1972 Profile: Gene Michael

"Teammates call him 'Stick' because of his lean, lanky build. He says it's because of his batting ability, but don't believe him. He's an outstanding fielder but his bat is a burden. Gene came to camp last year designated as the backup shortstop behind rookie Frank Baker, but beat the youngster to the job.
Gene started out in the Pittsburgh organization and played one season with the Los Angeles Dodgers before coming to the Yankees. Born June 2, 1938 in Kent, Ohio, he graduated from Kent State where he starred in basketball.
Gene loves to play the hidden ball trick."

-Hal Bock, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1972 Edition

" 'Every spring Ralph gives my job away,' beams Gene Michael, 'but every season I win it back.'
Gene's not bragging, just stating a fact. The personable Yankee shortstop has been a regular since 1969 when he succeeded Tom Tresh, and everyone who's seen him gracefully cover the left side of the infield knows why. One of the best defensive players in the game, Gene's the type of guy who can beat you with a superb play, a hidden-ball trick, a big single, or, on rare occasions, a long ball.
Fans in the Yankee area have had an opportunity over the past few years to hear Gene speak at scores of banquets and dinners. Everywhere he's made friends for the Yankees and gained another dimension of high personal respect. The Stick is back in '72, and the Norwood, New Jersey resident will doubtless once again make a vital contribution to the team's success."

-The New York Yankees Official 1972 Yearbook

"The Stick continued his fine fielding at shortstop last year in addition to picking up his hitting. Although he wound up at .224, he lost 20 points in the last month of the season; through August 31 he was at .244.
Gene ranked second in the American League in assists with 474 and fifth in total chances with 737 although he played in only 136 games at short. Many of those games were incomplete appearances, as he came on in the latter part of the game for defensive purposes. A master of the hidden ball trick, he has pulled the stunt four times with the Yankees, catching Tom Matchick in 1968, Zolio Versalles in 1969, and Joe Keough and Jarvis Tatum in 1970.
Stick has filled in at third and at second for the Yanks and has also pitched during his baseball career: at Kinston in 1963 where was 1-3 and also with the Yankees in 1968, when he allowed five unearned runs in three innings, giving up five hits and striking out three. He was also a basketball star at Kent State and was later pursued by the New York Knickerbockers.
Gene switched his permanent home to New Jersey three years ago, spending his off-seasons working for the Yankees' Speakers Bureau."

-1972 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide