NICKNAMES OF THE 1970'S: "STICK" GENE MICHAEL

The next nickname card in the long line I’ve posted on this blog over the years is the “Stick” Gene Michael, New York Yankees shortstop during the “lean years” of the late-1960’s and early 1970’s, and future co-architect of the Yankee dynasty teams of the late-1990’s:

Michael came to the Yanks after two partial seasons in the National League: 1966 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and 1967 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He would remain a constant at Yankee Stadium for the next seven years, playing alongside guys like Bobby Murcer, Roy White, Thurman Munson and Horace Clarke.
After the 1974 season he would go on to play one year for the Detroit Tigers before retiring as a player and eventually moving into coaching, managing, and front office positions.
He is often credited alongside Bob Watson as one of the architects of the Yankee World Champion teams of the late-90’s, stressing youth, smart drafting and development, leading to players like Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte.
A true baseball “lifer” and Yankee!