And what a world it was. Wikipedia says:
“In his first 23 seasons, he changed managers 20 times (Billy Martin alone was fired and rehired five times). He also employed 11 general managers over 30 years. He was equally famous for pursuing high-priced free agents and then feuding with them. . . He had a tendency to meddle in daily on-field decisions. . .
In addition to being an intense boss to his on-field employees, Steinbrenner was also known for pressuring and changing off-field employees (including various publicity directors), sometimes chewing them out in public. Longtime Cardinals announcer Jack Buck once quipped that he had seen Steinbrenner’s yacht and that, “It was a beautiful thing to observe, with all 36 oars working in unison.” Former sportscaster Hank Greenwald, who called Yankee games on WABC radio for two years, once said he knew when Steinbrenner was in town by how tense the office staff was.”
But Steinbrenner’s high priced and high-handed methods had but one goal, to make the New York Yankees an unbeatable force. And many times he succeeded, with the Yankees during his 37 year reign earning 7 World Series and 11 pennants. The Yankees have the record of having the most wins of any team in the American League.
Steinbrenner’s flinty personality is revealed in his birth chart. Born on the Fourth of July, 1930 with a recorded birth time of 9:00 AM in Rocky River, Ohio, immediately apparent is the influence of the planets Mars and Pluto.
Steinbrenner’s argumentative nature is revealed by his horoscope with is Mars in the zodiac sign of Taurus. Taurus as a zodiac sign is immovably stubborn. It doesn’t matter whether you are right or not, Taurus in Mars while stand up for his or her point of view to the bitter end. This Mars will dig in its heals and wait you out, if need be, or take you on in hand to hand combat, but you can be assured that if you confront it directly you will end up the loser. Worse yet for Steinbrenner, this Mars is in challenge aspect to his Venus in Leo. Leo is a prideful zodiac sign, so any challenge to his authority would be taken as a personal insult whether on not it was intended to be so.
More importantly Pluto conjoins is his Sun in the zodiac sign of Cancer. Additionally, the seat of his emotions, the Moon, is in the Pluto ruled zodiac sign of Scorpio.
Natives with a significant Pluto signature have a drive to control their environment. The reason for this is complex. These individuals perceive that there is more to this Universe than what our senses tell us. If you’ve ever had the experience of seeing something move out of the corner of your eye and looked and found nothing there you know for an instance what these individuals feel all the time. This shifting sense that reality is not as real as it seems lends a sense of insecurity that drives the intense need to control their immediate environment.
One point of Plutonic influence on a personal planet is enough to kick off the need to control, but two points is an almost unbearable burden. Add to that the planet of duty and responsibility, Saturn, in direct opposition to his core identity, his Sun, and you have an individual is always trying to validate his self worth through accomplishment.
Love him or hate him, George Steinbrenner, with his need for intensity and control, made his mark on a baseball for many years to come.
Photo courtesy of Bobert_051 at Photobucket