TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

In 1980, Charlie Finley, after failing for three years to close a deal to sell the club to Colorado-based oil titan Marvin Davis, turned to fifty-one-year-old Billy Martin, who had been fired by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner the previous October, following a fight with a marshmallow salesman in Minnesota. Billy Martin immediately brought life to the A’s and transformed them into a commodity worth buying. By August 1980, Walter A. Haas Jr. arrived on the scene and purchased the A’s from Finley for $12.7 million. The Haas family solidified the A’s stay in Oakland and poured millions into the franchise, making it the best in baseball. By 1982, the A’s shattered their all-time franchise record with a season attendance of 1,735,493 and were named Baseball America’s Organization of the Year.

What follows is an excerpt from the book Billy Ball: Chapter 6 of Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A’s. You can also CLICK HERE to order a copy of your own.

Billy Martin strode into Scottsdale for spring training in 1980 dressed exactly as you’d expect—wide-brimmed cowboy hat, leather jacket, pointed boots, tinted glasses—looking less like a manager returning to a last-place club and more like a gunslinger arriving in town. The Oakland A’s had lost 108 games the year before, finished at or near the bottom of nearly every statistical category, and offered what many considered the least desirable managerial job in baseball. But for Billy, it was home.

After years of pressure and turmoil managing in New York, Oakland felt like a reset. His mother still lived in Berkeley. He knew the Bay Area. He believed in its fans. “I’m back in my hometown,” he said that spring. “I think we can draw 1.2 million, maybe 1.3 million a year.” More importantly, he believed he could teach this young, battered roster how to win.

From the first morning of camp, Martin established authority. He imposed a midnight curfew before day games and required coats and ties on travel days. He guaranteed a winning season in his opening address to the players. Some were inspired; others were stunned. “Boys, we’re going to win,” he told them. “I’m going to teach you and show you how to win.” For a team coming off 108 losses, it sounded audacious.

What followed became known as “Billy Ball.” It was aggressive, daring, relentless baseball—steals, hit-and-runs, squeeze plays, and even the audacity of stealing home. Martin preached pressure: pressure the pitcher, pressure the defense, pressure the moment. “You don’t have to have great speed to steal home,” he barked during workouts. “You have to have the right pitcher.” Even the slowest A’s were given the green light.

The energy was immediate. Spring training crackled. Crowds chanted his name. Players who had drifted through previous seasons began to believe. “I’ve learned more in five weeks than I have in five years,” pitcher Mike Norris said. Confidence replaced doubt. Fundamentals replaced chaos.

The 1980 Oakland Athletics won 83 games, the most in 5 seasons and finished second in the AL west behind the Kansas City Royals. The attendance in 1980 more than doubled from 1979 and was the most since 1975. It was also the highest in any season to date when the team didn’t make the playoffs.

The A’s will challenge for the AL Pennant in 1981 losing in the ALCS to the Yankees. They will fall back to each in 1982 despite set a record for attendance. On the bright side, the A’s will draft future MVP Jose Canseco in the 15th Round. In 1981 they drafted Mickey Tettleton, Curt Young, Mike Gallego and Alvin Davis.

Historic Days!

February 20, 1923, Future Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson becomes president and owner of the Boston Braves. Mathewson purchases the team for $300,000 with New York attorney Judge Emil Fuchs and Bostonian James McDonough. The deal does not include Braves Field, which still belongs to James Gaffney. There are also 85 minority stockholders.

February 20, 1962, New York Mets Manager Casey Stengel announces 65-year old Rogers Hornsby will be the New York Meta hitting instructor and third base coach.  Hornsby batted .424 for the 1924 St Louis Cardinals and hit over 400 for five seasons and unmatched mark in history. The ‘62 Mets posted a team batting average of .240 and Hornsby will pass away in 1963 less than a year later.

February 20, 1963 — After leading the Giants to the pennant, Willie Mays becomes the game’s presently highest paid player, signing a $100,000 contract, a ten-thousand dollar increase from last season. The 31 year-old outfielder, who slugged a major league-leading 49 home runs last year, joins Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams in inking a six-figure deal.

February 20, 1966 —  The American League officially announces the hiring of Emmett Ashford, who will become the first black umpire in major league. ‘Ash,’ known for his flashy style in the PCL, will spend five years in the bigs, working the 1967 All-Star game and the 1970 World Series, before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

February 20, 1963 — The Chicago Cubs put an end to their radical “College of Coaches” system and hire Bob Kennedy as manager. Under Kennedy, the Cubs will sport a respectable record of 82-80 this season.

February 20, 1980 — The Oakland Athletics sign Billy Martin to a two-year contract for $125,000 as manager. Martin, who was fired by the Yankees only four months earlier, will popularize the notion of “Billy Ball” with the A’s and lead the team to a split-season crown in 1981. He will compile a 215-218 record and destroy the young arms of several would be long term starting pitchers. His style also allowed Ricky Henderson to run free on the bases and set the all-time record for stolen bases in a season.

February 20, 1992 — The episode of the animated series The Simpsons entitled “Homer at the Bat” gets its first broadcast on FOX. In the episode, After Homer Simpson and his co-workers qualify the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant’s softball team for the league final, Mr. Montgomery Burns, the owner of the facility, hires nine professional MLB players, to win a $1 million bet with his Shelbyville rival. Although he hits nine home runs, the southpaw-swinging Darryl Strawberry, the only major leaguer to actually participate in the game, after Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, Jose Canseco, Don Mattingly, and Mike Scioscia are all sidelined after being involved in a series of bizarre pregame accidents, will be replaced by Homer in the last inning, because Burns wants a righty to face the opponent’s left-hander. Simpson saves the day with a walk-off hit-by-pitch.The major league stars, many of them future Hall of Famers lend their voices and likeness to the show, which is considered one of the classic episodes of the series.

Todays featured clip:

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Billy Martin managed five teams (and ironically he had 5 stints as the Yankee manager) which team did he have the highest career winning % with?

Oakland

Detroit

New York

Minnesota

Answer in tomorrows newsletter

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Birthday Boys!

 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Who won the last game for the Philadelphia Athletics?

Art Ditmar, September 26, 1954 Ditmar pitched five and a third innings giving up 5 runs, 4 earned. Marion Fricano, picked up a save going three and two thirds giving up just one run. The Yankees and A’s records were 100% reversed, 103-51 - 51-103.

Passings.

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