Major League Baseball Player, Manager, Executive. Born Eugene Richard Michael, he played the shortstop position for four different Major League Baseball teams (Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Detroit Tigers) during a ten year career (1966-1975). He attended Kent State University where he played baseball and basketball. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1959 and played in the minors until being called up to the majors in 1966. He played for the Pirates for one year before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was with the Dodgers for one year before he was purchased by the New York Yankees in 1968. He played for the Yankees for seven years before joining the Detroit Tigers in 1975. In 1976, he signed with the Boston Red Sox, but was released by the team before the season. During his playing career, he was the master of the hidden ball trick. After his playing career ended, he rejoined the Yankees, first as a coach, and then as a minor league manager. He became the team's general manager in 1979 and served in this position until 1981 when he went down to the dugout to become the manager. He was fired during the 1981 season, but came back the next year to again manage the club. He was again let go as manager, but came back two years later to be the Yankees' third base coach where he remained until 1986. In June of 1986 he became the manager of the Chicago Cubs and continued in this post until resigning on September 6, 1987. In 1990 he was again hired as the Yankees' general manager and remained in this post until being fired in 1995. During this tenure, he helped build the team that was successful in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He would continue to serve in various positions within the Yankee organization for the rest of his baseball career. He passed away of a heart attack.