BILLY MARTIN (Manager)
1978 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR (Manager)
"'This was my roughest year,' he said. 'I was fired five times and I fired myself three times.' But he survived to win his first world championship and disprove the popular theory that he cannot win twice consecutively with a team.
'This makes it all worthwhile,' he said during the victory celebration.
He was born Alfred Manuel Martin in Berkley, California.
'As a manager, he borders on genius,' says his wife, Gretchen. Billy feuded with owner George Steinbrenner over suggested moves.
'I have to lie and die on my own convictions,' says Martin. His idol is Casey Stengel. He has the only job he ever wanted.
'When I die, there will be pinstripes on my coffin.'"
Phil Pepe, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1978 Edition
"Billy Martin has been the skipper of the Yankees since late 1975. In his first two full seasons, he has only led the pinstripe brigade to two World Series appearances and one World Championship ... not too bad for the skinny kid from Berkley with the big heart.
But then that's just the kind of thing one would expect from the fiery Martin. He is a man who is always thinking and in total control of the game. He gains that control by being a master of the rules and one who sets the tempo of the game more than most managers.
Billy's also a great student of the game and considers the great master to be none other than Casey Stengel. Billy played for Stengel in the '50s and was one of those players who gave everything he had and more. He was a leader, the aggressive, battling sparkplug with great enthusiasm. And he always seemed to rise to the top in the most crucial situations. That style of play has become his style of managing and enables him to bring out the best in each of his players.
Manager of the World Champion Yankees - a lifelong dream fulfilled for Billy Martin."
-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook
"In his two full seasons with the Yankees, Billy has been in the World Series both years and was named Associated Press Manager of the Year in 1976. He followed that up in 1977 by leading the Yanks to their first World Championship since 1962. Billy joined Huggins, McCarthy, Harris, Stengel and Houk as the only managers to lead the Yankees to World Championships.
Billy was a sparkplug of the Yankee infield when he played for Casey Stengel (1950-1957). A member of six pennant winners, he was always considered a player who got the most out of his ability, and one who symbolized the magic of the Yankee uniform.
Billy returned to manage the Yankees on August 2, 1975 after tenures with Minnesota, Detroit and Texas. He led the Twins to the Western Division title in 1969 and the Tigers to the Eastern Division title in 1972. He led the Rangers to a surprising second place finish in 1974 and was named the Associated Press Manager of the Year. In his eight years of major league managing, Billy has had four championship clubs. He won his 700th career game as a manager in 1977 and enters the 1978 season with 709 career wins.
As a player Billy used to come alive at World Series time, as his lifetime .333 Series average proves. He made a famous catch of a short pop hit by Jackie Robinson to save the 1952 Series and batted .500 in the 1953 Classic to win the Babe Ruth Award. He was a member of the 1956 All-Star team.
Billy graduated from Berkeley High School in 1946 and signed with Oakland of the PCL. He played for Stengel there in 1947 and 1948. Purchased by the Yanks from Kansas City in 1950, he also played for the Athletics, Tigers, Indians, Reds, Braves and Twins in his 12-year career.
Considered a master of the rules and a fiery, exciting leader, Billy runs the game and sets the tempo of a team more than most managers. He was a favorite of Casey Stengel, with whom he had a father-son type of relationship as a player.
Billy relaxes by hunting and fishing, and enjoys American history, with a special interest in the Civil War."
-1978 New York Yankees Media Guide
BOB LEMON (Manager)
"Fired in Kansas City because he was too old, he came close to being Manager of the Year with the White Sox at 57. Extremely patient, Lemon did a masterful job of taking a team picked for last and finished third with 90 victories. He flew in from California to be interviewed by Bill Veeck in a Chicago hospital.
'Do you want the job?' asked Veeck. 'Yes,' said Lemon. 'OK, it's yours,' said Veeck. 'It took me five hours to fly there and two minutes to get the job,' says Lemon.
Born in San Bernadino, California, Bob was originally signed as an outfielder. He played center field for the Indians on Opening Day 1946 and made a great catch that saved Bob Feller's no-hitter.
Converted to pitcher, Lemon had seven 20-win seasons and was elected to the Hall of Fame. 'I never took a defeat home with me. I left it in the bar on the way home.'"
-Phil Pepe, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1978 Edition
"Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976 on the strength of seven 20-win seasons, Bob went further: he was honored last year when he won Manager of the Year honors for an amazing job with the Chicago White Sox.
The new Yankee manager started his career as a third baseman-outfielder, climbing to the majors as an infielder late in 1941. After three years in the Navy, Lemon opened the 1946 season as the Cleveland center fielder. Before that year had ended, Bob had converted to pitching full time because of his great arm.
Two years later he pitched a no-hitter against Detroit (June 30, 1948) and led the league in shutouts with 10. Sporting News voted Lemon the Outstanding Pitcher of the American League in 1948, 1950 and 1954 and also named him on its All-Star major league teams of those years.
Considering his comparatively brief career as a pitcher, Lemon recorded an incredible 207 victories against 128 losses for a fine .618 won-lost percentage. He appeared in seven consecutive All-Star Games starting in 1948 and two World Series. He won two games in the 1948 Series when the Indians beat the Boston Braves for the World Championship but lost two in 1954 when the Giants swept the Indians.
After his active career ended in 1958, Lemon never had any difficulty in finding baseball jobs. He served as scout, coach and minor league manager before enjoying three successful years as manager of Kansas City. In 1976 he was pitching coach with the Yankees, then came his term as Chicago manager.
Easy going, popular with players and the media, Bob is also a fine handler of young pitchers."
-New York Yankees 1978 Scorebook & Official Magazine
GENE MICHAEL (Coach)
"Gene Michael returns to the coaching lines this season after having served as an Administrative Assistant in the front office. Nicknamed 'Stick,' Gene was a Yankee coach for part of the 1976 season after completing a ten-year playing career, seven of which were spent as the Yankee shortstop. Gene has a tremendous knowledge of the players in both leagues and should prove to be a very important addition to the braintrust of the dugout."
-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook
"Gene returns to the field after spending a year in the front office as an Administrative Assistant. One of the most popular Yankees of recent years, he spent seven years as the Yankees' shortstop.
He started his career in the Pittsburgh organization, then went to the Dodgers in 1967, and was purchased by the Yankees on November 30, 1967.
Gene played a year with the Tigers in 1975 and opened the 1976 season with the Red Sox. He rejoined the Yanks as a coach on June 14, 1976, and then was elevated to the front office after the season.
A master of the hidden ball trick, the 'Stick' pulled it off five times while with the Yanks. He saw action as a pitcher in 1968, allowing five unearned runs in three innings on five hits and striking out three, against the Detroit Tigers. At Kent State, he was a basketball star who was pursued by the Knicks.
In 1973, Gene was honored by his friends in Norwood, New Jersey with a day at Yankee Stadium, and the Gene Michael scholarship fund was established. Stick is a very popular after-dinner speaker in the metropolitan area."
-1978 New York Yankees Media Guide
ELSTON HOWARD (Coach)
"Popular Elston Howard completes his first decade as a Yankee coach this season. As a player, Ellie was voted to the American League All-Star team nine times and was the A.L.'s MVP in 1963 (the last Yankee player before Thurman Munson in 1976 to win the award). He was also the last Yankee outfielder to win the Babe Ruth Award as World Series MVP (1958) prior to Reggie Jackson last year, but Ellie is best remembered as a link in the great Yankee catching chain of Dickey-Berra-Howard-Munson."
-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook
"Popular Elston Howard in now in his 10th season as a Yankee coach. The assignment immediately followed a distinguished career in which he played for nine pennant winning Yankee teams and one in Boston.
Nine times he was an American League All-Star, and he won the MVP award in 1963. Elston batted .348 in 1961 when he was one of six Yankees to hit 20 or more home runs. He won the Babe Ruth Award in 1958 for his outfield heroics in the World Series, yet also won two Gold Glove awards as a catcher and made only one error in 1964.
Elston was the first black player on the Yankees and the first black coach in the American League."
-1978 New York Yankees Media Guide
YOGI BERRA (Coach)
"Good fortune seems to follow Yogi Berra. One of America's most beloved and recognizable celebrities. Yogi's return to the Yankees after 12 years coincided with a Yankee pennant in 1976 and followed with a world championship in 1977. He's now been in 19 World Series including a record 14 as a player.
Yogi holds a host of other Series records and is the greatest home run hitting catcher in baseball history. The Hall of Famer has a great knowledge of the game and is an important asset to the Yankee staff."
-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook
"One of America's most beloved and recognized celebrities, his return to the Yankees after 12 years coincided with a Yankee pennant in 1976 and they followed with a world championship in 1977, not surprising to those who know that good fortune follows this Hall of Famer around.
He's now been in 19 World Series, a record 14 as a player, two as a Yankee coach, two as a Met coach, one as Yankee manager and one as Met manager. He holds World Series records for games, at-bats, hits, singles, consecutive errorless games (30), and has hit a grand slam homer (1956).
Three times Most Valuable Player (1951, 1954, 1955) and 15 times an All-Star, his 313 homers were the most ever hit by a catcher, and his 30 homers in a season (twice) is a record for catchers. Yogi also handled 950 consecutive chances without an error (1957-1959). The Yankees retired his (and Bill Dickey's) uniform 8 in 1972 but brought it back for his return in 1976.
His son Dale is an infielder in the Pirate organization who got up to the major leagues last year. Larry Jr. and Tim played pro baseball and football briefly. Yogi and his sons opened a racquet ball club in New Jersey this winter."
-1978 New York Yankees Media Guide
DICK HOWSER (Coach)
"Dick Howser is the man at third base who sends the Yankee baserunners home. He has handled that important position since 1969 when he succeeded the legendary Frank Crosetti. For the last two seasons, he has sent enough runners to the plate to enable the Yankees to outscore the opposition enough to win two American League titles and one World Series.
Dick was the AL's Rookie of the Year in 1961 when he stole 37 bases and closed out his eight-year career with the Yankees."
-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook
"Dick succeeded the legendary Frank Crosetti as Yankee third base coach in 1969, after an eight-year career as an infielder.
He was named the Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1961 when he stole 37 bases and made the All-Star team for the A's. The Yankees obtained him from Cleveland on December 20, 1966 for minor league pitcher Gil Downs, and Howser spent two years as a utility infielder until an injury sidelined him.
A close friend of movie star Burt Reynolds, with whom he attended both high school and college, Dick managed the Yankees' Instructional League team in Florida for two years."
-1978 New York Yankees Media Guide
ART FOWLER (Coach)
"Art Fowler was reunited with his old pal Billy Martin in August of 1977. His addition to the Yankee staff as a pitching coach coincided with the Yankees' pennant stretch run.
Art has worked under Billy Martin everywhere the skipper has managed in the major leagues, beginning at Minnesota in 1969. Art's professional playing career spanned 25 years and he was still pitching at age 48 in the minor leagues.
The Yankees are looking forward to having Art on the staff for a full season."
-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook
"Art joined the Yankee coaching staff last August, reuniting with Billy Martin. He worked under Martin in Minnesota, Detroit and Texas as pitching coach.
Art's professional playing career spanned 25 years, starting back in 1944 at Bristol in the Appalachian League. He won 54 games in his nine-year major league career, seeing time with the Reds, Dodgers and Angels. Art had his best year with the Reds in 1954, winning 12 games with a 3.83 ERA, and won 11 games in each of his next two years in Cincinnati. He pitched in 57 games for the Angels in 1963 at age 41, with a 5-3 record and a 2.43 ERA, being used in relief.
He was still pitching at age 48 at Denver in 1970, then joined Billy Martin at Detroit as his pitching coach in 1971. Art won 205 games in his minor league career."
-1978 New York Yankees Media Guide
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