Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Star-Ledger: Billy Martin remains one-of-a-kind
I’ll remember the Billy Martin who some days would sit back in the manager’s office and tell stories about his days as a Yankee player, mostly his escapades with Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford - classic stories, even if they were slightly exaggerated - and the way he beamed and laughed as he told them.
I’ll remember the Billy Martin who would go to extreme lengths to find baseball jobs for ex-players who were down on their luck. And the Billy Martin who couldn’t bring himself to tell fading veterans they were being cut. The tough guy was really a softie at heart.
This Moss H. Klein article on Billy Martin caught my eye. The fiery Yankee manager died twenty years ago today. I wasn’t old enough to witness the Martin era(s) but I’ve read (and seen) enough to know he was a heck of a Yankee manager.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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