McLane can learn from Steinbrenner

November 7, 4:13 PMHouston Astros ExaminerStephen Goff

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New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner may be considered one of the most controversial figures in sports, but he no longer fires managers and general managers the way Astros owner Drayton McLane, Jr., does. (Getty Images)

Tough, ruthless and controversial -- just some of the many ways to describe New York Yankees billionaire owner George Steinbrenner.

He's hated throughout the sports world, yet his genius for making and spending money on the Yankees has somewhat of an exceptional charm.

Although legendary rock star Bruce Springsteen and the Yankees owner share the same nickname, Steinbrenner literally exemplifies the meaning of "The Boss."

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and displayed tremendous athletic talent as a former football and track and field standout.  

From coach to wealthy businessman

While earning his master's degree at The Ohio State University, Steinbrenner served as a graduate assistant football coach under the direction of Hall of Fame head coach Woody Hayes, and later took a job as an assistant coach at Northwestern and Purdue.  

As the only son of Henry G. Steinbrenner and Rita Haley, the legendary Yankees owner ultimately became rich as chairman of American Shipbuilding Company -- a Cleveland-based firm -- that acquired Kinsman Shipping Company, which was owned by the Steinbrenner family.

Steinbrenner is a winner -- plain and simple. He's competitive and will never settle for anything less than being the best, which makes him an ideal owner for the greatest and most successful franchise in all of sports. 

Since purchasing the Yankees in 1973, the Steinbrenner era has brought 11 pennants and seven World Series titles to the Bronx. 

What's it like to work for Steinbrenner over the years?

On Seinfeld, the George Costanza character played by Jason Alexander proclaimed Steinbrenner as someone who fires people like a bodily function. 

He's right.

Steinbrenner vs. McLane

In his first 23 years of ownership, Steinbrenner fired 20 managers, including Billy Martin on five occasions, and has changed general managers 11 times over 30 years.

He pursues the top-notch free agents and often clashes with players, managers and front-office personnel. His standards are nearly impossible to meet, yet current general manager Brian Cashman appears to have figured out how to survive the wrath of Steinbrenner -- earn his trust. 

Yes, Steinbrenner trusts Cashman.

He treats him badly at times, yells at him, calls him every name in the book, but at the end of the day, Steinbrenner loves and values the opinion of his right-hand man.

He recognizes Cashman's talent and knows the organization needs him to win.

Like Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane, Jr., Steinbrenner will probably tell you he's never been wrong a day in his life. But there's something Steinbrenner does better than McLane -- a secret that makes him a better owner.

No, it's not about money.

We all know the Yankees' payroll surpasses $200 million per season, while McLane had a record-high $107 million payroll this season. That's actually irrelevant when comparing the two owners, since McLane will never spend Steinbrenner dollars to build a winner.

What's the secret?

Steinbrenner finally discovered he's not a baseball expert, and realized he needs to rely on his front-office executives, especially Cashman, to win the World Series. Rather than micro-manage, he now takes a step back and macro-manages Cashman and the front office.

He taught his sons, Hal and Hank, to do the same.  

Steinbrenner figured out he's the check writer, and leaves the transactions and building a winner to the smart guys, like Cashman.

McLane micro-manages employees

Can the same be said for McLane? Does he trust his front-office staff?

McLane will tell you he has faith in general manager Ed Wade and president of baseball operations Tal Smith, but old habits die hard -- McLane is and will always be a micro-manager. 

Unlike the new and improved Steinbrenner, McLane never takes a step back or leaves the decision making to his baseball experts. Even Sports Illustrated once described McLane as being too involved with the day-to-day operations, and would never go through a rebuilding process. 

Steinbrenner's health doesn't allow him to attend an abundance of Yankee games, but when he does, the 79-year-old owner sits up high in a box. On the other hand, when a Houston fan turns on their television to watch a home Astros game, who's the first person they see sitting behind home plate -- Uncle Drayton.

When the Astros manager looks into the crowd behind home plate at Minute Maid Park, McLane's starring right back at him. It doesn't matter if it's Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez or Jose Valverde on the mound -- they see him sitting behind home plate too.

Who would you rather be -- Cashman or Wade?

It's a trade off. Steinbrenner might be meaner to Cashman than McLane acts toward Wade, yet Steinbrenner allows Cashman the flexibility to build a winner, while McLane does the complete opposite in regard to Wade. 

McLane's flaws apparent

Just look at how McLane recently handled the Astros' managerial search.

Yes, the Astros made a great choice in hiring Boston Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills, but he wasn't the organization's first choice.

Wade and Smith wanted Manny Acta, and so did McLane.

Wade told McLane he was the right man for the job, so McLane made an offer -- a two-year deal with a club option for the 2012 season. Then, the Cleveland Indians jumped on the Acta bandwagon by offering a three-year deal with a club option for 2013. 

When Wade told McLane the news, the Astros owner refused to make a better offer. He was unwilling to get in a bidding war with Cleveland. Wade informed McLane they would lose Acta to Cleveland, but he wouldn't listen to his baseball expert and give a third year in the offer. 

Obviously, Acta took the better offer in Cleveland.

McLane didn't listen to Wade, so they moved on to the next candidate.

Wade already knew Mills from his days in Philadelphia, and gave the vote of confidence that he's right for the job, just like Acta was.

Still, that wasn't enough for McLane.   

Originally, McLane wasn't sold on Mills, which was the reasoning behind a third interview. Basically, Mills and Dave Clark came back to interview for the job on the same day as the next finalists -- winner take all.

On paper, it looks as though it turned out well with the hiring of Mills, but still, it's enough example of McLane not putting his faith in his baseball experts.

Do you think Steinbrenner would have handled this the same way?

Absolutely not.

If Steinbrenner was trying to hire a manager, he would listen to everything Cashman had to say. After presenting an offer to the top candidate, if another team gave a better offer, Steinbrenner would come back and ask Cashman once again if he likes the guy, and if Cashman says "yes," the Yankees owner will do everything possible to land their guy.

McLane outduels Steinbrenner in firings  

Ironically, over the past 16 years, which owner fires more people -- McLane or Steinbrenner?

Since purchasing the Astros in 1993, McLane has gone through seven managers (Art Howe, Terry Collins, Larry Dierker, Jimy Williams, Phil Garner, Cecil Cooper and Clark) and four general managers (Bob Watson, Gerry Hunsicker, Tim Purpura and Smith). 

Now, Mills becomes the eighth manager under McLane's ownership while Wade is his fifth general manager. 

Basically, an Astros manager only averages two seasons for McLane before he fires them. 

With Steinbrenner, he's only had three managers (Buck Showalter, Joe Torre, and Joe Girardi) and three general managers (Gene Michaels, Watson and Cashman) since McLane bought the Astros.

There's your answer -- McLane fires more managers and general manager than Steinbrenner. Rather than say Steinbrenner fires people like a bodily function, it's actually McLane who best defines this quote. 

Will McLane ever change like Steinbrenner did? Can he finally figure out he's not a baseball expert and leave the decision making to his experts?

It doesn't appear so.