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Billy Martin Biography |
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: For other people known by this name, see Billy Martin (disambiguation)
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989), a former Major League Baseball player and manager, was manager of the New York Yankees five different times and won two league championships and one World Series as their manager.
As a manager, Martin was known for his ability to win with any team, and for arguing animatedly with umpires, including a widely parodied routine in which he kicked dust on their feet, but he was criticized for not getting along with veteran players, burning out young pitchers, and drinking too much.
Billy Martin was born to Joan and Alfred Martin in Berkeley, California. His father was of Portuguese ancestry, his mother of Italian ancestry. Alfred's infidelities with University of California coeds soon led to their separation, and Billy was raised by his mother, who doted on her son, frequently calling him "bello," or "beautiful" in Italian. This was the origin of his nickname "Billy." Billy grew up playing baseball at a city park across the street from his home, James J. Kenney Park. Baseball pro and fellow Berkeley native Augie Galan lived nearby and would bring some of his professional friends to James Kenney Park in the off-season to practice. Kids in the neighborhoood, including Martin, would come by to watch and learn. While attending Berkeley High School (California), Billy tried out for and began playing for the Oakland Junior Oaks, affiliated with the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Oaks club. After graduation, Billy was signed to the Oakland Oaks (PCL) of the Pacific Coast League, playing for that team in 1948 and 1949. Martin played for Casey Stengel who was the manager of the Oakland Oaks in 1948. Stengel admired his aggressive play. When Stengel became manager in New York, he had the Yankees obtain Martin. Playing career He started his major league career in 1950 in baseball as a second baseman for the Yankees. As a player, Martin was known for making clutch plays. In 1953 Martin had career highs in home runs (15), RBIs (75), doubles (24), triples (6), and hbp (6). He was the MVP of the 1953 World Series, as he batted .500 with a .958 slugging percentage. He was an All-Star in 1956. In 1958 he led the league in sacrifice hits, with 13. Martin retired in 1961 in baseball with a career batting average of .257. He hit .333 in 28 World Series games for the Yankees. Fights Martin was also known for partying hard. The Yankees traded him in 1957 in baseball, a month after a group of Yankees met at the famous Copacabana (nightclub) nightclub to celebrate Martin's 29th birthday. The party ended in a brawl, and general manager George Weiss (baseball), believing Martin's nightlife was a bad influence on teammates Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle, sent him to the Kansas City Athletics. On August 4, 1960, Martin, then playing for the Cincinnati Reds, charged the mound in the second inning after receiving a brushback pitch from Chicago Cubs pitcher Jim Brewer. Martin threw his bat at Brewer, who picked up the bat and started to hand it to Martin as he approached. Martin punched Brewer in the right eye, breaking his cheekbone. Brewer was hospitalized for two months, and Martin served a five-day suspension. The Cubs sued Martin for $1 million for the loss of Brewer's services. While the Cubs dropped their case, Brewer pursued his, and in 1969 in baseball, a judge ordered Martin to pay $10,000 in damages. Martin's fights as a player also included bouts with Jimmy Piersall, Clint Courtney (twice), Matt Batts, and Tommy Lasorda. Managing career In 1969, Martin became manager of the Minnesota Twins and won a division championship in his first season. He was fired after the season following a fight with one of his pitchers, Dave Boswell. He managed the Detroit Tigers from 1971 in baseball to 1973 in baseball, taking the team to first place in 1972 but was fired in 1973 for ordering his pitchers to throw at batters. He then moved to the Texas Rangers (baseball), where he took the club from last place to second place in 1974 in baseball, but was fired in 1975 in baseball. He returned to the Yankees for the first of his managerial stints in 1975 in baseball, and took the Yankees to the 1976 World Series in 1976 in baseball and 1977 in baseball, winning the 1977 World Series. He feuded publicly with both Yankee owner George Steinbrenner and star outfielder Reggie Jackson. He briefly resigned in 1978 in baseball after telling reporters, "They deserve each other. One's a born liar Jackson, and the other's convicted Steinbrenner" (Martin was referring to Steinbrenner's conviction for making illegal donations to Richard Nixon's 1972 U.S. presidential election election campaign). He returned in 1979 in baseball, only to be fired after a fight with a marshmallow salesman. Martin resurfaced with the Oakland Athletics, where he perfected a style of play that became known as "Billyball." He won the Western Division title in the split season of 1981 in baseball, swept the Royals in the special division series, and then met up with the Yankees in the 1981 American League Championship Series where his A's were swept by the Yankees. Martin was fired when the 1982 in baseball Athletics plummeted to a 68-94 record. Martin had overused Oakland's young pitchers and they all developed sore arms. He returned to the New York Yankees in 1983 in baseball, 1985 in baseball, and 1988 in baseball, but never for more than one full season. During his years as a major league manager, Art Fowler usually served as his pitching coach. Other fights On September 22, 1985, he fought one of his pitchers, Ed Whitson, who broke one of Billy Martin's arms. He was the perfect short-term manager as his competitive fire and daring tactics won over fans, management, and players. This love affair was always brief, especially with the players and management, as his paranoid disdain for authority figures as well as players who dared disagree with him or did not reflect his fiery temperament, were bound to create clubhouse tension and organizational turmoil. Martin's sparring opponents as a manager also included two traveling secretaries (Minnesota's Howard Fox and Texas' Burt Hawkins); Jack Sears, a fan outside Tiger Stadium; a Chicago cab driver who preferred soccer to baseball; sportswriter Ray Hagar, in a Reno casino; marshmallow salesman Joseph Cooper; two bar patrons, in Anaheim and in Baltimore; and two bouncers in an Arlington topless bar. Honors On August 10, 1986, the Yankees retired his uniform number 1 and dedicated a plaque in his honor for Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The plaque contains the words, "There has never been a greater competitor than Billy." Martin told the crowd, "I may not have been the greatest Yankee, but I am the proudest." As a tribute the Florida Marlins called their mascot Billy (mascot). (The name is also derived from the fact that another name for a marlin is a bill-fish.) Death . The following epitaph by Billy Martin himself appears on the headstone: "I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform but I was the proudest." At the time of his death, Martin was yet again getting ready to manage the Yankees for the 1990 season and had begun assembling a coaching staff. Miscellaneous Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, performed the autopsy on Martin and investigated the accident scene, including the pick-up truck Martin died in. The autopsy revealed that Martin's impact injuries were all on the right side, and that hair and other DNA found on the right side of the shattered windshield belonged to Martin, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. The conclusion of the autopsy study was that Reedy, not Martin, was the driver of the pick-up. (takes a swig of beer) "...'Hey, I can drive.'" See also 
Courtesy of: http://www.wikipedia.org/ |
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