'The Boss' in the Bronx

• Steinbrenner (second from left) came into pro sports in 1960 when he bought the Cleveland Pipers. His club was set to join the NBA in 1962 before the deal fell apart.
  
  
  

  AP

• "The Boss" returned to the sports scene in a big way when his group bought the Yankees in 1973. The Bronx Bombers quickly returned to glory with a pair of World Series titles in his first six years in charge.
  
  
  

  Bettmann / Corbis

• The Yankees fought hard on and off the field in the '70s. But they also won a lot, including back-to-back World Series triumphs over the Dodgers in 1977-78.
  
  
  

  Focus on Sport / Getty Images

• Steinbrenner quickly developed a reputation as a difficult owner to work for. He clashed repeatedly with skipper Billy Martin, whom he fired five times.
  
  
  

  Marty Lederhandler, AP

• Steinbrenner also was a lightning rod for controversy away from the field. He was suspended in 1974 after being indicted for making illegal contributions to Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.
  
  
  

  W. Ashbolt, AP

• Steinbrenner was banished a second time in 1990 for paying a gambler for dirt on Dave Winfield. The owner was reinstated in '93 and the Yankees soon began to prosper again.
  
  
  

  Albert Dickson, The Sporting News / ZUMA Press

• Steinbrenner has always coveted big-name star players for his team. One of his first, and biggest, coups was the signing of Reggie Jackson before the '77 season. "Mr. October" led New York to two titles.
  
  
  

  Marty Lenderhandler, AP

• The Yankees had several good teams in the '80s but lost their championship touch. Steinbrenner's ceaseless meddling and strange decisions (like bringing Martin back yet again in '83) did not help.
  
  
  

  Corbis

• Even Yankee icon Yogi Berra was no match for the mercurial Boss, who canned the Hall of Famer as manager just 16 games into the '85 season, causing a falling-out that would take 15 years to fix.
  
  
  

  AP

• Steinbrenner finally got the manager game figured out before the '96 season when he hired Joe Torre. The veteran skipper was just what the talented Yankees needed and they won the World Series in his first year.
  
  
  

  Mark Lennihan, AP