In 1982, Bill James listed the three fastest ways to turn a team around. Number one was to hire Billy Martin as manager. Teams Martin took over averaged about 30 more wins the first year after he takes them over. Unfortunately, he also wore out his welcome faster than most. And he wore out the arms of Oakland A's starting pitchers Mike Norris, Matt Keough, Steve McCatty, Rick Langford and Brian Kingman by making them throw too many complete games in the 1980 to 1982 seasons.
(The second fastest way to turn a team around, according to James, was to get rid of Bobby Bonds. Nearly every time a team got rid of the much-traveled, elder Bonds, its record the next year improved significantly)
Billy Martin had a long running feud with Boston Red Sox "spaceman" Bill Lee. Lee gets undeserved credit for being a wit, when he was basically little more than irreverant. When the Red Sox management started trading off "the buffalos" ("twenty five guys, twenty five cabs"), Lee briefly quit the team in protest. Shortly after that, when Martin was being interviewed, he said, "You know, I'm really pissed at that Mickey Mantle. Everyone says he's my friend, but he's no friend. When the Yankees traded me to Kansas City back in '57, that son of a bitch kept playing for them!"
When Martin, as All Star game manager, neglected to pick Lee, Lee said Martin left him off the team just because he didn't like him, and called Martin a little Nazi. When Martin was asked if his dislike of Lee was a factor in his decision, Martin said, "All I want to do is win. I'd pick Adolph Hitler if I thought he'd help us win."
I'll leave the Billy Martin/Mickey Mantle "cow" story for someone else to tell.
