George Steinbrenner
When he bought the Yankees in 1973, George Steinbrenner said he'd be a hands-off owner. Yet The Boss was soon involved with every aspect of the team, even concerning himself with employees' facial hair. Not only could those who worked for him not grow beards, they also didn't enjoy job security. Is there anyone Steinbrenner didn't fire? Several times? The man said, "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing," and if games were lost, heads rolled. He also insulted his own players — and even had one investigated. Still, Rudy Giuliani has pointed out that, if you are a baseball player, you probably owe him quite a bit: "Every baseball player should have a little picture of George in his room, because he raised compensation to levels unheard of in the past." But Lou Piniella probably summed it up best. "George is a great guy," the former Yankees manager said, "unless you have to work for him."