No Place for Billy Martin in Cooperstown
November 11, 2010 · Leslie Monteiro · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee selected 12 candidates to be in the Hall of the Fame. The winner will be decided sometime in January along with the candidates being voted by the sportswriters.
George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin stand out the most on the list. It certainly will get people talking. There will be critics and supporters speaking out on those two candidates.
This writer does not mind if Steinbrenner is in the Hall of Fame. Sure he destroyed baseball by escalating salaries, but he should be in the Hall of Fame for giving coaches and players second chances. He cared for their well-being.
Martin is another story. He has no business being in the Hall of Fame. His conduct was an embarrassment to baseball.
This is a guy who killed himself because he was so into drinking. There goes a lack of credibility right there.
Talk about what a great manager he is. Talk about how he knew how to win. Talk about how he got the best out of his players.
Those are fair points, but let’s not forget some of his transgressions. The guy was fired often because of his behavior. This is a man who liked to spite his boss. He promoted fighting in baseball by having his pitcher throw at batters.
The man was a racist. Look at his treatment towards African-Americans. Ask Reggie Jackson and he will tell you what a bad man Martin is. Jewish players dealt with the same treatment.
If he did not like a player, he would treat the player like an outcast. He would do everything possible to humiliate that person. Jackson endured that painful memory. It’s something that won’t be forgotten.
This is a man that assaulted his players. Ed Whitson and him got into a fight in a bar, something that expedited Whitson’s departure. In an incident like this, Whitson should have charged his manager with assault.
This is a man that found a way to humiliate Steinbrenner at every opportunity. He would not listen to orders from his boss. When he was told not to drink, he did anyway. When he was ordered to bat Jackson cleanup, Martin defied him. He would rip Steinbrennber publically in the media.
It was one thing or another with this insecure egomaniac. It’s remarkable how Steinbrenner hired him back so many times. He had a soft spot for a crazy person.
Of course, Steinbrenner loved winning. Martin won, so that’s why he came back so many times. Still, it was not worth bringing him back.
Any manager could have won with the talent the Yankees had. Steinbrenner was buying players back then too, so he could have hired Dick Howser or Yogi Berra back then too.
Martin never cared about Steinbrenner. He was only worried about himself. He took advantage of an owner for his own fame.
For Martin to consider himself a great Yankee, it’s a joke.
Does this manager seem Hall of Fame worthy to anyone? Not for this guy. Besides, he should have won more championship with the Yankees to merit being in the Hall of Fame.
Joe Torre is going to be in on the first ballot. He created a dynasty with the Yankees in the 90s and he knew how to work with Steinbrenner. Something Martin can’t say.
Cooperstown should be about what’s good for the game. Guys who enjoyed playing the game. Guys who displayed class and strong moral values.
If Martin is voted in, the Veterans Committee might as well put Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and other steroid users in the Hall of Fame.
Yankees fans love Martin. They love him because he won. They will like serial killers as long as they win. If a Martin critic rips Martin, they will get defensive.
These are the same folks that adore Steinbrenner. Never mind how he screwed Howard Spira and Dave Winfield. Never mind he made people’s lives miserable.
With New York, it’s about winning. If an athlete or coach wins, that’s all that matters. It’s a sad reflection on our society.
Fortunately, the only vote that matters is the veterans committee.
It’s hard to believe Martin will be voted in. It will be because of his behavior. It wasn’t like he was beloved in the baseball industry back in the day.
Those folks in the Committee have long memories and will certainly remember it when it comes down to voting. If Martin just managed, all of this would have been forgotten.
It will be shocking if he wins it. Even the Martin family would be hard-pressed to think that’s going to happen.
It’s too bad his off-the-field incidents overshadowed what a good baseball mind he was. The man can manage. If only he could handle other people’s egos, he would have been a better manager.
This is something he created and he has to live with the consequences.
The Committee would get it right by not voting for Martin.
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