Steinbrenner Case Plows Ground, but History of Problems Abounds

There were no Dowd Reports in 1920, the year major league baseball appointed its first commissioner. There was only Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis and his iron fist, which he used often to dispense a special brand of justice during his 25-year reign.

It is probably a good thing for New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner that Landis is gone. One can only wonder what the craggy, white-haired commissioner would have done to the often-controversial Steinbrenner.

Steinbrenner’s most recent plunge into the news is something of a first for baseball. The sport has dealt with scandal, gambling, drug use, tampering and tax evasion in the past, but allegations of extortion and spying are relative newcomers to the commissioner’s office. That might explain why Fay Vincent, whose brief tenure has been marked by crisis after crisis, enlisted John Dowd, the author of the Pete Rose investigative report, and a federal judge to assist him in the Steinbrenner investigation.

In short, gambler Howard Spira was paid $40,000 by the Yankee owner. Steinbrenner says it was a good deed gone sour. Others maintain that the money was payment for alleged spy work on Dave Winfield, a Steinbrenner nemesis and former Yankee player. Then came charges that Spira was supposedly trying to squeeze more money out of Steinbrenner.

According to the New York York Times, Dowd not only has looked at the Steinbrenner-Spira connection but also has examined the owner’s treatment of Winfield during his 10-year tenure with the Yankees.

Vincent recently ordered the Yankees to pay a fine of $200,000 to the Angels and $25,000 to the Major Leagues’ Central Fund for tampering in the May 11 trade of Winfield to the Angels. Steinbrenner told Winfield, in a meeting on May 14, that the trade was made without his knowledge and that he would gladly take Winfield back and see that he would once again play regularly.

This isn’t the first time Steinbrenner has been summoned to meet the commissioner. In 1974, Bowie Kuhn suspended him for two years after Steinbrenner was convicted in federal court of violating campaign contribution laws during Richard Nixon’s 1972 reelection run. Indicted initially on 14 felony counts, Steinbrenner pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions and taking part in a cover-up scheme. Steinbrenner was fined $15,000 and his firm, The American Ship Building Co., was fined $20,000.

According to the 1989 edition of Total Baseball, Kuhn later said that Steinbrenner would have been suspended for life from the sport had his sentence included jail time.

Of course, Steinbrenner isn’t the first person to feel the steely gaze of the commissioner. That notoriety would go to eight members of the infamous 1919 Chicago White Sox, who were banned for life by Landis in 1920 for throwing games in the previous year’s World Series.

When Cozy Dolan, a coach for the New York Giants, didn’t satisfactorily answer Landis’ inquiries about rumors of fixing a game in 1924, Landis barred him for life.

Baseball author Bill James writes that Benny Kauff of the Giants was banned for life in 1920 after he was arrested on charges of auto theft and receiving stolen property. He was acquitted, but Landis refused to approve his reinstatement. Kauff sued and lost.

Philadelphia Phillie owner William Cox was booted from the game in 1943, less than a year after he had purchased the team. The offense: betting on baseball.

In all, Landis rid baseball of at least 16 players, owners or coaches for life. He suspended another four players, including Babe Ruth, for two years or less for assorted transgressions.

Landis was succeeded by Albert B. (Happy) Chandler, who was able to find cause for the one-year suspension of Brooklyn Dodger Manager Leo Durocher. Durocher was indirectly linked to gambling interests, enough so that Chandler suspended him for an “accumulation of unpleasant incidents in which he has been involved which the Commissioner has construed as detrimental to baseball.”

Ford Frick’s 15-year rule of baseball included a decision that would allow August A. Busch to purchase the St. Louis Cardinals. The team became available after Fred Saigh, Jr., who bought the team in 1947, was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of tax evasion. He pleaded no contest to two of the charges and was sentenced to 15 months in jail and fined $15,000.

Frick intervened. He met with Saigh in January of 1953. A month later, Busch bought the Cardinals.

Frick’s place was later taken by William Eckert, who had a relatively uneventful term, and Eckert’s by Kuhn.

Kuhn suspended Detroit Tiger pitcher Denny McLain in 1970 for bookmaking associations. Two months after McLain served that suspension, Kuhn booted him again for illegal possession of a handgun in violation of his probation.

Kuhn was a busy man. There was the Steinbrenner case, of course. Then came the tampering charges against Atlanta Braves’ owner Ted Turner in 1977. Turner got a year’s suspension for that. Kuhn suspended pitcher Ferguson Jenkins of the Texas Rangers after his arrest for drug possession. The players’ association successfully fought for Jenkins’ immediate reinstatement pending a trial.

By the time Kuhn left office in 1984, he also had suspended Alan Wiggins of the San Diego Padres, Steve Howe of the Dodgers, Kansas City Royals Willie Aikens, Jerry Martin, Willie Wilson and Vida Blue and Pasqual Perez of the Braves for involvement in drug use.

Peter Ueberroth’s five-year stay as commissioner included several suspensions, most notably the decision handed down against LaMarr Hoyt of the Padres for repeated drug offenses. Ueberroth also offered Buddy LeRoux a choice in 1987: LeRoux could own interest in Suffolk Downs or the Boston Red Sox but not both. LeRoux sold his Red Sox shares.

The rule of A. Bartlett Giamatti was brief but tumultuous. Pete Rose certainly will never forget it. Giamatti suspended Rose, the all-time leader in hits and manager of the Cincinnati Reds, for life after determining he bet on games.