Steinbrenner was “The Boss,” 48 years ago
Cuban invests in Athletics
Good morning, all and happy Friday!
Forty-eight years ago today, Billy Martin resigned as manager of the New York Yankees. This was long before anyone thought there would be a Billy II, Billy III, well you get the idea.
Martin was enjoying the most successful run of his managerial career, winning consecutive pennants and a World Series with the Yankees. But he and Reggie Jackson were feuding. In fact, their feud never stopped, beginning when Jackson joined the Yankees as a free agent in 1977.
There had been moments, when one thought the feud had reached its nadir. In June of 1977, in a national televised game from Fenway Park, Martin pulled Jackson from right field in the middle of the game, for what he thought was a lack of hustle on Jackson’s part. The two nearly came to blows in the Yankees third base dugout, with coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard intervening to prevent a scene uglier than Jackson being yanked from the game.
More than a year later, the two were at loggerheads again, when Jackson ignored a bunt sign Martin had put on in the ninth inning of a game against Kansas City. Then he took the bunt sign off and Jackson attempted to bunt. The entire episode became unhinged, with Martin finally winning out, getting Jackson suspended for five games with owner George Steinbrenner’s okay.
With Jackson out for five days, the Yankees, reeling in the AL East Division race behind the first place Red Sox, won five straight, including the final game in Chicago on July 23, when Jackson’s suspension ended. Martin did not have Jackson in the lineup that day, but the Bomber beat the White Sox, 3-1 and were getting back into the divisional race.
The Yankees were heading to Kansas City, after their successful sweep of the White Sox, but a long wait at O’Hare Airport coupled with a nearby bar, made for a combustable cocktail for the combatant Martin. When queried by beat writers Murray Chass of the New York Times and Henry Hecht of the New York Post about critical comments Jackson made upon his return, the well-lubricated Martin called Jackson a liar and Steinbrenner a convicted one. (Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball for two years, after making illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon’s campaign in 1972.) Martin’s exact words were, “One is a born liar, the other convicted.” Martin insisted the reporters quote him word-for-word. They did.
It did not take long for Martin’s quotes to get back to Steinbrenner, and the wheels were put in motion between Martin’s agent and Steinbrenner’s people to bid Billy adieu. If he did not resign, he was going to be fired. Martin resigned, giving an emotional news conference in the Kansas City hotel where the Yankees were staying. Yankees broadcaster and ex-teammate Phil Rizzuto was along side him to offer comfort.
It would be enough, if the story ended there, but it did not. Martin’s firing was a public relations disaster and Steinbrenner, sensitive to fan criticism, knew it. Five days later it was announced on Old Timer’s Day, that Martin would return as Yankees manager in 1980. Meanwhile, under Martin’s replacement Bob Lemon, the Yankees caught fire and not only overtook the Red Sox but finished off the Dodgers to win their second straight World Series.
Lemon, who was slated to manage the team in 1979, made it until June, when he was fired and Martin brought back early. But he never got the chance to manage the Yankees in 1980. He got into a fight with a salesman in a Minnesota bar, leading to his firing yet again by Steinbrenner. But Martin would return to manage the Yankees again in 1983, 1985 and 1988.
Yankees fans of today, many of whom were born long after Martin died tragically in an automobile accident outside his home on Christmas Day 1989, pang for the return of George Steinbrenner’s leadership. Having lived through it, I can attest it was more chaotic than romantic, no matter how today’s history books twist the narrative.
Here are some other Friday thoughts:
Yankees-Dodgers snagged Sunday Night Baseball on NBC its second highest rating of the season with 3.9M viewing the game on the network’s platforms. Only Yankees-Red Sox did better earlier this season at 4M.
The cash-cow called the NFL continues to produce. Numbers in for the 2025 season show revenue from television media rights, league sponsorships, royalties, etc. delivered $450M to each of the league’s 32 teams. And remember, unlike baseball, the NFL has a salary cap.
Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is part of an investment group that is buying into the Sacramento-Las Vegas Athletics. Look for this trend to continue. With sports franchises generating mucho revenue - See the above note on the NFL - more investment groups are plowing their dough into big league franchises without purchasing a majority stake, because the ROI is profitable.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber and have a fantastic Friday!
DAN