The 1996 Yankees – 20th Anniversary

If you became a fan of the New York Yankees in the late 1960s/early 1970s like I did, you suffered for your sport. The Yankees won 14 American League pennants and nine World Series from 1949 through 1964, but aging veterans (Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford), early retirements (Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson), and a weak farm system led to back-to-back last-place and next-to-last-place finishes in the 10-team American League. There were few players to get excited about, outside of Bobby Murcer, Thurman Munson, and Mel Stottlemyre.

Two moves changed all of that and took the team out of its first “declinasty”. CBS sold the team to Michael Burke and George M. Steinbrenner III in 1973 for a mere $8.7MM.…