During his days as a player and manager, Billy Martin always seemed a lightning rod for controversy. He was a combative Yankees second baseman during the Mantle era and later, as the team’s manager, held the job five times as owner George Steinbrenner alternately hired and fired him. In this exhaustively researched book, the author endeavors to get beyond the caricature of Martin to examine in everything from his shantytown upbringing to his knack for turning losing teams into winners.
Here’s an excerpt from “Billy Martin”:
“When the Tigers checked into their Oakland hotel, Billy discovered that he could not have his usual rooftop suite, which he always used to entertain his East Bay guests when the Tigers visited Oakland during the regular season. Aware of Billy’s habits, and hoping to unnerve him, [A’s owner] Charlie Finley had reserved the rooftop suite throughout the playoffs.
“Privately, Billy fumed, but when reporters asked him about it, he laughed it off.
“‘You could probably fill a suite like that with all your friends from the area,’ a reporter remarked.
“‘Or my enemies,’ Billy quipped.”
