BILLY BRAWL
At “Whit’s” End.
The infamous fight between pitcher Ed Whitson and Billy Martin in 1985
Billy Martin was no stranger to fights. My Uncle who worked as a security guard in a major hotel in Manhattan New York told me once;
“One night I was working at The Holerend House, in Manhattan NY and the noise that was coming from the bar sounded like there was 30 people gathered together. It turned out it was just Billy Martin, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle having a few drinks.” Uncle Frank Maggi
Billy was not a big man but he packed a loud punch with his fists as well as his voice. If he was your friend he was your friend for life. Just ask former Hall of Fame player Rickey Henderson who Billy loved like a son. However, when Billy didn’t like you there wasn’t a worse enemy to be around. His fights with Reggie Jackson on and off the field are legendary and came to head in Boston’s Fenway Park on National T.V. when Martin pulled Jackson out of a game because he thought he wasn’t hustling. Billy’s anger had stemmed from an off season disagreement with Owner George Steinbrenner who insisted on signing the Baseball superstar slugger even though Billy requested that he not.
Only the intervention of coaches Elston Howard and Yogi Berra prevented the manager and his $3 million right fielder from going at it in full view of a national television audience that included Yankee owner George Steinbrenner watching somewhere in Ohio.
Billy had gone to remove pitcher Mike Torrez, but had made up his mind to yank Reggie at the same time. When he returned to the bench, he sent Paul Blair out to right. Jackson, who was draped over the right-field railing rapping with players in the Yankee bullpen, was surprised when he turned and saw Blair in his terrain.
“Who me,” Jackson seemed to say, pointing to his chest.
When he returned to the bench, Jackson confronted Martin and the two were standing nose-to-nose.
“You never liked me and I never liked you,” Jackson said.
Martin reprimanded Jackson for not hustling. Something Jackson said set Martin off and the manager tried twice to get at the star right fielder as Howard and Berra held him back and Jim Wynn grabbed Jackson.
“You’re an SOB,” Jackson is reported to have said. “You’re nothing but an old bleep-bleeper… you’re too old. Do you want to fight?”
The challenge was more than battling Billy could stand and he was willing to take on Jackson, who was 18 years younger and 35 pounds heavier. The veins were popping out of his neck as he yelled back and struggled to free himself from the grasp of the coaches. Fortunately, he did not succeed.
Jackson was hustled off the field and into the clubhouse, from where he exited through a side door while the Yankees were still on the field.
Realizing the television cameras were picking it all up. Martin shouted, “Throw a towel over that thing.”
Later, Martin had his say: “I only ask one thing of my players. Hustle. If said they hustle for me, they can play for me. I told them in spring training. I had a meeting. I told them you play only one way, to win. You play hard and give your 100% best. If you don’t hustle, I don’t accept it. If a player shows up the club, I show up the player.”
Martin’s way of showing up Jackson was to pull him off the field in the middle of an inning. Some wondered whether it might have been more discreet, considering the game was on national television, to wait a day or an inning to reprimand Jackson.
“What does TV have to do with the way you manage?” he asked. “Because it’s a TV game. I’m not going to wait until next week. He showed us up all over the country.”
Reggie showed up in spring training in 1977 after signing his multi-year free-agent contract and Billy made sure that Reggie felt his immense displeasure. Further more, Jackson started off on the wrong foot with the entire Yankees team when he had made comments to Sport Magazine (Jackson states to this day he was misquoted) from May 1977 regarding beloved catcher Thurman Munson as Jackson was quoted as saying:
“it all flows from me. I’m the straw that stirs the drink. Munson thinks he can be the straw that stirs the drink, but he can only stir it bad.”
It has been claimed that Sport writer Robert Ward fed the line to Jackson while they were at a Fort Lauderdale bar during 1977 Florida spring training.
Reggie Jackson insisted that he never disparaged Thurman Munson in the attention-grabbing Sport magazine article.
“It never happened. At least not like he said it did,” Jackson wrote in Reggie Jackson: Becoming Mr. October.
“The whole time he was trying to feed me that quote, but I know I never said it,” Jackson said in the book, written with Kevin Baker. “There’s no way I’d be that dumb to knock the captain of the team — and, by the way, the guy who told George Steinbrenner to go get me on the free agent-market.” Jackson stated.
“He lied to people,” Jackson wrote in his biography about Martin. “That was his history. He lied to the general manager; he lied to the owner. He lied to players all the time, which was a big reason why he wore out his welcome.”
Jackson also claimed Martin, who died in 1989, made anti-Semitic remarks about a Yankees pitcher. Ken Holtzman, who was Jewish, played for the Yankees in 1977. And Jackson said most of the time Willie Randolph was the only black player on the team sympathetic to Martin.
“Most of the black players on our team did not support me, and that hurt,” Jackson said. “Nobody — nobody — really wanted to locker next to me.”
Free-Agency was brand new to Major League Baseball in 1976/1977. Therefore, Reggie Jackson was one of the first of an elite group of eligible players to seek large contracts with whichever team they chose. Rather than uniting players (the way it does today) it divided them as other ball players became jealous that they were not part of this new win-fall. Additionally, by Jackson signing a huge contract with the Yankees after they had lost to the Cincinatti Reds in the World Series the previous year, gave the current Yankees the impression that Jackson was there to save them? The players were offended before Jackson could take his first swing. Especially since the Captain and leader Thurman Munson won the World Series MVP in the 1976 World Series in a losing effort. Now here comes Jackson with big barreled chest, big mouth and big bank account as if he was there to lead them? Jackson never had a chance as the Yankees were clearly aligned behind their manager Billy Martin and their Captain Thurman Munson. Nobody was going to admit this out-loud but the fact that Reggie was African American did not help him winning anyone’s confidence among the white players. Plus, the black players like Willie Randolph and Chris Chambliss stayed neutral so Reggie was truly on his own. The team went they way Martin went and Martin was out to knock down Jackson at every turn.
MARSHMALLOWS FOR SALE!
In 1979, Billy Martin floored marshmallow salesman Joseph Cooper during a barroom brawl in Minneapolis. According to Cooper, the fight started over a dispute on who should be “Manager of the Year”, with Cooper saying Dick Williams or Earl Weaver. Martin reportedly egged Cooper on, offering a $500 bet and later sucker punching Cooper. George Steinbrenner fired Martin after that and replaced him with Dick Howser for the 1980 season. Joseph Cooper, required 15 stitches to close-up his injury.
“It was a sucker punch and I’m assuming any fight he’s ever been in would be the same thing.” Cooper Said of Martin.
The fact that Martin punched a Marshmallow Salesman says all you need to know about Billy Martin and his temper and his knack to continuously sabotage the job he loved most, Manager of the New York Yankees. This particular fight became the “punch” line to Martin’s life and the go-to tagline every time a controversial event happened in Billy’s life. The vulnerability of a Marshmallow Salesman being sucker punched by hot headed adopted New Yorker builds up the “bully” image Martin worked so hard to define. Steinbrenner fired Billy five days later.
PUNCHING BAG
Billy Martin had a wonderful history of barroom brawls and off-and-on-the-filed scuffles dating back to his playing days:
5/24/1954: Billy Martin dropped Red Sox outfielder Jim Piersall with two slugs.
5/27/1957: It was Billy Martin’s 29th birthday, May 27, 1957. A group of Yankees, including Martin, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Hank Bauer and their wives decided to celebrate by taking in Sammy Davis, Jr.’s show at the Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan. Before the night was over, the players unexpectedly ended up in a drunken melee with a bunch of bowlers from the Bronx. The Yankee brass was not pleased and viewed the incident as highly damaging to the team’s image. And of course it was Billy Martin’s fault.
8/4/1960: Martin punched Cubs pitcher Jim Brewer breaking his cheekbone. Martin served a five-day suspension.
8/6/69: Parking Lot fist fight with Twin’s pitcher Dave Boswell. Nov. 10, 1978 — Involved in altercation with Nevada sports writer Ray Hagar.
1972: Martin was involved in a fight with a fan outside Memorial Stadium Baltimore MD.
1978: Martin involved in a fight in Reno NV with a sports reporter.
Oct. 25, 1979 — Involved in altercation in Minnesota with salesman Joe Cooper.
May 25, 1983 — Involved in altercation with Robin Olson in a hotel bar in California.
May 6, 1988 — Involved in fight in rest room of a topless bar in Arlington, Texas.
12/25/89-Billy Martin dies in a single car accident.
Perfect Unfit
The Yankees officially signed Ed Whitson on December 27, 1984. In order to win his services, the team had to outbid the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves, and the courtship efforts included a personal visit from the Boss himself. Although Whitson stated he was impressed by Steinbrenner’s sincerity, what ultimately swayed his decision was the $4.5 million guaranteed over five years. Off the bat, Whitson made that clear, which in retrospect, was probably the first sign that his time in New York would not go as planned.
The number one thing was the security of my family. Baseball is second. It’s a game. It’s something I enjoy doing.” — Ed Whitson, quoted by AP December 28, 1984
Ed Whitson underwent a baptism by fire with the Yankees. His first start was a 14–5 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, after which it was revealed that he suffered from back spasms earlier in the week. Whitson downplayed the injury after letting the cat out of the bag, but either way, Steinbrenner wasn’t exactly in a forgiving mood. Just two days into the season, the Yankees’ owner proclaimed, “I’d have to say our pitching stinks. They know they stink”. Welcome to the Bronx! Whitson’s excuse for pitching badly did not endear him to New York fans and made him appear gutless. Especially with his tough hard-nosed manager Billy Martin.
I felt tired, weak. I wasn’t going all the way through with my pitches. I was standing up when I released the ball. I guess I was compensating for my back.” — Ed Whitson, quoted by AP, April 13, 1985
As the season went on, things didn’t get much better for Whitson. During one particularly difficult stretch in May, the right hander went 0–3 with an 8.87 ERA in six starts. Needless to say, boos started reigning down at Yankee Stadium, but soon the cat calls would become the least of the ways in which the fans voiced their displeasure. On May 28, a “mob” reportedly chased Whitson out of the Yankee Stadium parking lot, and they weren’t seeking autographs. Meanwhile, those less inclined to actually inflict physical violence relied on the U.S. Mail to get their point across. Hate mail was sent to Whitson on a daily basis.
During the rest of the summer, Whitson had a couple of solid stretches, and at one point actually improved his record to over .500. Although the Yankees won a remarkable nine of his last 10 starts, Whitson could only muster 50 innings pitched to a 6.84 ERA. There was nothing Whitson could do to win the fans over. As a young Yankees fan I remember listening to “The Art Rust Jr. show” on 77 WABC in New York when a woman called pleading with other Yankees fans to “Please leave this poor man alone, especially his family.” There had been reports that angry fans had put sugar in the gas tank of his vehicle due to his poor pitching performances.
BALTIMORE CHOP -September 21, 1985
Ed Whitson’s season from hell came to head in a bar in Baltimore during a series in which his turn in the rotation had been skipped. On September 22, following a 5–4 victory against the Orioles, Whitson sat in the hotel bar stewing over his demotion when he confronted a fan he felt was eaves dropping on his conversation. According to most initial accounts of the fight, Billy Martin, who also happened to be in the bar, attempted to short circuit the altercation, but instead became involved in a brawl that continued in the hotel lobby and parking lot. By the time it was over, Martin had suffered a broken arm (later, it was revealed he also suffered two cracked ribs and an injured lung), while Whitson added a cut lip to his already bruised ego. The 57-year-old Martin would end up with a cast on his right arm, the first time that the volatile, fast-punching Martin lost a fight with one of his players — or with almost anyone, for that matter. This was the last of Martin’s publicized fights of his career.
The Yankees didn’t suspend Whitson for the brawl, but Martin did one better. Days after the fight, the fiery manager announced to the press that Whitson would skip his start at Yankee Stadium to avoid being booed by the fans. Whether it was an uncharacteristic display of compassion or an attempt to embarrass the right-hander, the move summed up Whitson’s first season in pinstripes.
After the season was over, Whitson requested a trade, but not surprisingly, the Yankees couldn’t find a taker for his hefty contract. Instead, it was Martin who was sent packing. Despite the change, Whitson was still anxious to escape from the Bronx. During the spring of 1986, the embattled right hander opened up about the extent to which he and his family were harassed during the previous season.
It’s got nothing to do with the Yankee organization or the Yankee coaching staff. I’ve never had words with George Steinbrenner. The whole issue is my family’s safety.” — Ed Whitson, quoted by the New York Times, March 17, 1986
Ed Whitson’s misery finally came to an end on July 9, 1986, when the Yankees agreed to send him back to San Diego in exchange for reliever Tim Stoddard. Elated to be freed from the Bronx, Whitson took the high road out of town, praising Steinbrenner and even complementing the fans.
They’ve got some outstanding fans there, that’s for sure, and I wish them all the best of luck, the Yankees and George Steinbrenner. I’ve got to thank him because he really did what he said he would do with the contract and getting me out of there if I didn’t like it. He fulfilled it. I can’t say enough about him. He never ripped me and he had plenty of chances, I guess. Until the day I die, I’ll respect him” — Ed Whitson, quoted by the New York Times, July 9, 1986
Sadly for Whitson, things didn’t immediately improve that much in San Diego. During a rocky first inning in his first start back with the Padres, the fans began to boo. The negative reaction wasn’t as vocal or venomous as in the Bronx, but it probably wasn’t the homecoming Whitson expected. Eventually, Whitson would regain his footing in San Diego, and actually rebound to have two excellent seasons in 1989 and 1990, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the poster boy for free agent busts, not to mention the first name cited when discussing whether a player can “handle New York”. We now have other players that own this distinguished honor; Steve Kemp, Jeff Weaver, Sonny Gray, and Jacoby Ellsbury are a few that faltered in New York.
The worst or best example of a player that faltered quickly in New York was a mid-season trade in 1987 for Cubs pitcher Steve Trout. At the All-Star break in 1987, the Cubs were 47–41 but were 10 games back, and Trout was unloaded to the Yankees for Rich Scheid, Dean Wilkins and newly-named Cubs mental skills coordinator Bob Tewksbury. The Cubs sold high, as Trout’s final two starts with the team were complete game shutouts. No Cub has tossed consecutive shutouts since. The Big Apple wasn’t a good fit for Trout; he was 0–4 with a 6.60 ERA in 14 games (nine starts) to finish the season for the Yankees.
After the season, Trout was traded to the Mariners, where he struggled for a season and a half. He hung it up after a four-game trial for the Cardinals’ Triple-A Louisville team in 1990.
Crunching the Details
Witnesses said the Whitson-Martin fight began in the bar, moved to the hotel lobby, where Whitson kicked Martin in the groin, then moved outside the hotel, where Whitson broke away from people restraining him, rushed at Martin and knocked him down, winding up on top of him. An enraged Martin later said he thought Whitson had broken the manager’s right arm when he kicked him one of several times.
The confrontation began around 12:15 A.M. and continued off and on until about 1 o’clock, when Martin and Whitson again encountered each other outside the elevators on the third floor of the Cross Keys Inn. They yelled at each other, cursed at each other and accused each other of various acts.
‘’You hooked me, you hooked me,’’ Whitson said, presumably meaning Martin punched him.
Onlookers kept the two apart as each yelled that the other was ‘’gutless.’’ Shortly later, Martin said he would fine Whitson and ‘’suspend him for the rest of his life. That’ll catch his attention.’’
The injuries weren’t even the worst of it for Martin. The Yankees fired him at the end of the season, and most believed the Whitson fight played a big role. It shouldn’t be based on how the team played down the stretch, as the Yanks won nine of their last dozen games after the fight and nearly made the miracle comeback, falling just two games short.
Last Call
It would be fitting that Billy Martin would have a couple of drinks before heading to the other side. December 25, 1989 was it for Martin. The 61-year-old, five times the Yankees manager under George Steinbrenner, was a passenger in the blue and white Ford pickup that skidded off an icy road at 5:45 p.m. in the Broome County town of Fenton, near Binghamton.
The driver was supposedly William Reedy of Detroit. Reedy, owner of a Detroit bar, is a long-time friend of Martin’s who accompanied him often on Yankee road trips. The two were also in business together selling canned hams. Reedy, suffered broken right ribs, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Reedy acknowledge the pair were drinking but said the ice and no guardrails on the road played a bigger part in Martin’s death.
Reedy told police he was driving to keep his buddy from a DUI bust, but Martin was dead from a broken neck two feet away. Reedy suffered a broken hip, and his lie resulted in a DUI charge.
At Reedy’s trial in September 1990, Mr. Reedy testified that he had not been driving the truck, but had lied to the police and to a priest after the accident when he was unaware that Mr. Martin had been killed.
“To protect Billy,” he said, he had told them that he was driving. Mr. Martin, who was 61, had a history of alcohol-related problems.
Despite Mr. Reedy’s testimony, the jury found him guilty of driving with a blood-alcohol content above the legal limit of 0.10 percent.
Skid marks at the crash scene showed the truck skidded about 120 feet before falling in a gully. It then traveled another 200 feet past the stone porticoed entrance to Martin’s driveway, past trees with brightly lit Christmas lights, before hitting a culvert.
Martin’s wife rode in the ambulance with Martin to Wilson Memorial Hospital, a regional trauma center in nearby Johnson City.
Shortly before the ambulance arrived at the hospital, paramedics radioed they were getting only a faint pulse from the unconscious Martin, said hospital administrator Michael Doll.
Martin, who never regained consciousness, was declared dead at 6:56 p.m., Doll said, adding that he suffered massive internal injuries “with potential brain damage.”
Martin had gone to his farm only days ago after spending a couple of days in Tampa at the Yankee minor league complex. He and Steinbrenner had entertained 2,000 underprivileged children there after Martin had returned from his mother’s funeral.
“It’s like losing a part of our own family,” Steinbrenner said. “I was just with him last Wednesday when he came down to entertain those underprivileged kids. Billy said this meant so much to him because he never had anything like this when he was a kid.”
Most people were not surprised about the way Billy Martin died. He died like he lived; a little dangerous and a little reckless. No one will ever know how long Billy would have lived if not for the accident. His drinking was still heavy at the time of his death and perhaps he had one more managerial job under George Steinbrenner as some had speculated. We would like to think he would have gotten a little mellower and not been involved in too many more fights but Billy never shied away from a good confrontation and was always willing to teach someone a lesson, old school style!
