didn’t lead the League in attendance in the 1980s, but were usually among the top three or four clubs. So it can be argued that Steinbrenner attempted to build up value in his team with free agents, but found that he couldn’t depend on signings to either push his team into the postseason, or to increase attendance. So Steinbrenner, following the lead of his fellow owners, steered clear of signing big free agents for a while. At the same time, Steinbrenner wasn’t averse to giving away his prized pupils from the Yankee farm system for high-priced commodities such as Rickey Henderson.

I’m still trying to figure out why the Cleveland Indians went along with the conspiracy. In December of 1986, the sale of the Tribe was approved and the Jacobs family assumed control of the team. They bought an Indians team that hadn’t been to a World Series since 1954, and that hadn’t won the World Series since 1948. However, the 1986 Indians finished