Gene “Stick” Michael died today at the age of 79.
I don’t know that I have ever met a nicer gentleman. In the 90s, I had the privilege of hosting a number of Gene Michael charity dinners for Tomorrow’s Children, with honorees like Reggie Jackson, Wade Boggs, Jon Miller and many others. Gene’s charity foundation continues its great work today, managing
a golf tournament for his late colleagues Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto.
I remember Stick and my brother John planning the logistics of one such event in Gene’s kitchen in Upper Saddle River. The phone rang. It was Jimmy Key, conflicted about signing with the Bombers. Stick’s gentle manner persuaded the lefty to make the move. He made the lowliest clubhouse attendant feel as important as the team’s biggest star.
Gene always said he wasn’t much of a player, lifetime average only .229. But as a GM and consultant, he was the architect of a winning path for the Yanks while George Steinbrenner was suspended. It eventually led to five championships. He drafted a Michigan kid named Jeter.
Modest, self-effacing and unfailingly kind, the whole baseball world mourns the passing of this wonderful man. (Pictured, a Gene Michael Dinner L-R Wade Boggs, Jim Abbott, Karl Nelson, my wife Vicky, me and Gene)
