It boils down to letting go. George surrendered the reins of making baseball decisions to Gene Michael, Bob Watson, and Brian Cashman in the nineties. We should be eternally grateful to George for the trade that sent Scott McGregor, Rick Dempsey, and Tippy Martinez to the Orioles for a cast of characters on the downward slope of their careers. We won't be stealing any "blue-chip" pin-striped prospects anymore.
McGregor won 138 games for the Orioles, Martinez saved 115 games, and Dempsey turned out to be a scrapper and a fierce competitor with his orange-tinged catcher's mitt. They weren't perennial all-stars but they provided a stable foundation on the mound and behind the plate.
Steinbrenner demanded and received excellence from his players--or they were shipped out. He stepped back from his meddlesome nature--gave a little and received a dynasty in return. Angelos and his Baltimore Orioles would benefit from the same approach.
