The Boss of the Bronx: How George Steinbrenner Built a Dynasty and Defined an Era

George Steinbrenner bought the New York Yankees in January 1973 for $8.8 million. He would go on to transform them into the most valuable, most watched, and most talked-about franchise in American sports. A new book now tells the full story of The Boss and the dynasty he built.

Mike Vaccaro, lead sports columnist for the New York Post for more than two decades, has witnessed the Steinbrenner era from ringside seats. His new work, The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner, draws on that unique perspective to chart a remarkable reign defined by championships, controversy, and constant commotion.

The book opens with a memorable detail: Vaccaro received his first one-on-one phone call from Steinbrenner at 3:30 in the morning while covering the 2003 Super Bowl in San Diego. Steinbrenner, three time zones away in Tampa, was driving to spring training. The call was, according to Vaccaro, terrific — a window into the personality of a man who slept little and expected the same from everyone around him.

That personality drove the Yankees to seven World Series championships during Steinbrenner ownership. It also produced two suspensions from baseball: a two-year ouster in 1974 for illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon, and a lifetime ban in 1990 after paying a gambler to discredit star Dave Winfield. Each time, Steinbrenner found his way back.

The relationship with manager Billy Martin exemplified the Steinbrenner approach. Martin managed the Yankees in five separate spells, hired, fired, and rehired in a cycle that Vaccaro describes as driven by two men who hated losing more than they loved winning. Both were stubborn, both were combustible, and both defined the combustible atmosphere around the club.

Vaccaro credits his editor with advice that shaped the book: make each chapter like a newspaper column, conversational and interesting, not a textbook recitation of dates and events. The result includes gems like the story of how a young Hal Steinbrenner spotted a Burger King promotional omission — the fast-food chain had printed Yankees cards featuring Lou Piniella but left him off — and turned it into a lesson in business acuity that impressed his father.

The franchise evolved dramatically during Steinbrenner periods of exile from baseball. Gabe Paul ran operations during the 1970s suspension and landed free agent Catfish Hunter. Gene Michael rebuilt in the 1990s, resisting trades that would have sent Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Bernie Williams to Oakland in exchange for Rickey Henderson.

When Steinbrenner returned permanently in 1995, the foundation was set. Joe Torre led the Yankees to four World Series in five years, starting in 1996. Today, Vaccaro estimates the franchise is worth between $7 billion and $10 billion.

Yet Vaccaro does not ignore the fissures. The Boston Red Sox haunted Steinbrenner final years, famously erasing a 3-0 ALCS deficit in 2004 on their way to ending an 86-year championship drought. The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009, and some fans wonder whether Hal Steinbrenner, who took over after his father died in 2010, commands the same presence.

Yankees fans are passionate, spoiled maybe, too used to success, Vaccaro told an interviewer. They have a serious belief about what the Yankees should be — and Hal does have that.

The book lands at a moment when the Dodgers have emerged as baseballs dominant force, yet Vaccaro notes they nearly lost last years World Series three different times. In the end, Steinbrenner would have appreciated that kind of drama. He would have hated every minute of it, and probably could not have looked away either.