The Ballad of Billy and George: The Tempestuous Baseball Marriage of Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner - Hardcover

Pepe, Phil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159921282X ISBN 13: 9781599212821

Publisher: The Lyons Press, 2008

Synopsis

They were compared to Mutt and Jeff, Hatfield and McCoy, even Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton: two stubborn and driven men whose on-again off-again partnership entertained the nation for two decades. When Yankees owner George Steinbrenner first hired former player Billy Martin to manage his famous American League franchise, they won the pennant and the World Series. But Martin was a scrappy, defiant son to Steinbrenner’s role as fickle father. Feuds erupted and separations ensued when each accused the other of disrespect, and the dysfunctional house that Ruth built was frequently rocked by public arguments and name calling. Five times Steinbrenner hired Martin, and five times he fired him.
This is a wonderful, blow-by-blow history of their combustible chemistry, drawn from interviews with Billy Martin Jr., Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage, Bucky Dent, Clete Boyer, Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella, Clyde King, and Gene Michael. Black and white photos enhance the drama, presented by a veteran sportswriter who covered the Yankees every day and whose previous books have been national bestsellers.

About this title

About the Author

Phil Pepe has covered sports in New York for more than five decades. He was the Yankees beat writer for the New York World Telegram & Sun from 1961-64, and for the New York Daily News from 1971-84. He is the author of more than 40 books, including My Favorite Summer: 1956 with Mickey Mantle (Doubleday), which reached No. 7 on the New York Times bestseller list;  BillyBall with Billy Martin (Doubleday); and Talkin’ Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970s (Ballantine).

From the Back Cover

They were compared to Mutt and Jeff, Hatfield and McCoy, and even Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton: two stubborn and driven men whose on-again off-again partnership entertained the nation for two decades.

When Yankees owner George Steinbrenner hired former player Billy Martin to manage the famous baseball franchise, they immediately won two American League pennants and the 1977 World Series. But Billy was a scrappy, defiant son to Steinbrenner s role as fickle father. Feuds erupted and separations ensued when each accused the other of disrespect, and the dysfunctional house that Ruth built was frequently broken up when the two would part ways, only to reunite within weeks. Through a total of five partnerships and five firings, Steinbrenner and Martin created great baseball drama and had some championship seasons along the way.

The Ballad of Billy and George is a blow-by-blow history of their combustible
chemistry, drawn from interviews with Billy Martin Jr., Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage, Bucky Dent, Clete Boyer, Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella, Clyde King, and Gene Michael. Veteran sportswriter and author Phil Pepe also recalls one-on-one conversations with Billy Martin.

This story of the tumultuous love-hate relationship between Steinbrenner and Martin is affectionately presented by Pepe, who covered the Yankees every day during these rollicking times and who offers a first-hand account of what he remembers as ?the best of times and the worst of times.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Lyons Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 159921282X
• ISBN 13: 9781599212821
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256