Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 19, 1990 TAG: 9007190287
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
The lawyer for Howard Spira, the former gambler at the center of the investigation, ridiculed Steinbrenner for changing his reasons for the $40,000 payment that triggered an investigation by Commissioner Fay Vincent.
"This guy changes the story about what happened more often than he changes managers," said David S. Greenfield, Spira's lawyer.
In recent months, Steinbrenner has cited various reasons for giving Spira the money. First, he said he did it out of the goodness of his heart.
Then, he said he did it to keep Spira from disclosing damaging information about Piniella and two former Yankees executives, Pat Kelly and David Weidler, who were forced to resign when, Steinbrenner said, they had sold leftover giveaway merchandise for their own profit.
At the hearing, Steinbrenner added another explanation: He and his children, he testified, were "scared stiff" by Spira.
"I'm not scared stiff of him physically," the owner told Vincent, "but a little guy's a big guy if he's got a gun in his hand."
Steinbrenner said he was "scared of the guy" to the point that he asked about getting a gun permit.
At Steinbrenner's hearing July 5-6, Vincent and his deputy, Steve Greenberg, pointedly noted the differences in Steinbrenner's story.
The commissioner's office released the 372-page transcript of the two-day hearing because excerpts appeared in Wednesday's edition of The National. The transcript also showed that Vincent criticized Steinbrenner for his failure to inform any baseball or law-enforcement authorities immediately about what Steinbrenner said was Spira's attempt to extort money from him.
Steinbrenner's changing testimony also could have an impact on the extortion case against Spira, which the owner initiated two months later.
"If I were the prosecutor, I'd call him [Steinbrenner] in and ask him about the differences before I proceeded with the case," Greenfield said. "There seem to be major inconsistencies, and I'd like to know the reason for it."
Vincent, reviewing the evidence at his summer home in Harwichport, Mass., declined to comment on any of the testimony. But, because the transcript became public, he issued a statement clearing Piniella, the Cincinnati Reds' manager, of any wrongdoing.
Vincent was joined at his vacation home by Greenberg and John Dowd, the Washington lawyer who conducted the Steinbrenner investigation for the commissioner.
Dowd interviewed Piniella, who formerly served as the Yankees' manager and general manager. Piniella cooperated fully, the commissioner said.
"I am satisfied that Lou Piniella did not engage in any activity warranting further attention from my office," Vincent said.
Piniella reacted angrily to having his "sports betting habits" mentioned by Steinbrenner during his hearing with Vincent.
"George should have come to me and told me whatever information he had and let me refute it," Piniella said. "He's always talking about how much he likes me and he likes my family. This certainly raises my doubts, I'll tell you that.
"I'm embarrassed; I'm upset; I'm hurt. I'm disappointed. I'm disturbed by this."
by CNB