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I grew up in the Bay Area. Though mainly a Giants fan, I too have followed the Oakland A's, which, much to my dismay, have been in the post season way more than the Giants. The A's seem to play exciting balk and in many of their 40 years in Oakland have been in the thick of competition.

For a few years in the 80's, we had the pleasure of watching one of baseball's better managers: Alfred Emmanuel-Billy-Martin. He was a no holds barred manager, who did everything he could to see his team win a game. It was Martin himself who said that a manager could only effect the outcome of about 20 games per year. Given that statement, it's all about motivation.

Billy was a firebrand, who won wherever he went. He won in New York, he won in Texas, he won in Detroit and he won in Oakland. Even before the advertising managers got to it, his brand of baseball leadership was being called 'Billy Ball." His players bunted, when least expected, they executed the hit and run, they threw to the cutoff man with ease, they played good, sound fundemental baqseball. And Billy Martin was right there teaching his players those fundementals.

Billy even argued with his players and his boss, George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees. Billy was hired five times by Steinbrenner and he was fired five times by Steinbrenner. So their relationship could not have been the warm and fuzzies. Who, among us baseball fans, can forget about the in dugout shouting match he had with Reggie Jackson on national TV at the World Series.

Billy was not afraid to challenge an umpire, some times to the point of violence. I have never seen any count on how many times he was thrown out by an umpire, but I can assure you that it was more than 2! He kicked dirt, he screamed at the umpire, which at times seemed a little childish, but he got results. It's a truth in baseball: A manager will call an umpire on something just to get the team pumped up.

Billy threw a base more than once. Billy threw his cap more than once. Billy kicked dirt more than once.

Billy's demise wherever he went was his temper. When he challenged one of his own pitchers to a bar fight one night, we knew that Billy had lost it.

I was sad to read that on Christmas Day a number of years ago that Billy Martin had been killed when the truck he was driving in turned over into a ditch. I said to a friend that I was sure there was alcohol involved. Billy could have been right up there with the McGraws and the Alstons, but alcohol got the best of him. Rest in peace Billy Martin!

Learn more about this author, Tom Ontis.
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