Word: martinisms
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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There is a certain unsavory irony in all this. In the '50s, Martin was the Yankees' fiery second baseman, a hustling player who wanted nothing more than to stay with the Yankees, then in their absolute prime (the Yanks won six of eight World Series in that decade). He was even Casey Stengel's favorite. But then-owner George Weiss had it in for Martin, and when he became peripherally involved in a fight at the Copacabana nightclub with some other players in the summer of 1957, he found himself in Kansas City the next day. The incident broke...
...Martin became the manager of the Minnesota Twins, guiding them to the Western Division title, but he was soon fired from that job. In 1972 he took Detroit to the playoffs, but he got fired from there, too. He had a reputation for ignoring his owners, for doing what he thought was best for his club. And no one could argue with the results. In 1974 he took a horrible Texas Rangers club from nowhere to second place in the A.L. West; finally, in 1975, he got what he had wanted all along, to be manager of the Yankees. Then...
...Martin is and always has been a determined competitor, willing to do anything to win. But most of all, he has been a Yankee competitor. In evaluating his resignation yesterday, it is important to keep in mind how much he loved his job. With that in mind, it is clear that there must have been some mighty extenuating circumstances to make Martin quit the helm of the defending World Champs in the middle of a season, particularly after Steinbrenner had assured him of his job only three weeks before. Though the Yanks are way out now, anything can happen...
...Martin pulled the rip-cord yesterday. His health may have been the reason, or maybe he just couldn't take any more of Steinbrenner, a man who should be seeing his parole board, not running the Yankees. And so the Yankees have lost the man whom even personal enemies have called the best manager in baseball. And, assuredly, any last chances they have for overtaking...
...blame Billy Martin. I sympathize with him. He handled the toughest job in baseball with style for two grueling years, and brought home the bacon. But Martin felt the same pressure, to a much higher degree, that all real Yankee fans felt all along. I have been a Yankee fan since 1967, and I must admit that it was more fun to root for them when they were losers than it is now. The bitterness that surrounds everything they do--and the gleeful media reaction and pressure that fed on it and built it up--has made rooting for them...